Media Releases

Upper respiratory infections, such as sore throats, are among the most common health problems worldwide, especially during the winter months in Canada.

The consumer demand for natural health alternatives for coughs and colds has grown quickly over the last decade as people try to find effective natural remedies for relief from the discomfort.

Researchers at Dalhousie University’s Faculty of Agriculture have discovered the plant-based essential oil carvacrol can rapidly kill Streptococcus pyogenes, the bacteria that causes strep throat. In a new paper in the Nature research journal, Scientific Reports, they outline how safe doses of carvacrol can kill this bacteria instantly through a mechanism that disturbs its cell membrane.

Doctoral candidate Niluni Wijesundara conducted part of this interdisciplinary project, which was led by the Principal Investigator, Dr. Vasantha Rupasinghe. He brought together researchers at Dalhousie’s Faculty of Medicine and Nova Scotia Health as collaborators to train graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.

Ms. Wijesundara is available to discuss her findings and how carvacrol, which can be sourced from Atlantic Canadian herbs like summer savory, could become a safe alternative for strep throat treatments and reduce the use of antibiotics that can cause harmful side-effects.
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For a high-resolution image of Ms. Wijesundara, please click here: 

Media contact:
Alison Auld
Senior Research Reporter
Dalhousie University
Cell: 902-220-0491
Email: Alison.auld@dal.ca