Daily Times

Antibiotics are widely used all over the world to treat infections in human beings and animals. The vast use of antibiotics has developed the resistance in microorganisms. That’s why, the pathogens show resistant to antibiotics. Researchers are of the view that there should be decline in the use of antibiotics. They relate the human pathogens resistance with animals. The medication used in the treatment of animals directly or indirectly enter into human food chain. To find solution to this issue, the scientists are in search to use alternatives to antibiotics both in human beings and animals. Poultry sector is a vibrant sector worldwide and serving the masses to fill the protein gape in human nutrition. The poultry farmers use antibiotics as growth promoters for early harvesting of birds to meet the demand of the market and grip the profit. This has increased emergence of antibiotic resistance in the world. Hence, to overcome the antibiotic resistance, plants are good alternative to antibiotics. Eucalyptus is widely used as antimicrobial to treat different infection from ancient times. Eucalyptus globulus is native to Australia. It is widely present on road sides in Pakistan. Many researchers have already reported its medicinal applications to treat different infections in human beings and animals.

To explore the antimicrobial potential of Eucalyptus and its use as an alternative growth promoter to antibiotics, Dr. Assad Ullah, a PhD scholar in the Institute of Microbiology, UVAS, Lahore conducted research on “Evaluation of antimicrobial, immune modulatory and growth enhancing effect of ethanolic extract of Eucalyptus globulus leaves in broiler chicks” under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Aftab Ahmad Anjum. This study was part of HEC funded research project entitled “Replacement of low-level antibiotic feeding with extracts of medicinal plants in poultry”. The experiment was devised to characterize the ethanolic extract of E. globulus as a replacement of low levels of antibiotic in poultry feed.

The research was mainly based on the replacement of the use of low level of antibiotics in poultry feed. Fresh leaves of Eucalyptus were collected, dried and grinded into powder for extraction of ethanolic extract. The cellular and embryo toxicity of the plant extract was determined through MTT assay and in-ovo inoculation. The safe dose of the plant extract based on MTT assay was added in poultry feed. The birds were vaccinated and weight gain and feed conversion ratio of birds were calculated. The birds were also challenged with the common poultry pathogens to check the in-vivo antibacterial activity of the plant extract. The gut absorption was significantly improved in birds which received the ethanolic extract of the Eucalyptus, showed better immune response to vaccines and increased feed conversion ratio as compared to birds given low levels of antibiotics.

It is estimated that use of Eucalyptus extract costs about four times lesser per bag in comparison to antibiotic cost. In this way, its use can heavily reduce antibiotic import bill of the country used in feed mills.

In conclusion, birds fed with Eucalyptus extract showed better growth and high immune response as compared to antibiotic fed birds. It was suggested that Eucalyptus can be used as an alternative to antibiotics to reduce the burden of antibiotic resistance in human pathogens.