treatment for bacterial rot

[Eric Muehlbauer]

A week or so ago, I spotted a circular brown patch on my fowlei.....it was a soft, damp looking circle...which I know by now means a nasty bacterial rot..Pseudomonas, Erwinia, who knows, I've never been good at these things. I couldn't cut off the leaf without causing major damage and probably spreading the rot even more...it was right near the base of the plant. In desperation, I thought of sprinkling cinnamon on it...but couldn't find any. So I had an idea...I took some Bactroban (muciprosin) cream...prescription topical antibiotic...and smeared it over the rot and the surrounding healthy tissue. Well, its been at least a week...the brown spot has not spread at all, and is now looking sunken and dry. I spread a little more Bactroban today, but I'm optimistic that this treatment may have worked. Has anyone else tried this approach? Is it working, or just coincidence? Take care, Eric

 

[Gilda]

Great news ! I have read about using topical antibiotic creams but have never tried them . Now I will !!

 

[Rick]

I have talked to a plant pathologist about erwinia in orchids. It's a gram + motile rod. It is sensitive to a handful of antibiotics of which carbenocillin may be the best well known. The main issue of using antibiotics with plants is the delivery as uptake can be poor.

Also antibiotics can be relatively expensive. What is the generic name of this antibiotic? Maybe I can cross reference it with the products available from the place I consulted with.

I wouldn't write off your experience as coincidental, but given this was a prescription antibiotic, how accessible is it?

 

[Corbin]

I think you are going to need a good relationship with your doctor to pull off going in and asking for a Rx for your orchid.

 

[Yoyo_Jo]

I think you are going to need a good relationship with your doctor to pull off going in and asking for a Rx for your orchid.

oke: Just tell 'em it's for your 'chid. :evil:

 

[Corbin]

oke: Just tell 'em it's for your 'chid. :evil:

and what are yu going to say if he ask to see the child?

 

[Phrag-Plus]

I'm using Baciguent since many years when the rot reach thee crown, if it's not I'm using a powder mix of cinamon, charcoal and sulfur.

 

[Gilda]

. What is the generic name of this antibiotic? Maybe I can cross reference it with the products available from the place I consulted with.
QUOTE]


Generic name: mupirocin (myoo-PEER-oh-sin) Bactroban Cream is used for treating skin infections.

 

[tocarmar]

I just checked my stash of meds & found a tube of it!! I'll have to try it & see if it works.
This could turn into clinical trials!!!!

Tom

 

[NYEric]

Interesting, keep us posted.

 

[Jon in SW Ohio]

A few local growers have sworn by Neosporin for years for rot on Phrags. My orchid mentor Tom Cox used to always put it on the cuts of all the leaves he trimmed. Seems to work pretty well.

 

[Hera]

I knew I was saving that Neosporin for something. That's a good tip to know, and it does kind of make sense.

 

[P-chan]

Thanks for the Neosporin tip. I've always used powdered cinnamon, but it's good to have another avenue. Thanks!

 

[TADD]

Phyton seems to work well......

 

[Yoyo_Jo]

Hmmm, neosporin, eh? Thanks for the tip. We have lots of that around...

 

[Eric Muehlbauer]

This was in the cream form...how would an ointment work? Bactroban ointment was something that my kids always got from the pediatrician for impetigo...I got this cream from the dermatologist for a mystery rash...which cleared up instantly with it. I felt that the cream would be easily absorbed, more so than ointment...but if ointment can be absorbed, how about bacitracin? Or triple antibiotic, which includes bacitracin, polymixin, and neosprin...and is non-prescription? Also, somewhere in my cabinet is a bottle of what i think was streptomycin powder, sold for fireblight...an Erwinia species....that's available from garden supply catalogs. Still, this cream is soooooo convenient! I hope it really works! Take care, Eric

 

[tocarmar]

I also use bag balm for cuts, & scratches. It is an antibiotic & sold over-the-counter.

Tom

 

[biothanasis]

Nice idea for treating your plant, although there should be some caution on how and how much we use it!!!
Additionally, what Phragplus suggested sounded good!!! Super mix!!!

Anyway, keep us updated!!! Thanks!!!

 

[paphiness]

very clever idea...

Hi Eric,

Using mupirocin on your plant is quite clever, I think. While its main target is Gram-positive Staphylococcus, in the local concentrations the bacteria "sees" when you smear some of the ointment on an infection, the concentration should be quite sufficient to kill a lot of Gram-negative bacteria, too.

While mupirocin/Bactroban requires a prescription, you can use Neosporin (which is a combo of three antibiotics) or Bacitracin.

Absorption into plant tissue may or may not be a problem as it would depend on a number of factors; I would think you'd have to just try it and see if it works for you or not.

Actually, if anyone has old antibiotic pills in the medicine cabinet, here's something you could try: crush the pills into powder (don't inhale, though), mix with a bit of vaseline, and make your own plant infection ointment.

 

[biothanasis]

Nice idea paphiness!!! Thanks!!