Antibacterial action of essential oils of Artemisia as an ecological factor. II. Antibacterial action of the volatile oils of Artemisia tridentata (big sagebrush) on bacteria from the rumen of mule deer.

Rumen microorganisms of wild and captive deer were subjected to increasing amounts of volatile oils. The oils had a marked antibacterial effect on the rumen bacteria when the concentration reached approximately 16 muliters of oil per 10 ml of rumen fluid nutrient broth. The gross reactions of rumen bacteria obtained from wild, as well as captive, deer to the volatile oils seemed to be of the same magnitude; thus no adaptation by the bacteria to the oils was apparent.