Drug – bio-affecting and body treating compositions – Plant material or plant extract of undetermined constitution...
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-02
2003-03-25
Lankford, Jr., Leon B. (Department: 1651)
Drug, bio-affecting and body treating compositions
Plant material or plant extract of undetermined constitution...
C424S734000, C424S776000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06537591
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to the therapeutic and prophylactic treatment of aquatic animals, and more particularly, to the treatment of fish and other aquatic animals with a composition containing, as the active ingredient, an extract of
Pimenta racemosa
(West Indian bay oil) or
Pimenta dioica
(allspice).
Fish diseases and injuries are not only detrimental to the physiological well being of fish, but also can adversely affect the physical appearance of otherwise viable fish. The prevention, control and treatment of fish diseases and fish injuries is particularly important for fish that are kept in artificial or confined environments, such as aquariums, ornamental ponds or aquaculture ponds, as well as various types of shipping containers or holding tanks used for ornamental or food fish, or other aquatic animals.
Fish that are netted, handled or otherwise placed in stressful situations, e.g., under crowded, low oxygen, high carbon dioxide, contaminated water or fluctuating temperature conditions, become more vulnerable to disease, such as those of bacterial or fungal origin. When fish are transported in high concentrations and/or in small volumes of water, they are often subject to trauma or injury, such as being scraped, lacerated, bitten, burned or otherwise wounded. Such shipping conditions may also expose fish to contaminated water, e.g., from natural waste products of fish and from decaying food and dead fish. Contaminated water is also an environment favoring the growth of pathogens that cause fish diseases.
Fish disease therapies that avoid the use of potent drugs or chemicals with adverse side effects, or that avoid the necessity for precise dosing requirements, are desirable for fish in confined environments. While isolation and treatment only of the specific diseased or injured fish is preferred, as a practical matter, such isolated treatment is not often possible, resulting also in exposure of healthy fish to the treatment. Consequently, treatment of individual diseased or injured fish usually entails exposure of healthy fish and all other beneficial organisms in the environment to the treatment composition as well. For this reason, therapeutic treatments for diseased or injured fish that utilize naturally derived substances, which are not injurious to other aquatic animals or plants also present in the water, are particularly preferred.
The treatment of damaged fish tissue in fish with Aloe vera is described by Goldstein in U.S. Pat. No. 4,500,510, assigned to the assignee of the present invention. Yoshpa, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,882,647, also assigned to the assignee of the present invention, discloses treating injured or diseased fish and other aquatic animals using cajeput oil.
The prevention and treatment of bacterial diseases in fish with eucalyptus extract is described in Japanese Patent Publication 04-360839. Eucalyptus extract is a complex mixture obtainable from leaves of Eucalyptus species trees, and the primary component of eucalyptus oil is 1,8-cineole (about 70-85%), sometimes also called eucalyptol.
The present invention is based on the unexpected discovery that extracts of
Pimenta racemosa,
commonly called West Indian bay oil, or
Pimenta dioica,
commonly called allspice, are highly efficacious in the therapeutic treatment of fish and other aquatic animals.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One aspect of the present invention relates to a therapeutic method for treating an aquatic animal comprising administering a composition comprising a Pimenta extract selected from the group consisting of
Pimenta racemosa
and
Pimenta dioica
to a diseased or injured aquatic animal, in an amount effective to promote recovery of such a diseased aquatic animal.
Another aspect of the invention relates to a prophylactic method for treating a disease-free aquatic animal, comprising adding to water containing the aquatic animal, Pimenta extract selected from the group consisting of
Pimenta racemosa
and
Pimenta dioica
in an amount effective to promote resistance of the aquatic animal to disease.
Yet another aspect of the invention is a composition for the treatment of an aquatic animal, the composition comprising Pimenta extract selected from the group consisting of
Pimenta racemosa
and
Pimenta dioica,
and preferably, an aqueous mixture or an aqueous emulsion including the Pimenta extract.
The method and composition are useful for treating fish of all types and species and other aquatic animals afflicted with, subjected to or susceptible to bacterial disease, fungal disease, or injuries, such as wounds, lacerations, abrasions, bums and the like. The Pimenta extract is preferably administered by introducing the Pimenta extract into the water that contains or will contain the aquatic animal to be treated.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The term “disease” and other similar terms as used herein are intended to cover diseases of bacterial or fungal origin, to which fish or other aquatic animals are susceptible. The term “injury” and other similar terms as used herein are intended to cover trauma or injuries, such as wounds, e.g., lacerations, tears and bites, as well as scrapes, abrasions, burns or the like to which fish or other aquatic animals are susceptible. Rapid healing of such injuries is often slowed, delayed or precluded by the presence of pathogenic organisms in the water environment harboring the fish or other aquatic animal or in the diseased or injured skin, tissue, organ or other part of the fish or other aquatic animal.
The active ingredient for the aquatic animal treatment method and composition of this invention is an extract from the plants of the genus Pimenta and, more particularly, bay or allspice. As used herein, the term “Pimenta extract” means extracts of the genus Pimenta selected from the group consisting of the species
Pimenta racemosa
and
Pimenta dioica.
“Pimenta extract” will be used to refer broadly to the active ingredient of the composition and method of the present invention.
As used herein, “bay,” sometimes called West Indian bay oil, or Myrcia, or bay rum tree oil, is the substance that is obtainable from the tree
Pimenta racemosa
(Mill.) J. W. Moore (syn.
P. acris
Kostel) (Family Myrtaceae), which is indigenous to the West Indies, and is cultivated in Venezuela, Puerto Rico and the Caribbean Islands. Bay contains a large number of components, most of which are terpenoids, and major components being eugenol (up to about 56%), chavicol (up to about 22%) and myrcene (up to about 21%). Other components in lesser amounts include 1,8-cineole, limonene, isoeugenol, linalool, methyl eugenol (3,4-dimethoxyallylbenzene), estragole (methyl chavicol), &agr;-terpineol and others.
There are several varieties of bay, including anise-scented, lemon-scented and clove-scented varieties. The distinctions among the varieties include different proportions of the components noted above, for example, the anise-scented variety contains methyl eugenol (about 43%) and methyl chavicol (about 32%) as the major components, and the lemon-scented variety contains mostly citral (greater than about 80%).
Although the commonly used domestic spice is sometimes also referred to as “bay” in the literature, this spice is sweet bay (
Laurus nobilis
), and not West Indian bay used in the present invention. This is an important distinction.
As used herein, “allspice”, sometimes called pimenta, Jamaica pepper and pimento, is the substance that is obtainable from the tree
Pimenta dioica
(L.) Merr. (syn.
P. officinalis
Lindl.; Eugenia Pimenta DC.) (Family Myrtaceae). This tree is native to the West Indies, Central America and Mexico. The parts of the plant that are primarily used for the extract are the dried, full-grown but unripe fruit, and the leaves. Major producers are found in Jamaica and Cuba. Allspice contains about 4% volatile oil, but storage of undried berries under conditions that prevent rapid removal of moisture can increase the volatile oil content by up to 50%. The major component of the volatile oil (kno
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld L.L.P.
Aquarium Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Davis Ruth
Lankford , Jr. Leon B.
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