{ "abstract": "Background: Colibacillosis, caused by pathogenic Escherichia coli, remains a significant threat to rabbit production, particularly during the critical weaning period. With the emergence of multidrug-resistant strains limiting conventional antibiotic efficacy, there is an urgent need for sustainable phytotherapeutic alternatives. This study evaluated the therapeutic efficacy of a combined aqueous leaf extract of Psidium guajava L. and Tithonia diversifolia (Hemsl.) A. Gray on systemic biological markers and organ integrity in a rabbit model of colibacillosis. Methods: Thirty healthy rabbits were randomly grouped into six cohorts: negative control (infected-untreated), healthy control (uninfected-untreated), positive control (infected-treated with Neomycin 10 mg/kg), immunodepressed (uninfected-cyclophosphamide), and two treatment groups (infected; receiving 400 or 800 mg/kg of the combined P. guajava and T. diversifolia extract). Colibacillosis was induced via oral administration of a pathogenic E. coli isolate (1 mL/100 g body weight; 10⁹ CFU/mL). Systemic recovery was assessed through hematological, biochemical, and antioxidant profiling, alongside histological examination and multivariate Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The data were analysed using OriginLab Pro 2025 and GraphPad Prism version 8.0.1 and all multivariate analyses and visualizations were performed in the R statistical environment (v4.4.3). Results: E. coli infection triggered severe haematological, biochemical, and inflammatory dysregulation, characterized by significant increases in white blood cell counts, aspartate aminotransferase, creatinine, and triglycerides, concomitant with reduced red blood cell counts, haemoglobin, and albumin. The combined extract demonstrated dose-dependent efficacy. Notably, multivariate PCA mapping revealed that the 800 mg/kg dose achieved a superior therapeutic outcome, effectively resolving clinical diarrhoea and restoring biological profiles to states comparable to those of the healthy and Neomycin-treated cohorts. Furthermore, the extract significantly mitigated systemic oxidative stress and protected organ integrity. Conclusion: These findings demonstrate the therapeutic efficacy and potential of the combined P. guajava and T. diversifolia extract in managing colibacillosis and associated systemic inflammation in rabbits. This study supports the traditional ethnomedicinal use of these plants and demonstrate that these combined extracts could be develop as natural alternatives to synthetic antibiotics in veterinary medicine for managing colibacillosis in rabbits.", "abstract_shown": true, "affiliations": [ "Antimicrobial and Biocontrol Agents Unit (AmBcAU), Laboratory for Phytobiochemistry and Medicinal Plants Studies, Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Yaoundé I, Messa-Yaoundé, Cameroon", "Institute of Agricultural Research and Development (IRAD), Yaoundé, Cameroon", "Laboratory for Antibiotic Resistance and Microbial Metabolomics, Institute of Microbiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic", "Laboratory of Animal Physiology, Department of Animal Biology and Physiology, Faculty of Science, University of Yaoundé 1, Yaoundé, Cameroon", "Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Ohio, United States of America" ], "article_type": "Research Article", "arxiv": null, "author_total": 8, "authors": [ { "affs": [ 0 ], "name": "Mireille Tuedom Chouegouong" }, { "affs": [ 1 ], "name": "Rufin Marie Toghueo Kouipou" }, { "affs": [ 2 ], "name": "Yanick Kevin Melogmo Dongmo" }, { "affs": [ 3 ], "name": "Jaurès Marius Tsakem Nangap" }, { "affs": [ 4 ], "name": "Michele Stella Majoumouo" }, { "name": "Brice Pinlap" }, { "name": "Kingsley Agbor Etchu" }, { "name": "Fabrice Fekam Boyom" } ], "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/9qvbbagz1nnqs.bib", "cited_by": 0, "doi": "10.1371/journal.pone.0357951", "fulltext_url": null, "id": "9qvbbagz1nnqs", "issns": [ "1932-6203" ], "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0357951", "language": null, "licence": "CC-BY-4.0", "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0", "licence_source": "journal", "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "metadata_licence": null, "native_subjects": [ [ "openalex", "3004|Psidium guajava Extracts and Applications" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Anatomy/Digestive system/Gastrointestinal tract" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Biochemistry/Antioxidants" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Biochemistry/Enzymology/Enzymes/Dismutases/Superoxide dismutase" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Biochemistry/Proteins/Enzymes/Dismutases/Superoxide dismutase" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Immunology/Immune response/Inflammation" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Microbiology/Medical microbiology/Microbial pathogens/Bacterial pathogens/Escherichia coli" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Microbiology/Microbial control/Antimicrobials/Antibiotics/Neomycins" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Organisms/Bacteria/Enterobacteriaceae/Escherichia/Escherichia coli" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Organisms/Bacteria/Gut bacteria/Escherichia/Escherichia coli" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Organisms/Eukaryota/Animals/Vertebrates/Amniotes/Mammals/Leporids/Rabbits" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Physiology/Physiological parameters/Body weight" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Zoology/Animals/Vertebrates/Amniotes/Mammals/Leporids/Rabbits" ], [ "plos", "/Medicine and health sciences/Anatomy/Digestive system/Gastrointestinal tract" ], [ "plos", "/Medicine and health sciences/Clinical medicine/Signs and symptoms/Inflammation" ], [ "plos", "/Medicine and health sciences/Immunology/Immune response/Inflammation" ], [ "plos", "/Medicine and health sciences/Pathology and laboratory medicine/Pathogens/Microbial pathogens/Bacterial pathogens/Escherichia coli" ], [ "plos", "/Medicine and health sciences/Pharmacology/Drugs/Antimicrobials/Antibiotics/Neomycins" ], [ "plos", "/Research and analysis methods/Animal studies/Experimental organism systems/Animal models/Rabbits" ], [ "plos", "/Research and analysis methods/Animal studies/Experimental organism systems/Model organisms/Escherichia coli" ], [ "plos", "/Research and analysis methods/Animal studies/Experimental organism systems/Prokaryotic models/Escherichia coli" ], [ "plos", "/Research and analysis methods/Model organisms/Escherichia coli" ] ], "openalex": "W7213228057", "pdf_url": "https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357951&type=printable", "pmcid": null, "pmid": null, "published": "2026-09-15", "publisher": "Public Library of Science", "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/9qvbbagz1nnqs.ris", "sources": [ { "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:49Z", "native_id": "10.1371/journal.pone.0357951", "source": "plos", "url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0357951" } ], "subjects": [ { "field": "biology", "origin": "plos:immunology", "subfield": "immunology" }, { "field": "biology", "origin": "plos:microbiology", "subfield": "microbiology" }, { "field": "medicine", "origin": "plos:anatomy", "subfield": "physiology" } ], "title": "A combined aqueous extract of Psidium guajava L. and Tithonia diversifolia (Hemsl.) A. gray improves metabolic homeostasis and preserves intestinal integrity in experimental rabbit colibacillosis", "title_text": "A combined aqueous extract of Psidium guajava L. and Tithonia diversifolia (Hemsl.) A. gray improves metabolic homeostasis and preserves intestinal integrity in experimental rabbit colibacillosis", "type": "peer-reviewed", "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:17:49Z", "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/9qvbbagz1nnqs", "venue": "PLOS One", "versions": [] }