The antibacterial activity of individual and mixed medicinal plant compounds, azadirachtin (Az), camphor (Ca) and curcumin (Cu), was tested at 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600 and 700 ppm (mg L−1) against fungal fish pathogen, Aphanomyces invadans, in vitro. At the lower concentrations between 100 and 300 ppm, the mixture of the tri‐herbal (Az+Ca+Cu) compound yielded a higher (P>0.05) zone of inhibition (ZI) of 7 mm than the positive control; the maximum ZI values (8–15 mm) were realized between 400 and 700 ppm (P<0.05). At the lowest minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) the tri‐herbal compound (100 ppm) yielded 13 colony‐forming units; hence, this dose can be effectively used at the lowest concentration of 100 mg L−1 to ward off the growth of A. invadans in vitro. In Cirrhina mrigala, intramuscular administration (100 μL) of the selected doses of 100, 400 and 700 ppm (mg L−1) significantly enhanced (P<0.05) the serum lysozyme activity (Ly), production of reactive oxygen species and reactive nitrogen species (RNS or NO) by peripheral blood leucocytes on the 10th, 20th and 30th day. A priori administration of the compound in the fish (100 ppm on 30th day) decreased the percentage mortality when challenged with the pathogen while in the untreated group the mortality increased (P<0.05). This study indicates that intramuscular administration of the tri‐herbal compound Az+Ca+Cu at a concentration of 100 ppm could augment the immune response in C. mrigala against A. invadans.
Etiological investigations have often implicated Aeromonas hydrophila, a heterotrophic Gram‐negative pathogenic aquatic bacterium, in a variety of systemic and localized fish diseases. The aim of this study was to test the efficacy of a herbal concoction against A. hydrophila‐infected goldfish (Carassius auratus). After the pathogen was intramuscularly injected, scales sloughed off on the site of administration, with the appearance of a muscular hemorrhagic protuberance that progressed into an extensive ulcerative dermatitis associated with focal hemorrhage, edema, and dermal necrosis exposing the underlying muscles. Progression of the disease affected the organs in the following order: muscle, gills, liver, and finally the heart tissue. The dip treatment with the concoction (1% herbal concoction dip treatment for 5 min/d daily at 1100 h) restored the histoarchitecture of the altered primary gill lamellae, liver, heart, and muscle. The recovery changes are reported.
Goldfish ( Carassius auratus ) weighing 13 +/- 2 g were administered intramuscularly a sublethal dose (1.8 x 10 3 cfu/ml) of Aeromonas hydrophila to induce ulcerative dermatitis. On day 3 and day 6 after infection the fish were dip-treated (for 5 min/day) with a tri-herbal concoction of Curcuma longa, Ocimum sanctum and Azadirachta indica (1%). The LD 50 value was recorded at a concentration of 2.3 x 10 4 between 30 and 36 days after infection. In the infected untreated group the cumulative mortality was higher, while in the early-treated group (day 3) there was no mortality. In the late-treated group (6th day) the mortality increased to 23.3% on day 36. In the infected group the size of ulcers progressively increased from 43.3% of the body length on day 18 to 86.7% on day 36. In the early-treated fish the size of ulcers was 23.3% of the body length on day 18; by day 36 after treatment the ulcer had completely healed. In contrast, there was only a moderate recovery in the late-treated group. From the results it can be concluded that early tri-herbal treatment ensures successful recovery from ulcerative dermatitis induced by A. hydrophila .
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