Scutellaria baicalensis stem and leaf combat chicken-derived respiratory bacterial infection

Abstract

The Chinese poultry industry has witnessed rapid development, with laying hens playing a pivotal role. However, the escalating demand has led to an exponential increase in the population of laying hens raised, resulting in emerging challenges. Particularly during bacterial infections, substantial losses can be incurred. Presently, most farms heavily rely on antibiotics for disease prevention and control. Although this approach has yielded positive outcomes, prolonged usage may lead to the emergence of drug-resistant strains and residues. Consequently, research on alternative drugs has been initiated due to antibiotic prohibition and growing pathogen resistance. Chinese herbal medicine holds significant prominence across various domains, including animal husbandry and disease treatment, owing to its traditional roots in China. Scutellaria baicalensis is a traditional Chinese medicine derived from the dried root of the labiatae family plant Scutellaria baicalensis that possesses bitter taste and cold properties while exhibiting effects such as heat clearance, dampness elimination, lung purification, fire expulsion and heat detoxification. The aboveground components of Scutellaria baicalensis encompass stems and leaves, which yield approximately three times more than their root counterparts as traditional Chinese medicine resources. Sculltllarla bactlalensls products have been successfully applied in animal husbandry with therapeutic effects against sore throat, respiratory diseases, and heat detoxification. Therefore, in pursuit of economic sustainability, this study aims at developing an extract from Scutellaria baicalensis stems and leaves for treating respiratory bacterial infections among laying hens. The findings indicate that this extract exhibits excellent therapeutic efficacy against respiratory diseases among laying hens by reducing inflammatory cell levels within their lungs.