Phytochemical screening, toxicity and antimicrobial activity of different Mimosa tenuiflora extracts on Aeromonas strains

The indiscriminate use of synthetic veterinary drugs in fish farms for disease control has caused recurring environmental pollution and reduced productivity; however, the search for ecologically viable alternatives is increasing. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the phytochemical characterization of the hexanic, methanolic, and aqueous extracts of black jurema (M. tenuiflora), and their antimicrobial activity against strains of Aeromonas, and acute toxicity (LC50) to fingerlings of O. niloticus. The isolates were identified, and phenotypic virulence and antimicrobial susceptibility tests were performed. A. caviae, and A. veronii bv. veronii showed 75.0 - 87.5% positivity for the virulence factors tested, and resistance to the antimicrobials ampicillin, amoxicillin, erythromycin, and tetracycline of 67.0% and 50.0%, respectively. Phytochemical screening of black jurema extracts detected phenols, flavonoids, tannins, saponins, alkaloids, and steroids/triterpenoids, with methanol proving to be more efficient in the extraction of metabolites. The methanolic and aqueous extracts showed moderate antimicrobial activity, with minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration of 250 μg mL-1, and the methanolic extract revealed an LC50 of 40 μg mL-1 for O. niloticus. This study demonstrated the efficiency of the in vitro antimicrobial activity of M. tenuiflora extracts, and their use in vivo in the treatment or prophylaxis in fish farming can be investigated to replace the use of synthetic antimicrobials.

Propolis in the control of bacterial bovine mastitis: a tool for the production of organic milk

Bovine mastitis is one of the main causes of economic damage in dairy farms. Therefore, the control and prevention of microorganisms involved in this disease, mainly Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Streptococcus agalactiae, are essential. One of the most important steps for the prevention of the disease is the use of antiseptic products before and after the milking process to avoid bacteria from infecting the udder of the animal. Currently, the most used antiseptic product in dairy farms is iodine-based, and organic dairy farms, which follow several strict regulations, including the use of natural products whenever possible, are often forced to adopt non-natural antiseptic products, such as iodine-based ones, because of the lack of natural alternatives. Propolis, a natural substance produced by honeybees, has been extensively studied for its various properties, one of which is antimicrobial activity. Therefore, a new natural antiseptic product containing 1% propolis in 10% hydroalcoholic solution for the pre-dipping, and 10% glycerol solution added with 0.2% citronella oil for the post-dipping was analyzed for its capacity to reduce bacteria in vivo in order to prevent bovine mastitis, allowing its use on organic dairy farms. A total of 128 samples were analyzed in terms of bacterial growth for Enterobacteriaceae and Staphylococcus spp. using the spreadplate technique. The reduction in the bacterial concentration after the application of the products was compared between two antiseptic solutions, an iodine-based solution as the control and a propolis-based one as the natural alternative. The results obtained show a similar efficiency for both products in terms of total bacterial reduction, indicating considerable antimicrobial activity against bacteria most commonly associated with bovine mastitis. Molecular analysis was carried out for the identification of Streptococcus agalactiae; the PCR results were negative for the presence of S. agalactiae in all samples, indicating that the animals most likely did not have any form of the disease. The efficiency of the natural antiseptic was satisfactory, indicating an important find facilitating organic milk production worldwide, showcasing a natural antiseptic solution with efficient antimicrobial activity.