Antibacterial effect of Ocimum sanctum in experimental fowl cholera - A clinicopathomorphological study

This experiment was carried out in three groups of birds. Group I birds were treated orally with aqueous cold extract of Ocimum sanctum@ 250mg/kg and then challenged with Pasteurella multocida (A:1) @ 0.2 ml intraperitoneally on 21^st day of medication. Group II chickens were non-medicated and challenged, while group III were kept as control. On clinical examination birds of group II developed depression, dullness, pyrexia, increased respiration rate, foetid diarrhoea and nervous symptoms along with morbid lesions in parenchymatous organs. Group I birds showed similar symptoms and lesions but of lesser degree. The study revealed that pretreated birds with O. sanctum showed mild to moderate intensity of lesions as compared to non-medicated birds.