ABSTRACT
Poultry is challenged by microbial infection owing to the restrictions in the use of synthetic antibiotic growth promoters. This study investigated the use of ginger, Zingiber officinale Roscoe (family Zingiberaceae) for the control of infections in poultry. Aqueous extracts of fresh ginger was administered to the birds by dispersing in water. A completely randomized experimental design using 100 day old broiler chicks distributed to two treatments having five replicate per treatment. The ginger extract was given to a set of 50 day old birds (ginger treatment 2) and was not added in a second set, which served as the control. The population of microbes (Lactobacillus, Salmonella, E. coli and coliforms) in the crop, ileum and caecum of the birds were determined 7 days before and 7 days after the administration of the fresh ginger extract. Before the administration of ginger, Salmonella population was highest at the crop 1.852 Log cfu/g and decreased afterwards being 1.744 Log cfu/g at the ileum and 1.710 Log cfu/g at the caecum. E. coli was 1.789, 1.821 and 1.727 Log cfu/g at the crop, ileum and caecum respectively. E. coli accounted for over 90% of the coliform population, hence they exhibited the same pattern was observed. Lactobacillus was highest at the crop (1.933 Log cfu/g) and declined through the ileum (1.842 Log cfu/g) to the caecum (1.705 Log cfu/g). The administration of aqueous extract of ginger resulted in a significant decline of all microbial species analyzed over the control (P<0.05). Hence, it is recommended that the use of ginger for the control of infection is plausible but its use must be modified to prevent killing of beneficial microbes in the broiler GIT. The proximate composition of the fresh ginger rhizome used in the study was also presented.
ABSTRACT
The biocidal efficacy of Chloroform (CEX), n-Hexane (HEX), Acetone (AEX) and Ethanol (EEX) extracts, of the bark and root of Azadirachta indica (Neem), were investigated against Anopheles gambiae and Bulinus globosus in a two-phased rapid and final screening test. Results of the phytochemical screening, indicated phytochemical constituents like; Flavonoids, Tannins, phenols, saponin, phytates, glycosides and triterpenes. All extracts were active (≥500ppm), during the rapid screening phase; hence final screening phase was also carried out. Results of the final screening shows that, the snail (B. globosus), were more susceptible to all solvent extracts compared to the mosquito larvae (An. gambiae). The ethanol extract of the bark against the snail (EEXbS) induced the highest mortality with LC50 value of 0.35ppm compared to the least, chloroform extract of the root against the larvae (CEXrL, LC50=46.0 ppm). The positive control induced mortality to both snails and larvae at 1ppm, while there was no mortality induced by the negative control. The results confirm solvent extracts of neem bark and root as potential biocidal agent against disease vectors.
ABSTRACT
Fourteen strains of Grifola frondosa (Dicks.) S. F. Gray, originating from different regions (Asia, Europe and North America) were tested for lignin degradation, ligninolytic enzyme activities, protein accumulation and exopolysaccharide production during 55 days of cultivation on oak sawdust. Lignin degradation varied from 2.6 to7.1 percent of dry weight of the oak sawdust substrate among tested strains. The loss of dry matter in all screened fungi varied between 11.7 and 33.0 percent, and the amount of crude protein in the dry substrate varied between 0.94 to 2.55 percent. The strain, MBFBL 596, had the highest laccase activity (703.3 U/l), and the maximum peroxidase activity of 22.6 U/l was shown by the strain MBFBL 684. Several tested strains (MBFBL 21, 638 and 662) appeared to be good producers of exopolysaccharides (3.5, 3.5 and 3.2 mg/ml respectively).