The current study was carried to investigate the prevalence of Campylobacter jejuni in broiler chicks in Dakhalia province. Besides, the effects of carvacol and thymol essential oils (EO), as a continuous drinking water treatment for protection against Campylobacter jejuni challenge in commercial broiler chickens were assessed. Four hundred and fifty samples were collected from 50 healthy bird, 100 freshly dead birds and 100 diseased birds. Out of 450 examined samples, 22.44 % (101̸450) were positive for Campylobacter jejuni. These isolates were sensitive for neomycin, amoxicillin and ceftriaxone. Random assignment of 180 one-day old chicks into 6 groups (30 birds/group in 3 replicates) arranged as follows: G1 as non-challenged group, G2 was challenged with C. jejuni while G3, and G4 were challenged with C. jejuni and continuously supplemented with carvacol and thymol, respectively, in drinking water from day 7. G5 was challenged with C. jejuni and had the two essential oils continuously in drinking water from day 7. G6 was challenged with Campylobacter jejuni and treated with neomycin (15 mg/kg B.W). Our results showed that the combination of essential oils was more effective in mitigating the devastating effects of Campylobacter jejuni challenge in broilers than using one EO alone. Growth performance represented by body weight gain, and feed conversion ratio were significantly (p<0.05) improved. Campylobacter jejuni shedding was reduced in the challenged treated groups. Also, the biochemical profile was improved. In addition, the level of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and IL-6 were significantly down regulated in the challenged-treated group. In conclusion, it is highly recommended to use carvacol and thymol EO either alone or in a combination to improve the body performance and to protect broilers against Campylobacter jejuni.

Objective: Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a zooanthroponotic, nosocomial, and communi¬ty-associated pathogen that threatens livestock management and even public health. The goal of this investigation was to clarify the role of S. aureus in zoonotic illnesses. Besides that, a novel trial was conducted in the current Egyptian study using oil extracts such as cactus oil, tea oil, geranium oil, and thyme oil to demonstrate the susceptibility of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) iso¬lates to these organic oils in response to the alarming global concern regarding the decreased sus¬ceptibility of S. aureus to known antibiotics, which exacerbates control and treatment protocols. Material and Methods: A total of 110 samples (45 raw cattle milk samples, 35 Karish cheese samples, and 30 human sputum samples) were collected. The bacterium was identified via traditional culturing methods, Gram staining, and the application of several biochemical tests. After that, various kinds of known commercial antibiotics were used to detect the antimicrobial susceptibility (AMS) of the obtained isolates. Furthermore, conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing was performed to identify S. aureus (nuc gene) and MRSA (mecA gene), with further application of multiplex PCR for screening of all the obtained isolates for vancomycin resistance via targeting vanA, vanB, and vanC genes. Finally, the agar gel diffusion method was performed to assess the antibacterial activity of four plant extracts (cactus oil, tea oil, geranium oil, and thyme oil) against the obtained MRSA. Results: The culturing method revealed S. aureus positivity in raw cattle milk (13.33%), in Karish cheese (28.57%), and in human samples (20%). The obtained isolates showed mainly resistance to amoxicillin-clavulanic and ampicillin antibiotics, while the dairy samples showed further resis¬tance against ceptaxime and an intermediate reaction against erythromycin. On the molecular side, PCR positivity was present in human samples (10%), raw cow milk (13.33%), and Karish cheese (14.29%). Nine of the fourteen PCR isolates were methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) isolates. Comparing the four oil extracts against the acquired MRSA isolates, cactus oil extract proved to be the most effective. Conclusion: The study&apos;s results are highly promising as they support the notion that certain essential oils possess strong antimicrobial properties against zoonotic S. aureus, thereby reducing the excessive use of antibiotics in veterinary and medical settings. [J Adv Vet Anim Res 2024; 11(2.000): 306-316]