Objective

The study investigated the growth S. aureus on slate particles that are an important component in a traditional balm used in the treatment of sores and burns. S. aureus is one of a variety of opportunistic pathogens arising from burns.

Methods

The initial experiments were performed by culturing S. aureus in dilute liquid medium with slate particles using horizontal shaking at 300 rpm. It was considered that the results may have arisen due to an artefact of the experiment and culturing was performed differently to address potential problems. Therefore, culturing was performed using vertical end-over-end rotation at much lower speeds of 40 rpm.

Different culturing strategies were also explored using spread plating and microplate MPN dilutions that were monitored using a microplate reader. In addition, extractives were recovered from the slate particles and these were assessed for anti-microbial activity.