Effect of EO-FIT SWINE’S Essential Oils on Clostridium perfringens

Clostridium perfringens is a Gram-positive anaerobic bacterium that can be found in the gut of many animals as well as soil, water and food. In piglets is mainlyresponsible of enteritis, which can evolve to a severe Diarrhea with high mortality. Hemorrhagic and necrotic enteritis are very typical of this agent.Pathogens likeClostridium perfringens have benefitted from the prohibition of antibiotic as growth promoters, therefore alternative products are required to palliate the effect of such pathogens.Norel has developed EO-FIT Swine®, a product that makes use of the many beneficial effects (antibacterial, antiparasitic, anti-inflammatory, etc.) of the essential oils and their bioactive components as well as the synergic properties that exist between them.The product is composed by cinnamaldehyde, thymol, carvacrol and the essential oil of clove. To be able to demonstrate the bactericide effect of EO-FIT Swine’s essential oils, an in vitro test was designed using 6 field bacterial isolates of Clostridium perfringens. The goal was to stablish the minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC) of EO-FIT Swine’s components. The technique of broth microdilution at pH6 was chosen in order to define the minimum concentration of such components, individually and combined, that kills 50% (MBC50) and 90% (MBC90) of C. perfringen’s isolates. The results were as follows (MBC50/MBC90, in ppm): cinnamaldehyde 300/600, thymol 1,200/1,200, carvacrol 300/600 and clove essential oil 1,200/1,200. When the four of them were combined we obtained a MBC50 of 150ppm and MBC90 of 300ppm.From these results we can take two conclusions; EO-FIT Swine’s components have bactericide capacity against Clostridium perfringens and that such capacity is enhanced thanks to their synergic effect when acting in combination.