In vitro comparison of nitroethane, 2-nitro-1-propanol, lauric acid, Lauricidin(R), and the Hawaiian marine algae, Chaetoceros, activity against anaerobically grown Staphylococcus aureus

Mastitis is a common illness of dairy cattle and is very costly economically to the dairy farmer. Thus there is a need to develop broad-spectrum therapies that are effective while not leading to unacceptably long antibiotic withdrawal times. The effects of the CH4-inhibitors nitroethane (2 mg/ml), 2-nitro-1-propanol (2 mg/ml), lauric acid (5 mg/ml), the commercial product Lauricidin ® (5 mg/ml), and a finely-ground product of the Hawaiian marine algae, Chaetoceros (10 mg/ml), were compared in pure cultures of S. aureus. Lauricidin® exhibited the most bactericidal acidity against S. aureus. These results suggest potential for treatments with a non antibiotic compound could be effective against mastitis.