BEST OSABHAHIEBHEN SUNNY-EHIZE

The overuse of antibiotics in poultry production has heightened resistance concerns, prompting the search for eco-friendly and plant-based antimicrobial alternatives. Both Chromolaena odorata and Vernonia amygdalina are rich in bioactive phytochemicals, including alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, terpenoids, and saponins, known to exhibit strong antibacterial and antioxidant properties. Eight (8) poultry droppings samples were aseptically collected from four poultry farms in Ekpoma, Edo State, Nigeria, using sterile universal bottles. Standard microbiological procedures were employed for the isolation and identification of enteric bacteria, including serial dilution, culturing on MacConkey agar, and biochemical characterization based on Standard microbiological techniques. Fresh leaves of C. odorata and V. amygdalina were collected, washed, blended, and filtered to obtain aqueous crude extracts. Antibacterial activity was assessed using the agar well diffusion method, while the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) were determined by broth dilution and sub-culturing methods respectively. Five bacterial isolates—Escherichia coli, Bacillus sp., Proteus sp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus—were identified from the poultry droppings. Both extracts showed varying degrees of antibacterial activity against all isolates, with V. amygdalina producing larger zones of inhibition than C. odorata. The MIC and MBC results confirmed that higher extract concentrations corresponded with greater bacterial inhibition and killing effects, indicating concentration-dependent antibacterial efficacy. The findings demonstrate that Chromolaena odorata and Vernonia amygdalina possess significant antibacterial activity against enteric bacteria isolated from poultry droppings, suggesting their potential as natural, plant-based alternatives to synthetic antibiotics for controlling bacterial infections in poultry and mitigating antimicrobial resistance