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Is Tea-Tree Oil Effective in Controlling and Minimising the Growth of the Escherichia Coli Bacteria?

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Is Tea-Tree Oil Effective in Controlling and Minimising the Growth of the Escherichia Coli Bacteria?
QUEENSLAND ACADEMIES FOR SCIENCE, MATHEMATICS AND TECHNOLOGY International Baccalaureate Diploma Program
Extended Essay in Biology

Is Tea-tree Oil effective in controlling and minimising the growth of the Escherichia coli Bacteria?

A study of the effectiveness of a Natural Antiseptic

Candidate Name: Lois Adrienne Dianne Soriano Dulay
Candidate Session Number: 003072-032
Word Count: 3997
Supervisor: Ms Kate Barry
Date of Submission: 25th July 2011
Acknowledgments
Firstly I would like to thank my supervisor, Mrs Kate Barry for her continual support throughout the course of my extended essay. Thank you for our encouraging discussions and for inspiring me to pursue this area of investigation during our Biology classes. Thank you for always making time for me and my Extended Essay whenever I needed your advice and support.
Thank you to Mrs Kerry Bullock, our Extended Essay coordinator, for organising everything to do with the Extended Essay. Your efforts and the motivation you provide for our entire cohort has been exceptional.
Our laboratory technicians, Ms Teneille Gesch and Ms Kathy Pope, for providing me with all of the equipment I needed to carry out my experiment, and for teaching me various and safe techniques with regards to handling live bacteria cultures. Special thanks to Ms Gesch, for giving up several days of her Christmas holidays to supervise me as I conducted my experiment. Your time is greatly appreciated.
Thank you to Mrs Meredith Erbacher, our teacher librarian, for making time to teach me the correct ways of referencing sources. Your knowledge has been very helpful.
My family – thank you for your undying love, support and understanding throughout the completion of this essay. I know that much of my time has been spent on this essay over the past year and that I have missed precious family time which I cannot regain. However, your understanding and encouragement has only motivated me to ensure that the production of this essay



References: "The History of Tea Tree Oil". (1976). Retrieved November 23, 2010, from Thursday Plantation - Australia 's Original: http://www.thursdayplantation.com/page/Tea-Tree-Oil/ All about Cellulitis Infections Alleger, I. (2001, February 1). Herbal Treatments - History and Controversy. Retrieved July 6, 2011, from Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients: http://www.tldp.com/issue/186/Herbs%20Against%20Cancer.htm Aspres, N., & Freeman, S Baby Centre. (2011, February). Meningitis. Retrieved June 24, 2011, from Baby Centre: http://www.babycentre.co.uk/baby/health/meningitis/ Boyle, A Brown, J. C. (1997, September 16). What the Heck is an E.coli? Retrieved May 5, 2011, from Department of Molecular Biosciences - The University of Kansas: http://people.ku.edu/~jbrown/ecoli.html Crawford, S Dryden, M., Daily, S., & Crouch, M. (2004). A randomized, controlled trial of tea tree topical preparations bersus a standard topical regimen for the clearance of MRSA colonization. Journal of Hospital Infection, Volume 56, Issue 4, 283-286. Esoteric Oils. (2011, January 3). Tea tree Oil Information. Retrieved March 9, 2011, from Esoteric Oils: http://www.essentialoils.co.za/essential-oils/tea-tree.htm Flaxman, D., & Griffiths, P Hill, M. P. (2005, June 2). 2008 ANAT3231 Lecture 02 - Cell Types . Retrieved March 5, 2011, from UNSW Cell Biology: http://cellbiology.med.unsw.edu.au/units/science/lecture0802.htm LaPlante, K Madappa, M. M., & Go, C. H. (2011, March 9). eMedicine from WebMD. Retrieved March 8, 2011, from Escherichia Coli Infections: http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/217485-overview Moss, R Moss, R. W. (2001, February 1). Herbs Against Cancer. Retrieved May 6, 2011, from Herbal Treatments - History and Controversy: http://www.tldp.com/issue/186/Herbs%20Against%20Cancer.htm O 'Brien, P., & Dougherty, T Olsen, C. (1999, January 15). Tea Tree Oil (Melaleuca alternifolia). Retrieved March 8, 2011, from Tea Tree Oil (Melaleuca alternifolia): http://www.se1.us/health/tea-tree/medical.html Pillai, M TypesOfBacteria Website. (2008, November 21). How do Disinfectants and Antiseptics Work? Retrieved March 7, 2011, from Types Of Bacteria: http://www.typesofbacteria.co.uk/how-do-disinfectants-antiseptics-work.html U.S World Health Organisation. (2010, December). Traditional medicine: a global perspective. Retrieved July 6, 2011, from Bulletin of the World Health Organisation: http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/88/12/10-079822/en/ (2007) (2007). Microbes and Biotechnology (Chapter 17). In A. Damon, R. McGonegal, P. Tosto, & W. Ward, Higher Level Biology - Developed Specifically for the IB Diploma (pp. 540-541). Essex: Heinmann - Pearson Education Limited.

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