Prevalence of animal diseases is one of the major livestock production constraints in Kenya with high impacts on livelihoods due to related economic losses affecting food security in the country. The use of synthetic drugs for disease management has challenges. This makes the use of medicinal plants for treatment a rational alternative. Ascarids, Toxocara canis and Ancylostoma caninum are among the most frequently observed helminth parasites in dogs in Kenya. The two parasites are also known to cause helminthiasis in human beings. This study was designed to evaluate the in vitro efficacy of ethanol and aqueous extracts from bulbs of A. sativum and A. cepa and from leaves of J. curcas against T. canis and A. caninum parasites. Six (6) extracts from three (3) plants: A. cepa, A. sativum and J. curcas were selected for in vitro anthelmintic screening by measuring ability to inhibit hatching and development of eggs and survival of larvae in vitro. The ethanol extracts of A. cepa inhibited hatching of 100% of eggs of A. caninum between 10,000 and 2,500 ug/ml and 100% of eggs of T. canis between 10,000 and 1,250 ug/ml while that of A. sativum inhibited hatching of 100% of A. caninum eggs between 10,000 and 5,000 ug/ml. However the ethanol extract of A. sativum did not have the same effect on the development of T. canis eggs at these concentrations. The ethanol extracts of both A. cepa and A. sativum affected the survival of 100% of A. caninum larvae at a concentration of 156 ug/ml and above. The water extracts of the three plants had moderate effects on the eggs and the larvae of both parasites. The results indicate that the ethanol extracts of A. cepa and A. sativum have anthelmintic properties which should be investigated further to support the ethnoveterinary use of the plants as anthelmintics for control and treatment of worm infestation in dogs.

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Olea africana is used by some indigenous communities in Kenya to control gastrointestinal worms in animals. Plant-based anthelmintics are gaining popularity globally in the control of gastrointestinal worms in animals. The egg hatch inhibition assay was used to assess the in vitro anthelmintic efficacy of aqueous and ethanol leaf extracts of O. africana against the eggs of mixed gastrointestinal helminths in dogs. Probit regression was used to calculate the concentration of extracts that inhibited egg hatching by 50% (IC50). Albendazole was used as a control. Standard techniques were used to quantify the phytochemicals in the extracts. The aqueous extract had an IC50 of 1.85 mg/mL (1.64–2.10), and the ethanol extract had an IC50 of 0.25 mg/mL (0.23–0.26). Quantitative phytochemical analysis revealed that aqueous and ethanol extracts of O. africana contained alkaloids (19.40 and 61.60%), saponins (24.00 and 6.00%), phenols (0.95 and 1.28 mg/g gallic acid equivalents (GAE)), flavonoids (8.71 and 12.26 mg/g catechin equivalents (CE)), and tannins (67.30 and 76.30 mg/g of tannic acid equivalent (TAE)), respectively. O. africana has dose-dependent anthelmintic effects against mixed gastrointestinal worms in dogs. These findings support the traditional use of Olea africana as a treatment option for gastrointestinal worms in dogs.

The objective of this study was to determine, quantify and disseminate the level of environmental chemical contaminants in the topsoil, water, pasture, milk, blood, feaces, kidney, and adipose tissues from cattle reared in peri-urban slum of Kisumu County. Various samples were collected from Mamboleo, Nyalenda and Otonglo in Kisumu County in the months of April and August 2019 respectively to determine possible seasonal or environmental variability of contaminants. Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) was used to identify and quantify the level of toxic heavy metals and the results were compared to WHO food safety limits.Flotation method was used to determine Helminth’s infections. Viable bacterial cell counts were determined using the Spread-Plate method. The heavy metals analyzed were: Lead (Pb), Mercury (Hg), Cadmium (Cd), Arsenic (As) and Copper (Cu). One-way ANOVA (Analysis of Variance) test was used to determine significant difference in the mean level of heavy metals. There were variations in mean heavy concentration levels between the two visits (p<0.05). Helminthosis was prevalent (59.5%) and total Fecal Egg Count (FEC) varied across samples. Study findings show varying heavy metal concentration levels which exceed WHO/FAO food safety limits implying livestock kept in peri-urban setting of Kisumu town are at a risk of ingest contaminated pasture, threatening food safety among consumers. This study recommends policies aimed at mitigating pollution from chemical contaminants and other anthropogenic activities and farmer sensitization on better farming system with limited risks on food safety and animal-human food chain.