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Introduction: Microbiota plays a pivotal role in promoting the health and wellbeing of poultry. Essential oils (EOs) serve as an alternative solution for modulating poultry microbiota. This study aimed to investigate, using amplicon sequencing, the effect of a complex and well-defined combination of EOs feed supplement on both ileal and caecal broiler microbiota, within the context of Salmonella and Campylobacter intestinal colonization. Material and methods: For this experiment, 150-day-old Ross chicks were randomly allocated to two groups: T+ (feed supplementation with EO mix 500 g/t) and T- (non-supplemented). At day 7, 30 birds from each group were orally inoculated with 106 CFU/bird of a Salmonella enteritidis and transferred to the second room, forming the following groups: TS+ (30 challenged birds receiving infeed EOmix at 500g/t) and TS- (30 challenged birds receiving a non-supplemented control feed). At day 14, the remaining birds in the first room were orally inoculated with 103 CFU/bird of two strains of Campylobacter jejuni, resulting in the formation of groups T+C+and T-C+. Birds were sacrificed at day 7, D10, D14, D17, and D21. Ileal and caecal microbiota samples were analyzed using Illumina MiSeq sequencing. At D7 and D14, ileal alpha diversity was higher for treated birds (p<0.05). Results and discussion: No significant differences between groups were observed in caecal alpha diversity (p>0.05). The ileal beta diversity exhibited differences between groups at D7 (p < 0.008), D10 (p = 0.029), D14 (p = 0.001) and D17 (p = 0.018), but not at D21 (p = 0.54). For all time points, the analysis indicated that 6 biomarkers were negatively impacted, while 10 biomarkers were positively impacted. Sellimonas and Weissella returned the lowest (negative) and highest (positive) coefficient, respectively. At each time point, treatments influenced caecal microbiota beta diversity (p < 0.001); 31 genera were associated with T+: 10 Ruminoccocaceae genera were alternatively more abundant and less abundant from D7, 7 Lachnospiraceae genera were alternatively more and less abundant from D10, 6 Oscillospiraceae genera were variable depending on the date and 4 Enterobacteriaceae differed from D7. During all the experiment, Campylobacter decreased in treated birds (p < 0.05). This study showed that EO mix modulates ileal and caecal microbiota composition both before and during challenge conditions, increasing alpha diversity, especially in ileum during the early stages of chick life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A total of 250 whiteleg shrimp juveniles, Litopenaeus vannamei, clinically infected with black gill melanization were subjected to mycological examination to isolate the main causative agents. The results showed the dominance of Fusarium solani at a 66% incidence rate compared to 34% of F. oxysporum in the examined shrimp. The in vitro antifungal activity of Origanum vulgare and orange peel essential oils (EOs) against F. solani was determined in comparison with Biotronic® Top3 (commercial antimicrobial). In addition, four groups in triplicates of L. vannamei (20.01 ± 3.02 g) were used to investigate the in vivo immunostimulant, antioxidant, gill histopathological changes, and antifungal effects of dietary O. vulgare and orange peel EOs for 28 day against the F. solani infection. The first group was a negative control that fed a basal diet, and the second group was a positive control that fed a basal diet and was artificially infected with 0.1 mL of 5.0 × 106 conidia/mL of F. solani. The third and fourth groups were fed diets supplemented with O. vulgare and orange peel EOs (1 mL/kg diet), respectively, and infected with F. solani (0.1 mL of 5.0 × 106 conidia/mL). The in vitro antifungal activity revealed a very strong inhibition effect of O. vulgare and orange peel EOs on F. solani (˃50%) compared to 31–50% inhibition induced by Biotronic® Top3. In addition, the in vivo feeding experiment showed that the positive control had lower cellular (hemocyte count, phagocytosis activity, and index) and humoral)phenoloxidase and lysozyme activities) immune responses than other treatments. Also, superoxide dismutase activity was significantly decreased in F. solani-infected shrimp. The histopathological investigation of infected shrimp showed dense aggregation of black melanin pigment in gill filaments and variable lesions of necrosis, edema, and congestion. Dietary both EOs significantly alleviated the immune suppression and histopathological effects of F. solani, especially O. vulgare EOs. The mortality rate was decreased to 16.66 and 30.00% with O. vulgare and orange peel EOs, respectively, compared to 70% in the positive control. In conclusion, O. vulgare and orange peel EOs can be used as antifungal and immunostimulant supplementation in L. vannamei diets against F. solani infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Essential oils (EOs) extracted from Citrus peels contain 85%–99% volatile components (a mixture of monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, and their oxygenated derivatives) and 1%–15% non-volatile compounds. Citrus EOs have been long known for their antimicrobial properties, owing to which these EOs have a diverse range of applications. However, no studies have reported the applicability of Citrus EOs for the control of bacterial and yeast contaminants in the bioethanol industry. In this regard, the present review aimed to explore the feasibility of Citrus EOs in this industry. The Web of Science database was searched for reports that described the association of Citrus EOs with the most common microorganisms in the bioethanol industry to evaluate the efficacy of these EOs as antimicrobial agents in this context. The objective of the review was to suggest a novel antimicrobial that could replace sulfuric acid and antibiotics as the commonly used antimicrobial agents in the bioethanol industry. Citrus EOs exhibit antibacterial activity against Lactobacillus, which is the main bacterial genus that contaminates this fermentation process. The present report also confirms the selective action of these EOs on the contaminating yeasts and not/less on ethanol-producing yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, however further studies should be conducted to investigate the effects of Citrus EOs in yeast-bacterium co-culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oral health is a window to a patient's general well-being. Balance in oral microbiome functions is crucial for health maintenance. A state of oral dysbiosis may lead to a variety of local and systemic pathological conditions. The presence of dental plaque is related to the majority of oral infections. Proper oral hygiene is crucial and the most economic practice contributing to oral health prophylaxis. Aside from prophylactic treatments provided by dental practitioners, mouth rinses, containing antimicrobial agents, are one of the possible tools used for oral care. Our study was to determine whether available mouth rinses and selected products dedicated for professional use are efficient to eradicate biofilm formed by reference and clinical strains of Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus sanguinis, Streptococcus oralis, Streptococcus mitis, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Candida albicans on the surface of hydroxyapatite – major mineral component of a tooth. Therefore, such antimicrobials as chlorhexidine, cetylpyridine chloride, polyhexanide, silver nanoparticles, sulphonated phenolics, and natural antiplaque essential oils and coconut oil were analyzed. Applied experimental settings in in vitro models were designed to reflect accurately the recommended use of the tested substances, therefore four types of eradication procedure were conducted. Sialorrhea simulation was also performed to evaluate antibiofilm potential of diluted mouth rinses. Biofilm was investigated with quantitative method where absorbance values were measured. Statistical differences were assessed using the Kruskal–Wallis test with a post-hoc Dunnett's analysis. Results have shown that biofilms displayed a diversified sensitivity to the tested antimicrobials. The highest antibiofilm activity was detected for cetylpyridine chloride while the lowest for chlorhexidine. However the differences in E. faecalis biofilm reduction observed after the use of these two compounds were not statistically significant (p > 0.05), whereas all observed differences in S. aureus survival after exposure to the examined antimicrobial agents were statistically significant (p < 0.5). The PHMB, both in standard and in sialorrhea simulated conditions had the highest potential against streptococci. The coconut oil reduced C. albicans fungus biofilm by 65.48% but low eradication level was observed in case of bacterial biofilms. The dehydrating mechanism of action of sulfonated phenolics turned out to be ineffective against streptococcal biofilm which in turn was effectively eradicated by silver nanoparticles. The implementation of Antibiofilm Dressing's Activity Measurement method allowed to observe strain-related differences in terms of antimicrobial sensitivity. The obtained results may be introduced in everyday out-patient dental plaque prophylaxis as well as clinical environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. Aspergillus fumigatus is the most common pathogen causing allergic bronchopulmonary mycosis. The pathogenic capacity of Aspergillus fumigatus is related to its thermal tolerance and the small size of the spores which enables transfer to the respiratory tract. In the case of fungal diseases, their treatment is based on fungicidal antibiotics, such as fluconazole. Due to the growing problem of drug resistance, new therapeutic solutions are sought, especially of natural origin. Essential oils, due to their anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory and immunostimulatory properties, constitute interesting research material in the fight against mould. Objective. The aim of the study was to assess the type of pharmacodynamic interactions between fluconazole and selected essential oils: lemon, orange, tangerine, and grapefruit in an in vitro study against Aspergillus fumigatus. Isobolographic analysis of the results allowed determining the type of interactions between fluconazole and the tested essential oils. Results. According to the research results, a IC50 dose of fluconazole versus Aspergillus fumigatus IC50 = 1.87±0.88 mg/ml. The most active essential oil was lemon oil, which at the concentration of 4% in medium completely inhibited the growth of Aspergillus fumigatus. Tangerine essential oil is the least active against A. fumigatus. Isobolographic analysis of the interactions between fluconazole and essential oils showed additive interactions for the combination of fluconazole with lemon, orange and grapefruit ols, and an additive interaction with a tendency to synergism for the combination of fluconazole with tangerine oil. Conclusions. Isobographic analysis can contribute to the introduction of natural substances into the therapy of many diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]