Unveiling the Potential Ways to Apply Citrus Oil to Control Causative Agents of Pullorum Disease and Fowl Typhoid in Floor Materials.

This study investigates the potential role of Cold-pressed Valencia Terpeneless citrus oil (CO), as a natural antimicrobial, in controlling causative agents of pullorum disease and fowl typhoid in floor materials for poultry farming, specifically wooden chips. The study addresses the issues that have arisen as a result of the reduction in antibiotic use in poultry farming, which has resulted in the re-emergence of bacterial diseases including salmonellosis. CO efficiently inhibits the growth of pathogens including various serovars of (SE), including SE serovar Gallinarum () and SE serovar Pullorum (), in a dose-dependent manner. Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) of CO showed potential for controlling diverse and isolates. Growth inhibition assays demonstrated that 0.4% (/) CO eliminated and from 24 h onwards, also impacting poultry gut microbiota and probiotic strains. Floor material simulation, specifically wooden chips treated with 0.4% CO, confirmed CO's effectiveness in preventing and growth on poultry house floors. This study also investigated the effect of CO on the expression of virulence genes in and . Specifically, the study revealed that the application of CO resulted in a downregulation trend in virulence genes, including , , , , and , in both and , implying that CO may alter the pathogenicity of these bacterial pathogens. Overall, this study reveals that CO has the potential to be used as a natural antimicrobial in the prevention and management of -related infections in chicken production, offering a viable alternative to control these re-emerging diseases.