title: Antimicrobial activity of lipophilic avian eggshell surface extracts.
abstract: The avian eggshell cuticle is the waxy outermost layer of the mineralized eggshell in direct contact with the environment. In this study, lipophilic eggshell surface extracts from three domestic species were evaluated for their antimicrobial activity. Chicken and goose extracts demonstrated potent bactericidal activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, while activity could not be detected for duck eggshell surface extracts. Using the chicken as a model species, evaluation of albumen, fecal material, and uropygial gland extracts eliminated these as a potential source of the observed activity. Results suggest that lipophilic components are incorporated into the egg during its formation and play a role in antimicrobial defense. This study represents the first successful extraction and evaluation of lipophilic antimicrobial components from the avian egg.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, 835 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver, BC, Canada V5Z 4E8. wello85@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Wellman-Labadie
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lemaire
authors.forename: Karlheinz
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mann
authors.forename: Jaroslav
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Picman
authors.forename: Maxwell T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Hincke
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology; D004527:Egg Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology; D004528:Egg Shell / Q000737:chemistry*; D005260:Female; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects; D006094:Gram-Positive Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D011200:Poultry; D013045:Species Specificity; D014020:Tissue Extracts / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D004527:Egg Proteins; D014020:Tissue Extracts