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  Background: due to the resistance of microorganisms against antibiotics, using medicinal plants to achieve the new compounds and overcome them is essential. In this study the effective compounds and antibacterial effects of rosemary essential oil on Escherichia coli, as one of the most common pathogenic bacteria was investigated and its kinetics was determined.

  Methods: After collecting plant from grown plants in Kerman's climate and drying it, the extraction of essential oil was done by hydrodistillation method. GC analysis was performed for Essential oil and compounds were identified. The antimicrobial activities were tested by the disc diffusion technique and were determined by minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBC). The kinetic of the essential oil on bacteria was determined.

  Results: Twenty compounds were identified in the rosemary essential oils, 82.09% of which contained 1,8 Cineole, Borneo, α -pinen, Camphor, Linalool, Camphene, limonene and Verbenone. The diameters of the inhibition zones obtained by 32 µg/Disc concentration of essential oil, was more than diameters of the inhibition zones of antibiotics gentamicin, penicillin, streptomycin and erythromycin. The MIC and MBC in the study were obtained as 3000 and 3200 respectively. Complete death time for destruction of E. coli was also 25 minutes.

  Conclusion : Rosemary essential oil collected from Kerman with some pharmaceutical antibiotics revealed to have very good antibacterial properties against Escherichia coli .

   Rosmarinus officinalis, Essential oil, Escherichia coli, Microorganism, Antibacterial