title: Antibacterial efficacy of ethyl acetate fraction of Psidium guajava leaf aqueous extract on experimental Escherichia coli (O78) infection in chickens.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study was desingned to examine the efficacy of ethyl acetate fraction of aqueous extracted Psidium guajava leaves on chicks experimentally-infected with diarrheagenic strain of Escherichia coli O78.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 60 ISA brown male chicks were randomly divided into 6 Groups of ten chicks each in separate cages. Group A was not infected and not treated. Groups B, C and D were infected and treated with extracts at a dose of 25, 50 and 100 mg/kg respectively for 10 days. Group E was infected and treated with oxytetracycline while Group F was infected, but left untreated. Chicks from all groups were closely monitored for clinical signs, body weight change and fecal bacterial shedding load during the course of the experiment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Diarrhea, vents pasted with feces, drop in feed intake accompanied by slow weight gain and decreased activity was observed in infected untreated groups. Groups treated with graded doses of the extract experienced a dose-dependent decreased in severity of the clinical signs shown compared to the infected untreated group. Bacterial shedding load was found to be lower in groups treated with the extract and oxytetracycline than those without intervention.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Ethyl acetate soluble fraction of leaf extract of Psidium guajava effectively controlled diarrhea and decreased the severity of other clinical signs caused by experimental E. coli infections in chicks.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Maiduguri, P.M.B. 1069, Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Y A
authors.initials: YA
authors.lastname: Geidam
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria.
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Ambali
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Physiology, Pharmacology and Biochemistry, College of Veterinary Medicine, Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria.
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Onyeyili
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Physiology, Pharmacology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Maiduguri, P.M.B. 1069, Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria.
authors.forename: M B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Tijjani
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Maiduguri, P.M.B. 1069, Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria.
authors.forename: H I
authors.initials: HI
authors.lastname: Gambo
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Maiduguri, P.M.B. 1069, Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria.
authors.forename: I A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Gulani
keywords: Psidium guajava; antibacteria; chickens Escherichia coli; efficacy