ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF EO-FIT® POULTRY AGAINST DIFFERENT ENTERIC BACTERIAL PATHOGENS

The effects of non-therapeutic use of antimicrobial agents (AGPs) include the reduction/prevention of enteric diseases by promoting gut health and, particularly in poultry production, the control of necrotic enteritis caused by Clostridium perfringens. The focus is on developing alternative products to AGPs and, in this context, a key aspect is whether a broad range of bacterial pathogens can be equally susceptible to the same product and concentration. This trial aimed to evaluate the in vitro antibacterial activity of EO-FIT® Poultry against common bacterial pathogens present in poultry production. The enteric pathogens selected were Salmonella enterica ssp. enterica, Escherichia coli, C. perfringens and Campylobacter jejuni. Lactobacillus fermentum, as a common beneficial intestinal bacteria, was also included. The minimum concentration which inhibits/kills 50%/90% (MIC50/90/MBC50/90, respectively) of the isolates tested was calculated for each bacterial species by the broth microdilution method, using 96-well microplates with broth culture adjusted at pH 6. MBC was determined by subculturing aliquots from wells without evident bacterial growth. It was concluded that C. jejuni was particularly susceptible to EO-FIT® Poultry while L. fermentum required the highest concentrations. These results also demonstrated that the same concentration of EO-FIT® Poultry was be able to reach the MBC50/90 of all bacterias tested except for L. fermentum.