Antibiotic activity of Plectranthus ornatus Codd, a Traditional Medicinal Plant

ABSTRACT The dichloromethane extract of Plectranthus ornatus Codd., a tradicional medicinal plant, showed antibiotic activity with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of 0.4 mg.mL-1 and 100 percent of biofilm inhibition against Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from animals with mastitis infections. Based on these antibacterial activities, in addition to ethnopharmacological reports from healing men and farmers in Brazil, an herbal soap was produced from this active extract and was tested both in vitro and in vivo. In vivo assays conducted on these herbal soaps led to results similar to those previously conducted with the active extract. These results indicated the great potential of this plant for use as an excipient by preparing herbal antibacterial soaps as an alternative veterinary medicine aimed at controlling bovine mastitis infections on small Brazilian farms.

Pathogenicity and histopathological observations of commercial broilerchicks experimentally infected with isolates of Eimeria tenella,E. acervulina and E. maxima / Patogenicidade e observações histopatológicas de frangos de corte infectados experimentalmente com isolados de Eimeria tenella, E. acervulina e E. maxima

Cooccidiosis is one of the most important causes of economic losses within the poultry industry. The objective of this study was to evaluate the pathogenicity of E. tenella, E. acervulina, and E. maximastrains in commercial broilers chicks. Thirty nine commercial one day old broiler chicks, unvaccinatedagainst coccidiosis, were used during this experiment. At day 14, chickens of G1 (n=10), G2 (n=10) andG3 (n=10) were infected with 2 x 104 sporulated oocysts of E. tenella, E. acervulina, and E. maxima respectively; G4 (n=9) served as the uninfected control group. All birds were sacrificed with 21 day old(seven days after infection). The prepatent period (PPP) for G1 and G3 was seven days, however, E.acervulina (G2) had a PPP of five days. No statistical differences were observed when the averageweight gain (G1=182.7±63.4; G2=145.2±51.0; G3=183.3±56.8; and G4=211.5±89.0, p>0.10) of the evaluatedgroups was compared. Average of lesion scores were determined G1 (1.3±0.48, scores 1(n=7) and 2(n=3)),G2 (0.4±0.52, scores 0(n=6), 1(n=4)), and G3 (1.1±0.99, scores 0(n=4), 1(n=1) and 2(n=5)). Chickens fromthe infected groups (G1, G2 and G4) did not demonstrate a lesion score above 2. The histopathological lesions induced by these strains were consistent with those described for infection by Eimeria spp.

A coccidiose aviária é uma das principais causas de perdas econômicas na avicultura de corte. Considerando isto, o presente trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar a patogenicidade de cepas de Eimeria tenella, E. acervulina e E. maxima em aves de corte de uso comercial. Para tanto, 39 pintinhos tipo corte com um dia de idade, não vacinados para coccidiose, foram utilizados neste experimento. No 14° dia do experimento, os grupos foram infectadas com 2 x 104 oocistos esporulados de E. tenella (G1, n=10), E. acervulina (G2, n=10) e E. maxima (G3, n=10). Um grupo com nove aves (G4) serviu como grupo controle não infectado. Todos os animais foram eutanasiados com 21 dias de idade (7 dias pós-infecção). O período pré-patente (PPP) nos grupos G1 e G3 foi de sete dias, quando excretaram 52.000 e 8.000 oocistos/g de fezes, respectivamente; no entanto, o grupo infectado com E. acervulina (G2) apresentou um PPP de 5 dias. Não foram verificadas diferenças estatísticas quanto ao ganho de peso vivo (G1=182.7±63.4; G2=145.2±51.0; G3=183.3±56.8; e G4=211.5±89.0, p>0.10). Os escores de lesão foram determinados para cada grupo G1(1.3±0.48, escores 1(n=7) e 2(n=3)), G2 (0.4±0.52, escores 0(n=6), 1(n=4)), e G3 (1.1±0.99, escores 0(n=4), 1(n=1) e 2(n=5)). Considerando todos os grupos infectados (G1, G2 e G4) nenhum mostrou escore maior que 2. As lesões histopatológicas induzidas por estas cepas foram compatíveis com aquelas descritas por infecção por Eimeria spp.