Evaluation of the essential oils added into poultry feed aiming to control enteric colonization by Salmonella Enteritidis

• Grant number: 24/03279-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: November 01, 2024
• End date: February 28, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine
• Principal Investigator: Angelo Berchieri Junior
• Grantee: Heitor Leocádio de Souza Rodrigues
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (FCAV). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Jaboticabal. Jaboticabal , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) is a bacterium of significance in poultry farming and public health. The infection in poultry, it is often asymptomatic, but in humans, the infection can be fatal. A notable challenge in treating salmonellosis in humans is the bacterium's resistance to antimicrobials, attributed to their indiscriminate use in animal production. Essential oils are proposed as substitutes for antimicrobials due to their inherent properties. Although the use of these products to control Salmonella spp. infections in poultry are not extensively studied, some reports suggest that essential oils may exhibit anti-infective effects. Therefore, the research proposal aims to evaluate the antimicrobial effect of essential oils added to the diet of experimentally SE-infected broilers. To achieve this, the in vitro antimicrobial effect of thirteen essential oils on SE will be assessed through Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC). Oils demonstrating antimicrobial effects will be selected for in vivo experimentation. In this experiment, one-day-old broilers will be experimentally infected with SE and housed under controlled conditions. The broilers will be divided into groups, with some receiving oil in their diet and a control group receiving no oil. Twice a week, cloacal swabs will be taken from 15 birds in each group to assess SE positivity. On the 2nd, 5th, 7th, 14th, and 21st days post-infection, 5 broilers from each group will be euthanized to enumerate SE in the cecal content. Statistical analysis will be conducted using the "GraphPad Prism" software, employing Chi-square and Turkey tests at a 5% probability level