Antibacterial Activity of Some Essential Oils/Herbal Extracts Against Bacteria Isolated from Ball Pythons (<i>Python regius</i>) with Respiratory Infections
Background: Respiratory diseases are among the main causes of morbidity and mortality in captive reptiles. In Romania, pneumonia is a frequently observed illness affecting pet reptiles. Key factors contributing to the high incidence of pneumonia include inadequate animal husbandry, poor nutrition, a...
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2025-05-01
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| author | Corina Pascu Viorel Herman Luminita Costinar Corina Badea Valentin Gros Georgeta Stefan |
| author_facet | Corina Pascu Viorel Herman Luminita Costinar Corina Badea Valentin Gros Georgeta Stefan |
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| description | Background: Respiratory diseases are among the main causes of morbidity and mortality in captive reptiles. In Romania, pneumonia is a frequently observed illness affecting pet reptiles. Key factors contributing to the high incidence of pneumonia include inadequate animal husbandry, poor nutrition, and insufficient hygiene practices. Bacteria may act as primary pathogens or as facilitators of disease severity. Methods: This study investigates bacterial strains from multiple genera and species (<i>Chryseobacterium</i> (<i>C.</i>) <i>indologenes</i>, <i>Staphylococcus</i> (<i>S.</i>) <i>epidermidis</i>, <i>Escherichia</i> (<i>E.</i>) <i>coli</i>, and <i>Pseudomonas</i> (<i>P.</i>) <i>aeruginoasa</i>) from six ball pythons regarding their antibiotic susceptibility and the effect of essential oils. Bacteria were isolated from the lower respiratory tract, displaying clinical signs of pneumonia. All isolates were tested with essential oils (lemongrass, oregano, rosemary, and sage) and a grapefruit seed extract (GSE) at different dilutions. Results: The incidence of <i>Chryseobacterium indologenes</i> was highest (3 isolates/12 samples, 25%), followed by <i>E. coli</i> and <i>Staphylococcus epidermidis</i> (2/12 each, 16.6%), and <i>Pseudomonas aeruginoasa</i> (1/12, 8.3%). Resistance profiling to different antibiotic classes revealed that all isolates (eight) were resistant to multiple antibiotics tested by us. All isolates were resistant to β-lactams and fluoroquinolones. One strain of <i>E. coli</i> exhibited intermediate resistance to quinolone and penicillin. All strains were categorized as multidrug-resistant. GSE showed antibacterial activity against all isolates. Conclusions: Wanting to deepen our understanding of the microorganisms that can infect ball pythons and recognizing that all isolated bacteria have zoonotic potential, this paper highlights some common issues faced by exotic animal owners and suggests that treatments should also include the use of essential oils. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-8a1bc6cc72ff4bffa208024cb0e38c63 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2079-6382 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Antibiotics |
| spelling | doaj-art-8a1bc6cc72ff4bffa208024cb0e38c632025-08-20T03:26:52ZengMDPI AGAntibiotics2079-63822025-05-0114654910.3390/antibiotics14060549Antibacterial Activity of Some Essential Oils/Herbal Extracts Against Bacteria Isolated from Ball Pythons (<i>Python regius</i>) with Respiratory InfectionsCorina Pascu0Viorel Herman1Luminita Costinar2Corina Badea3Valentin Gros4Georgeta Stefan5Department of Infectious Diseases and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Life Sciences “King Mihai I”, 300645 Timisoara, RomaniaDepartment of Infectious Diseases and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Life Sciences “King Mihai I”, 300645 Timisoara, RomaniaDepartment of Infectious Diseases and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Life Sciences “King Mihai I”, 300645 Timisoara, RomaniaDepartment of Infectious Diseases and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Life Sciences “King Mihai I”, 300645 Timisoara, RomaniaDepartment of Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Life Sciences “King Mihai I”, 300645 Timisoara, RomaniaClinical Sciences 1 Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Bucharest, 105 Splaiul Independentei, 5th District, 050097 Bucharest, RomaniaBackground: Respiratory diseases are among the main causes of morbidity and mortality in captive reptiles. In Romania, pneumonia is a frequently observed illness affecting pet reptiles. Key factors contributing to the high incidence of pneumonia include inadequate animal husbandry, poor nutrition, and insufficient hygiene practices. Bacteria may act as primary pathogens or as facilitators of disease severity. Methods: This study investigates bacterial strains from multiple genera and species (<i>Chryseobacterium</i> (<i>C.</i>) <i>indologenes</i>, <i>Staphylococcus</i> (<i>S.</i>) <i>epidermidis</i>, <i>Escherichia</i> (<i>E.</i>) <i>coli</i>, and <i>Pseudomonas</i> (<i>P.</i>) <i>aeruginoasa</i>) from six ball pythons regarding their antibiotic susceptibility and the effect of essential oils. Bacteria were isolated from the lower respiratory tract, displaying clinical signs of pneumonia. All isolates were tested with essential oils (lemongrass, oregano, rosemary, and sage) and a grapefruit seed extract (GSE) at different dilutions. Results: The incidence of <i>Chryseobacterium indologenes</i> was highest (3 isolates/12 samples, 25%), followed by <i>E. coli</i> and <i>Staphylococcus epidermidis</i> (2/12 each, 16.6%), and <i>Pseudomonas aeruginoasa</i> (1/12, 8.3%). Resistance profiling to different antibiotic classes revealed that all isolates (eight) were resistant to multiple antibiotics tested by us. All isolates were resistant to β-lactams and fluoroquinolones. One strain of <i>E. coli</i> exhibited intermediate resistance to quinolone and penicillin. All strains were categorized as multidrug-resistant. GSE showed antibacterial activity against all isolates. Conclusions: Wanting to deepen our understanding of the microorganisms that can infect ball pythons and recognizing that all isolated bacteria have zoonotic potential, this paper highlights some common issues faced by exotic animal owners and suggests that treatments should also include the use of essential oils.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/14/6/549ball pythonsrespiratory diseaseantimicrobial resistanceessential oils/herbal extracts |
| spellingShingle | Corina Pascu Viorel Herman Luminita Costinar Corina Badea Valentin Gros Georgeta Stefan Antibacterial Activity of Some Essential Oils/Herbal Extracts Against Bacteria Isolated from Ball Pythons (<i>Python regius</i>) with Respiratory Infections Antibiotics ball pythons respiratory disease antimicrobial resistance essential oils/herbal extracts |
| title | Antibacterial Activity of Some Essential Oils/Herbal Extracts Against Bacteria Isolated from Ball Pythons (<i>Python regius</i>) with Respiratory Infections |
| title_full | Antibacterial Activity of Some Essential Oils/Herbal Extracts Against Bacteria Isolated from Ball Pythons (<i>Python regius</i>) with Respiratory Infections |
| title_fullStr | Antibacterial Activity of Some Essential Oils/Herbal Extracts Against Bacteria Isolated from Ball Pythons (<i>Python regius</i>) with Respiratory Infections |
| title_full_unstemmed | Antibacterial Activity of Some Essential Oils/Herbal Extracts Against Bacteria Isolated from Ball Pythons (<i>Python regius</i>) with Respiratory Infections |
| title_short | Antibacterial Activity of Some Essential Oils/Herbal Extracts Against Bacteria Isolated from Ball Pythons (<i>Python regius</i>) with Respiratory Infections |
| title_sort | antibacterial activity of some essential oils herbal extracts against bacteria isolated from ball pythons i python regius i with respiratory infections |
| topic | ball pythons respiratory disease antimicrobial resistance essential oils/herbal extracts |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/14/6/549 |
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