- Essential Oils Used in Veterinary Medicine

Essential oils (EOs) are secondary metabolites of plants employed in folk medicine for a long time thanks to their multiple properties. In the last years, their use has been introduced in veterinary medicine, too. The study of the antibacterial properties of EOs is of increasing interest, because therapies with alternative drugs are welcome to combat infections caused by antibiotic-resistant strains. Other issues could be resolved by EOs employment, such as the presence of antibiotic residues in food of animal origin and in environment. Although the in vitro antimicrobial activity of EOs has been frequently demonstrated in studies carried out on bacterial and fungal strains of different origins, there is a lack of information about their effectiveness in treating infections in animals. The scientific literature reports some studies about in vitro EOs’ activity against animal clinical bacterial and fungal isolates, but in vivo studies are very scanty. The use of EOs in therapy of companion and farm animals should follow careful studies on the toxicity of these natural products in relation to animal species and route of administration. Moreover, considering the different behavior of EOs in relation to both species and strain pathogen, before starting a therapy, an aromatogram should be executed to choose the oil with the best antimicrobial activity.

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Possibility for use essential oils in veterinary medicine and animal husbandry with special emphasis on oregano oil

Veterinarski glasnik ◽

10.2298/vetgl1206407v ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 66 (5-6) ◽

pp. 407-416 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Marijana Vucinic ◽

Jelena Nedeljkovic-Trailovic ◽

Sasa Trailovic ◽

Sasa Ivanovic ◽

Mirjana Milovanovic ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Veterinary Medicine ◽

Essential Oil ◽

Essential Oils ◽

Animal Feed ◽

Animal Husbandry ◽

Domestic Animals ◽

Livestock Production ◽

Oregano Essential Oil ◽

Definition Of ◽

Oregano Oil

The paper reviews the latest studies on possible applications of oregano essential oil in veterinary medicine and animal livestock production. The first part of the paper deals with the definition of essential oils, possibilities for their extraction from plants, possibilities for their application in human and veterinary medicine, the interest of a science in essential oils, and, essential oils classification based on their use in human and veterinary medicine. The second part of the review deals with the properties of oregano essential oil, its main active principles, carvacrol and thymol and its application in veterinary medicine and animal livestock production. Oregano essential oil may be applied in animal feed, in the treatment of coccidiosis of domestic animals and candidiasis. It can be applied as a larvicide, repellent, insecticide and acaricide. It is used in aquaculture to treat fish diseases caused by bacteria and parasites or in the hatchery industry as a disinfectant for eggs or for disinfection of manure. The greatest potential of oregano essential oil is the possibility of its application in organic agriculture and organic animal husbandry.

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