Antibacterial Activity of Rosmarinus officinalis and Lavandula angustifolia Essential Oils Against Selected Poultry Pathogenic Bacteria

Abstract- Poultry is the host of many species of bacteria and the intestine is the privileged place of their colonization and their persistence. These bacteria are the cause of several cases of food poisoning in humans through the consumption of eggs or soiled chicken meat. In addition, these bacteria develop resistance to antibiotics that are adjusted to poultry feed as growth promoters. Essential oils are considered as important secondary metabolites for plant defense by their antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. These essential oils may be considered as a source of natural antimicrobials for the conservation of poultry food. The aim of our study is to isolate and identify bacterial strains isolated from poultry and to determine the antibacterial and antioxidant activities of Rosmarinus officinalis and Lavandula angustifolia essential oils on these bacterial strains.Essential oils of Moroccan Rosmarinus officinalis and Lavandula angustifolia were extracted by hydrodistillation. The identification of their chemical composition are performed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Antimicrobial activity of extracted essential oils against Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium perfringens, Escherichia coli and Salmonella entiritidis was evaluated by aromatogram test and Microdilution in a liquid medium. The identification of strains are performed by several test: Gram staining, Kligler test, Catalase test, test Mobility and Api Gallery 20E. The results show that essential oils tested have a considerable antibacterial activity against all isolated bacterial strains. Keywords: Poultry feed, Essential oils, Bacterial strains, Antibiotic resistance, Antimicrobial activity.