Creating Alternative Antibiotic Innovations from Sambiloto Plants Faculty of Animal Husbandry Students Wins Third Place in the Popular Scientific Article Contest.

Faculty of Animal Science Universitas Brawijaya  (Fapet UB) students, Indha Fitria Pangesti wins third place in the Popular Scientific Article Competition and Project Based Learning Poster Design. He took the theme of poultry health with the title “Potential Use of Phytobiotics from Sambiloto Plant (Andrographis paniculata Ness) in Reducing Helicobacter pylori in Poultry”.

According to him, increasing chicken productivity requires Antibiotic Growth Promoter (AGP). However, giving antibiotics to livestock can pose a danger to livestock as well as humans who consume the livestock. That can lead to the emergence of new strains of bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics. In addition, the use of antibiotics is prohibited in Indonesia which is written in the 2009 Law.

So to maintain the health of poultry, feed additives are needed to maintain the microflora of the digestive tract by utilizing phytobiotics as alternative antibiotics using natural ingredients. One of them is bitter plants which contain andrographolide compounds which can be used as anticancer, antibacterial, antioxidant, and analgesic.

Besides, bitter can reduce the amount of Helicobacter pylori in poultry. These are gram-negative, spiral microaerophilic bacteria and are classified as pathogenic bacteria commonly found in the liver, stomach, bile, jejunum, cecum, and colon. These bacteria can interfere with the immune system and digestive system causing gastroenteritis, diarrhea, liver disease and bile disorders. The disease can inhibit growth, because due to bacterial infection it causes 33.3% of deaths.

“Thus, the use of encapsulated andrographolide can function optimally as a feed additive in broilers as a natural antibacterial and anti-inflammatory. So that broilers are protected from diseases caused by Helicobacter pylori and can increase the growth and health of the chickens.” explained Indha

Popular Scientific Article Competition and Project Based Learning Poster Design held by UB’s Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (FKH), 13-17 March 2022. The event was held online with several themes offered. Such as antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and antimicrobial use (AMU), poultry health, one health, emerging infectious disease (EID), and zoonoses. (dta)