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Evaluation of anthelmintic properties of some plants used as livestock dewormers against Haemonchus contortus infections in sheep

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 August 2004

J. B. GITHIORI
Affiliation:
International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), P.O. Box 30709, 00100, Nairobi, Kenya Department of Parasitology (SWEPAR), National Veterinary Institute and Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-751 89 Uppsala, Sweden
J. HÖGLUND
Affiliation:
Department of Parasitology (SWEPAR), National Veterinary Institute and Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-751 89 Uppsala, Sweden
P. J. WALLER
Affiliation:
Department of Parasitology (SWEPAR), National Veterinary Institute and Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-751 89 Uppsala, Sweden
R. L. BAKER
Affiliation:
International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), P.O. Box 30709, 00100, Nairobi, Kenya
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Abstract

Gastrointestinal helminth infections remain a major constraint to livestock production globally. This study evaluated anthelmintic efficacy of 7 plants used as dewormers by farmers and pastoralists in Kenya. Thus 3 commercial anthelmintics and 7 plant preparations were tested in lambs infected with 5000 or 3000 L3 Haemonchus contortus in 4 experiments. In the first experiment, ivermectin, levamisole and albendazole were tested in 46 lambs. Seven plant preparations of Hagenia abyssinica, Olea europaea var. africana, Annona squamosa, Ananas comosus, Dodonea angustifolia, Hildebrandtia sepalosa and Azadirachta indica were tested in 151 lambs in 3 experiments. All 3 anthelminitics were highly effective in reducing faecal egg counts (FEC) and total worm counts (TWC) in lambs. Plant preparations had varying levels of crude proteins from 2·6% for O. europaea to 18·4% for A. indica. Compared with controls, no significant reductions in FEC were observed for any of the treated groups either 2 or 3 weeks post-treatment. Lambs treated with A. squamosa and A. comosus were slaughtered 4 weeks post-treatment. No significant differences were observed in mean TWC or number of eggs per female worm between treated animals and the controls. No significant improvements in weight gain were observed in treated lambs.

Information

Type
Research Article
Copyright
2004 Cambridge University Press
Figure 0

Table 1. Experimental design showing the inoculum, breed, drugs, plants and traditional dose used in each of the Experiments A to D in lambs infected with Haemonchus contortus

Figure 1

Table 2. Geometric means (and ranges) of faecal egg counts (FEC) on days 0, 7 and 14 and means (and 95% confidence intervals) of total worm counts (TWC) on day 14 post-treatment in sheep treated with IVM, BZ and Lev

Figure 2

Table 3. Proximate analysis of the plants used in Experiments C to D

Figure 3

Table 4. Geometric mean faecal egg counts (FEC) and 95% confidence intervals for Week 1 to Week 3 post-treatment for controls and lambs treated with different plant preparations (average group size 15) after infection with Haemonchus contortus

Figure 4

Table 5. Mean packed red cell volume (PCV) in Weeks 1 to 3 and average daily live weight (LWT) gain from 0 to 3 weeks post treatment in controls and lambs treated with different plant preparations infected with Haemonchus contortus

Figure 5

Table 6. Mean total worm counts (TWC), faecal egg counts (FEC) and mean number of eggs per female in recovered worms for control and sheep treated with A. comosus and A. squamosa leaf preparations after infection with H. contortus