BACKGROUND: Salmonella Enteritidis in poultry is one of the main causes of illness that can be controlled effectively by some plant compounds, antibiotics and probiotics. OBJECTIVES: This study compares the effect of rosemary, thyme, propolis, antibiotic and probiotic on the immune system and blood parameters of broilers challenged with Salmonella Enteritidis.  Methods: Four hundred and twenty 1-day- old male broiler chicks Cobb strain were divided into seven groups: including rosemary ethanol extract, ethanol extract of propolis, ethanol extract of thyme, and probiotics, virginiamycin (10%) and positive and negative controls, and were reared for 6 weeks. At the end of experiment chickens were sampled and slaughtered. RESULTS: The results showed that plant extracts with probiotics can improve the immune system, reduce serum lipids, reduce harmful bacteria such as Salmonella and E.coli and increase the beneficial bacteria such as lactic acid bacteria. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that the herbal extracts and probiotics can be used as an alternative to antibiotics in broiler diets.

The fish industry has grown considerably worldwide, and fungal infections represent a significant aspect that increases economic losses and challenges through high mortality rates. The Egyptian aquaculture industry is particularly vulnerable to Saprolegnia parasitica, a deadly fish pathogen. Using phytobiotics as immunomodulators, antioxidants, and health promoters in aquaculture have been proven recently as an alternative strategy for banned malachite green. This research aimed to examine the thyme effect (Thymus vulgaris) on the immune status of cultured Nile tilapia against Saprolegniasis. A total of 50 fish (Oreochromis niloticus) with skin lesions were gathered from a private fish farm in Alexandria, Egypt. Skin swabs, gill swabs, and muscle tissue were obtained from each fish. After the mycological examination, results revealed that 35 isolates out of 150 examined samples (23.33%) were positive for fungal growth, of which 15 (10%) isolates were identified as Saprolegnia species. In addition, other fungi were detected; 5 (3.33%), 8 (5.33%), 4 (2.67%), and 3 (2%) isolates were identified as Penicillium species, Aspergillus flavus, Alternaria species, and Fusarium species, respectively. To evaluate the immunomodulatory effect of thyme, 300 healthy Nile tilapia fish with a mean weight of 30 ± 5 gm were brought to be experimentally designed; they were distributed into four groups (with three replicates) and were fed on an experimental diet including 0.0, 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 thyme oil (gm/100gm diet) continuously for two months. Then fish were infected with S. parasitica zoospores, which were thoroughly mixed with their diet. According to results, after two months of feeding, catalase (CAT), serum lysozyme activity, and total protein dramatically increased according to the levels of thyme added; the acquisition was for the group fed on a 1.5 gm/100gm diet. Additionally, the expression of interleukin-10 (IL-10) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) in liver tissues increased similarly. Hence, it is concluded that employing thyme would improve the well-being and yield of the farmed Nile tilapia.

Improvement of sheep health and productivity has become a global goal. An effective house must provide adequate space, shelter, and protection from climatic changes and stress. Some plants such as thyme (Thymus vulgaris) and celery (Apium graveolens) could alleviate stressors. Hence, this investigation was conducted to determine the role of thyme and celery seed mixture (TCM) in improving the behavior and performance of lactating Ossimi ewes at diverse housings during autumn and winter. Forty lactating ewes (2 years old and 48 ± 1.5 kg average body weight) were randomly equally distributed into two semi-shaded buildings (SSB) (20 ewes each). These were roofed with a concrete slab 40 cm thick and 5 m high which was covered with three rows of rice straw bales as thermal insulation. It had natural dirt areas to the north and south. Ten ewes were fed a basal diet, and the others received a basal diet containing TCM (10 gm thyme and 10 gm celery/head/day). Similarly, 20 ewes were treated in a fully-shaded building (FSB) which was roofed with a layer of tin 5 m high and had natural flooring to the west and east. These ewes were fed a basal diet + TCM for 1 month pre-lambing and 2 months post-lambing. Both behavior and weight were recorded bi-weekly. Blood samples were collected monthly to measure oxidative stress indicator reduced glutathione (GSH), malondialdehyde, total protein, glucose, gene expression of nuclear factor 2 linked to erythroid 2 (Nrf2), and interleukin 2. Cumulative feed intake was calculated, and milk samples were collected for 2 months after lambing until weaning to measure moisture, ash, total protein, lactose, non-solid fat (NSF), total solids, fat, and antioxidant capacity of milk (free radical and inhibition factor). The findings revealed that sheep exhibited better feeding behavior in the FSB and the oxidative stress indicator was lower than in the SSB. TCM enhanced feeding behavior and decreased the oxidative stress indicator (reduced GSH) in the SSB. Additionally, it increased total protein and dam body weight (at the 6th week) in the FSB and improved feed intake in both buildings. Thyme and celery have antioxidant capacities in milk. Hence, the present data suggest that adding TCM to the basal diet could reduce the stress of climatic changes on lactating ewes and improve animal behavior and immunity leading to enhanced production.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the antimicrobial activity and determine the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of the essential oils derived from Origanum vulgare (oregano), Melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree), Cinnamomum cassia (cassia), and Thymus vulgaris (white thyme) against Salmonella Typhimurium, Salmonella Enteritidis, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis. The study also investigated the ability of these different bacterial strains to develop adaptation after repetitive exposure to sub-lethal concentrations of these essential oils. The MBC of the essential oils studied was determined by disc diffusion and broth dilution methods. All essential oils showed antimicrobial effect against all bacterial strains. In general, the development of adaptation varied according to the bacterial strain and the essential oil (tea tree > white thyme > oregano). Therefore, it is important to use essential oils at efficient bactericidal doses in animal feed, food, and sanitizers, since bacteria can rapidly develop adaptation when exposed to sub-lethal concentrations of these oils.

The continuous use of antibiotics for tissue culture adapted vaccines production has led to the increase in the bacterial resistance to these antibiotics. This study aims to evaluate the antimicrobial potential of thyme (Thymus vulgaris) and clove (Syzygium aromaticum) on bacterial and fungal contamination, in the production of tissue culture vaccines. The active agents in each plant were extracted by the conventional extraction technique using ethanol and water as solvents followed by concentration (steam distillation and boiling). The antimicrobial activities of different solvent extracts were determined in well agar diffusion technique using Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), Escherichia coli (E. coli), and Candida albicans as model for gram positive, gram negative and fungal contamination, respectively. The cytotoxic effects of the different solvent extracts were tested on VERO and MDBK cell culture. The obtained results indicated that water and ethanolic extracts from thyme and clove plants showed significant antimicrobial activities (P < 0.05) as they could inhibit the growth of E. coli, S. aureus and Candida albicans. Ethanolic extract of thyme had the maximum zone of inhibition against E. coli (2.40±0.20) and Candida albicans (3.07±0.3), and the lowest inhibition zone against S. aureus (1.53±0.23), whereas the thyme water extract didn’t show any antimicrobial activity. The ethanolic extract of clove showed the greatest zone of inhibition against Candida albicans (2.63±0.2), E. coli (2.63±0.2), while the lowest was against S. aureus (1.87±0.3). Water extract of clove showed the greatest zone of inhibition against E. coli and S. aureus (1.93±0.4, and 2.47±0.1), respectively and 0.97±0.1 against Candida albicans. The ethanolic extracts of thyme and clove showed changes in the cell wall until concentration 1 mg/ml for clove and 10 µg/ml for thyme on VERO cells; while the cytotoxic effect on MDBK cells was observed till the concentration of 100 µg/ml for clove and thyme water extracts. In conclusion, the antimicrobial potential of clove  water extract on bacterial and fungal contaminant could replace antibiotics in the production of tissue culture vaccines at a concentration of 10 µg/ml.