**Conflict of interest**

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

*Essential Oils and Microbial Communication DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.85638*

*Essential Oils - Oils of Nature*

ity to form biofilm in just 3 h.

**8. Conclusion**

**Conflict of interest**

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

which can act as effective eco-friendly nanocomposite films in packaging industries [116]. Algae are beginning the new frontier for the supplement of new bioactive compounds with antimicrobial activity and represent a unique opportunity for the science. Some investigations are exploring the therapeutic potential of algal extracts and their chemical groups, including terpenes, capable to have antimicrobial activity and to block the mechanism of communication between microorganisms. The alga *Pithophora oedogonium* targets *Staphylococcus* and *Salmonella*. The algae *Rivularia bullata*, *Nostoc spongiaeforme*, *Codium fragile*, *Colpomenia peregrina*, *Cystoseira barbata*, and *Zanardinia typus* have already demonstrated activity against many Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria [117, 118]. Finally, innovative techniques, such as the optical technique of bio-speckle [119] and the biofilm electrostatic test (BET) [120], will support the research in the near future to have a very fast scenario of EO biological activity. Speckle decorrelation can lead us to visualize the effect of essential oil on the decrease of the usual self-propelling movement of microorganisms taking place when they interact with coherent light. BET is as a simple, rapid, and highly reproducible tool for evaluating *in vitro* the ability of bacteria to form biofilms through electrostatic interaction with a pyro-electrified carrier and for ascertaining the impeding effect of an EO on the microbial capabil-

Essential oils can represent a precious mine to fight pathogenic microorganisms,

in particular to counteract the communication mechanisms that allow them to trigger those processes leading to their greater virulence and danger, in the hospital, environmental, and food sectors. However, *in vivo* studies remain crucial to evaluating the potential of this strategy as a mean to treat antibiotic-resistant infections, and profounder understanding of the mechanism of action is required. Finally, in the case of the association EOs-antibiotics, the preliminary evaluation of the *in vitro* toxicity of EO-antibiotic combinations is needed prior to in vivo studies indeed.

**180**
