Study ... # Tree oil # Tea substitute for antibiotics

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A new study by a team of Australian researchers has shown that tea tree oil extracts are applied to surgical equipment for doctors to kill bacteria that can be transmitted to humans.

A team of researchers has developed a new polymer coating derived from natural tea tree oil that can be placed on medical implants and tools to prevent the transmission of bacteria, according to the Daily Mail.

James Cook University scientists have discovered that tea tree oil contains vital antimicrobial properties that protect vital membranes from bacteria.

In the United States, about 17 million new infections associated with biofilm are reported every year, leaving some 550,000 people dead.

But it is estimated that about 80 of the world's surgical-related infections may be related to the formation of bacteria on vital membranes.

This comes after researchers suggested in March that lavender oil and tea tree oil contain chemicals that mimic the effects of female estrogen.

Dr Katia Bazaka, a senior research associate and lead author of the new benefits study, published in the journal Polymer.