No abstract

McMaster (McM) method is one of the most widely used techniques for the assessment of faecal parasites shedding in veterinary practices because of its simplicity. However, due to its light sensitivity, recently, the Mini-FLOTAC (MF) has been introduced as a possible alternative for faecal worm egg counts. This study aims to compare the diagnosis performance of MF to McM technique. Faecal samples from 40 animals randomly selected in sheep, goats and rabbits' farms were collected and examined individually using MF and McM techniques. A statistical difference (p < 0.001) in strongylida egg counts in small ruminants and oocyst of Eimeria spp counts in rabbits using both techniques was observed. However, strongylida eggs per gram of feces in sheep (MF: 202.01 vs McM: 174.75) goat (MF: 147.36 vs McM: 143.75) and oocysts of Eimeria spp per gram of feces in rabbits (MF: 130.75 vs McM: 130.5) revealed no significant difference (p > 0.05). MF showed better diagnostic performance in term of the prevalence (MF: 32.5-100% vs McM: 7.5-70%) and the precision values (MF: 85.52-90.44% vs McM: 49.52-63.07%). This study demonstrated that MF appears to be the more reliable alternative technique for veterinary practices.

Bridelia ferruginea (Euphorbiaceae) and Mitragyna inermis (Rubiaceae) are two plants of the beninese pharmacopeia used in vivo for the control of gastrointestinal nematodes (GINs) in small ruminants. The objective of the present study is to explore the mechanism of bioactive compounds involved in the action of these two plants on the third-stage infective larvae (L3s) of Haemonchus contortus. Thus, sheathed L3s of H. contortus were incubated with acetone extracts of B. ferruginea and M. inermis at concentrations of 0, 150, 300, 600 and 1200 µg/mL for 3 h at 25°C. The L3s were then washed and artificially submitted to exsheathment in the presence of sodium hypochlorite solution. The role of tannins was verified by adding a tannin inhibitor, polyvinyl polypyrrolidone (PVPP), to the acetone extracts of these two plants for 2 h at 25°C. Acetone extracts from B. ferruginea and M. inermis inhibited the exsheathment of H. contortus larvae (p < 0.001) and this inhibitory effect was dose-dependent for M. inermis at the concentrations tested. Treatment of B. ferruginea and M. inermis extracts with PVPP was associated with a partial restoration of the exsheathment kinetics of H. contortus larvae (p < 0.001), confirming the predominant role of tannins but also the residual role of other secondary metabolites. These in vitro results suggest that these plants are endowed with anthelmintic (AHs) properties and therefore likely to be used as alternatives to synthetic molecules.

Objectives: Gastrointestinal parasites are recognized as major constraint to livestock production throughout the tropics. The use of plants and plant extracts remain the most serious alternative to modern anthelmintic drugs. This study evaluates the in vitro anthelmintic activity of aqueous leaves extract of Crassocephalum crepidioides against Haemonchus contortus. Methods: Aqueous extract at concentrations of 75 to 2400 µg/ml was tested in vitro on three development stages of H. contortus using egg hatch assay (EHA), larval migration inhibition assay (LMIA) and adult worms motility inhibition assay (AMIA). Results: EHA showed significant reduction (P < 0.05) on H. contortus egg hatch. The inhibition of egg hatching was concentration dependent with the greatest inhibition (50.52%) at the highest concentration (2400 µg/ml) of the extract. Thiabendazole used as positive control showed significant inhibition (P < 0.001) with rate of 76.68 % at the highest concentration (500µg/ml). On LMIA the extract significantly (P < 0.05) inhibited larval migration of L3 in a concentration dependent manner compared to Phosphate Buffered Saline, but less than levamisole (P < 0.001). The highest inhibition rate was 35.30 % at the concentration of 1200 µg/ml. The addition of polyvinylpolyrrolidone to the aqueous extract slightly reduces (4.9%) the inhibition of the effect induced by the extract on larval migration. Effect of extract on AMIA was concentration-dependent with significant increase (P < 0.05) in percentage of inhibition after 12 h. Levamisole (500 µg/ml) kills 100% worms after 18 h post-exposure but by this time the plant exhibited only 16.67% inhibition at the highest concentration (2400 µg/ml). Conclusion: These finding indicate that C. crepidioides leaves have anthelmintic properties against H. contortus. This activity may be due to secondary metabolites such as saponins, flavonoids and tannins present in the extract. Further studies are needed to evaluate deeply the anthelmintic potential of this plant.