There is increasing evidence that administering selected essential oils during respiratory diseases is effective to reduce the stress of the animals, to improve productivity and to speed up their recovery. Furthermore, such essential oils have shown antibacterial and antiviral activity, being useful to reduce the use of antibiotics and contributing to produce safer meat and eggs.

Mycoplasma gallisepticum is the most pathogenic avian mycoplasma.  It is involved in the polymicrobial “chronic respiratory disease” in chickens and in infectious sinusitis in turkeys, chickens, game birds, pigeons, and passerine birds of all ages.

The target of this test was to assess the susceptibility of Mycoplasma gallisepticum to growing concentrations of certain essential oils selected by PlusVet Animal Health. The test was performed in an external lab in February 2016.

MATERIALS

• Strain of Mycoplasma gallisepticum.
• Mycoplasma broth base (Frey broth).
• Essential oils provided by PlusVet Animal Health.

METHOD

In each tube, the following was added: 2 ml of growing concentrations of essential oils + 2 ml of the M. gallisepticum culture, (achieving a number of bacteria of 3x10E8/ml in the tube) + 5 ml of Frey broth. There was a positive control (M. gallisepticum without essential oils) and a negative control (Frey broth without neither M. gallisepticum nor essential oils).

The tubes were incubated for 96 h at 37ºC.

Red color of the broth is indicator of absence of growth. Yellow color is indicator of growth.