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Avian Influenza
A study of the H5N1 virus

--general info and chapters
--introduction
--full document (pdf)

Superficial Dermatitis
Ringworm
Dermatophytosis

--general info
--research
--treatment
--references

Malassezia
Malassezia pachydermatis
--general info
--research
--treatment
--references

Mud Fever
D. congolensis

--general info
--barrier-cream
--research
--references
--treatment

MRSA in Pets
Methicillin Resistant
Staphylococcus aureus

--MRSA Research
--Pet-bedding
--Barrier-cream
--Newspaper clip

--Press Release
--Treatment
--Link
--Pricelist


Anti-microbial research applications
--gallery
--health benefits
--background info
--Press Release
--research
--link

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Equine cutaneous microflora
Normal resident bacteria
--general info
--research
--references

Equine gut microflora
probiotics
--general info
--research
--references

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Veterinary Microbiology

Abstract (student research)

The inhibitory effects of garlic, nettle, rosemary and mint on Dermatophilus congolensis and Malassezia pachydermatis growth in vitro. (B Gosling, F. Ruedisueli)

Dermatophilus congolensis and Malassezia pachydermatis can cause cutaneous irritation to predisposed equine and canine species, respectively. Currently, treatment for both relies heavily on topical application in the form of chemical washes and lotions.
This study was designed to investigate the inhibitory effect of garlic, mint, nettle and rosemary towards the of growth of these transient and commensal micro-organisms.
Experiments were conducted at varying concentrations, with blank discs and sterile water as controls, in order to determine the extent of inhibition by each herb.
Using Blood agar and Sabouraud's dextrose agar, Dermatophilus congolensis and Malassezia pachydermatis were spread plated onto the respective medium. Blank discs were inoculated with the concentrations of the herbs and added to the plates. After incubation periods of 24 and 48 hours, measurements were taken of any inhibition rings present.
Excess sterile water was found to disrupt the growth of both micro-organisms in vitro.
Garlic displayed significant disruption of the growth of D. congolensis (p<0.05), but had little effect on the growth of M. pachydermatis.
Mint was only used on M. pachydermatis and did not produce any antifungal effects.
Nettle displayed significant inhibitory effects on the growth of D. congolensis (p<0.05) and showed larger disruption of the growth of M. pachydermatis than the controls, although not significant.
For both micro-organisms, rosemary, although not statistically significant, caused a disruption of growth larger than that displayed by the controls.
Along side the main study, a pilot study was undertaken to compare the growth of D. congolensis and a resident equine bacterium, Staphylococcus xylosus.
In the presence of the resident cutaneous bacteria, D. congolensis showed a significantly larger growth (p <0.01) than that displayed by the S. xylosus when in the presence of the potential pathogen.
The findings suggest that D. congolensis may be a successful competitor against one of the resident cutaneous bacteria of the equine species. More work would need to be conducted in order to establish whether D. congolensis shows predominant growth over other resident bacteria and the relevance of this to the occurrence of infection.