Ethnoveterinary practices and antimicrobial potential of medicinal plants used for livestock treatment in Vijayapura District, Karnataka, India

BACKGROUND: The objective of this research was to identify the medicinal plants that are utilized by farmers to treat livestock diseases in Toravi village and Lambadi Thanda of Vijayapura district and evaluate their antioxidant and antibacterial activity against certain bacterial pathogens responsible for gastrointestinal illness in livestock. METHODS: Semi-structured questionnaires were used for data collection. The fidelity level (FL) and informant consensus factor (ICF) were utilized to analyze the collected data. Samples of plant leaves were collected, and the extracts were prepared using distilled water. The agar well diffusion methods were utilized to assess the antibacterial activity of the extracts against pathogenic Staphylococcus aureus , Streptococcus agalactiae , and Escherichia coli . Antioxidant activity was studied by the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method. RESULTS: A total of 30 medicinal plants from 18 families with varying habitats, including 11 shrubs, nine trees, nine herbs, and one climber, are utilized in ethnoveterinary practices. Leaves were revealed to be the most commonly utilized component of plants, followed by stem/bark, fruit/seed, root, rhizome, flower, latex, and the entire plant. Fresh ingredients were often favored in medicinal formulas. The results of the ICF indicated a strong consensus for gastrointestinal issues (0.99), mastitis (0.95), respiratory disorder (0.90), fracture (0.89), and dermatological (0.84). Acacia karroo has a high FL value of 100% and is currently being utilized to address gastrointestinal issues in livestock. Preliminary phytochemical screening reveals the presence of phenols, glycosides, alkaloids, terpenoids, tannins, and flavonoids. Maximum inhibition zone was observed in Acacia karroo (6.7 ± 0.08 mm), Cassia auriculata (6.3 ± 0.15 mm), and Tribulus terrestris (6.1 ± 0.12 mm) against S.aureus at 30 mg/mL. DPPH radical scavenging activity of C. auriculata (0.912 ± 0.13%) and A. karroo (0.907 ± 0.15%) was nearer to standard ascorbic acid (1.03 ± 0.65%), followed by T. terrestris (0.871 ± 0.12%), Moringa oleifera (0.719 ± 0.08%), and Vitex negundo (0.642 ± 0.04%) at 100 µg/mL. CONCLUSION: The medicinal plants tested in the Toravi village and Thanda of Vijayapura have been shown to support traditional beliefs regarding their antioxidant and antimicrobial properties in treating bacterial infection. Therefore, further research is recommended to identify and understand the active components present in these plant materials.