A Team of IPB Researchers Utilized lempuyang and Noni Fruit for Chronic Respiratory Disease (CRD) in Chickens
Medicinal plants have been utilized in improving the health and well-being of animals. Economic growth and an increasingly stable security situation in rural areas has provided for improvement in poultry production. The spread of prosperity across the world, especially in Indonesia, is driving an increased demand for meat, eggs, and dairy, boosting pressure to grow more corn and soybeans to feed more cattle, pigs, and chickens. The increasing number of poultry populations is often followed by various constraints. One of them is the outbreak of pathogen diseases. A disease can spread rapidly among chickens because they are usually kept together in a cage or chicken house. There are many common and important diseases which can affect the respiratorysystem (air passages, lungs, air sacs) of poultry. Due to modern systems of management, usually with high poultry densities,these diseases are able to readily spread. Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) infection is commonly known as chronic respiratory disease (CRD) in chickens. Mycoplasmas are the smallest of all known free-living bacteria and can cause great concern to the poultry industry due to economic loss and disease. This disease is very harmful chicken farms around the world. Diseases in poultry flocks can lead to substantial economic losses through reduced revenues, for example, from reduced volume or quality of meat or eggs produced, and increased costs of inputs such as feed and labour.
Until now the poultry industry is facing disease problems, one of which is Avian Influenza, especially broiler farms. This is due to the obstacles in the treatment of infectious diseases. Antibiotic resistance has been called one of the world's most pressing public health problems. Antibiotic resistance can cause illnesses that were once easily treatable with antibiotics to become dangerous infections, prolonging suffering for children and adults. Use of antibiotics has been used, but has negative effects such as causing bacteria to become resistant. Antibiotic resistance can cause illnesses that were once easily treatable with antibiotics to become dangerous infections, prolonging suffering for chickens.
Farmers use medicinal plants to treat respiratory tract infections in chickens based on their experience using lempuyang Zingiber zerumbet (awapuhi), also known as bitter ginger and noni fruit (Morinda citrifolia). Traditionally lempuyang is used for the therapy of asthma, cough and skin diseases. While noni fruit or mengkudu is used to relieve flu symptoms, such as fever, headache, pain and cough. The antibacterial activity of the essensial oils of lempuyang are zederone and zerumbone, while the active compounds contained in the noni fruit are phenol, iridoid, deacetylasperulosidic acid and asperulosidic which act as antibacterial.
To find scientific evidence, Graduate student of Animal Biomedical Science Program of Bogor Agricultural University (IPB), Lina Noviayanti Sutardi, supervised by Ietje Wientarsih, Ekowati Handharyani, Andriani and Agus Setiyono conducted the study on "Rhizome Extract Activity Lempuyang and Noni Fruit for Control CRD in Chicken”. This study was expected to set the standard parameters of extract quality, the active ingredients contained, antibacterial activity and alternative for CRD therapy in chickens," said Lina.
The results of extraction in this study had fulfilled the eligibility criteria for the requirements in Pharmacopoeia Herbal Indonesia. These requirements include the value of rendement, moisture content, total ash content and acid soluble ash content. Results of lempuyang extracts containing flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids, and tannins. While noni fruit extract contains anthraquinone.
Stages are performed to obtain the extract through in-vitro test (laboratory test) and in-vivo test (direct trial to poultry). In-vivo testing was performed to obtain antibacterial activity against Mycoplasma gallisepticum and Escherichia coli. The extract lempuyang elephant and noni fruit is the best combination, so they were chosen for in-vivo test.
In-vivo tests used specific pathogen-free chickens infected by Mycoplasma gallisepticum and Escherichia coli. Lempuyang elephant and noni fruit extract were given to chicken for 14 days. The study revealed that both plant extracts were effective to decrease CRD infection in experimental chickens. The combination of these two extracts has nsignificantly increased body weight, weight gain, and improve chicken condition. The use of compound combinations can be either beneficial as an alternative to CRD therapy in chickens. (Wied)
