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

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.

Bioactivity of phytochemicals in some lesser-known plants and their effects and potential applications in livestock and aquaculture production systems

“…In contrast, the results from studies conducted in Africa on the effects of various plant sources, including pineapple leaves, on ruminant nematodes were less encouraging (Githiori et al, 2004). Although cysteine proteases (bromelain) present in pineapple plant are considered to have some anthelmintic properties, there is a need to identify the active principle in pineapple leaves unequivocally and to investigate its presence in various germplasm existing in Asia and Africa and in different countries within Asia.…”

Medicinal plants for helminth parasite control: facts and fiction

“…The neem tree (Azadirachta indica) is known for its medicinal properties and has been recommended for use against gastro-intestinal nematodes and related problems in many parts of the world (Biswas et al, 2002;Subapriya and Nagini, 2005). However, when leaves of the neem tree were offered to parasitised sheep, either fresh or dried, no anthelmintic effect was recorded against H. contortus (Githiori et al, 2004;Costa et al, 2006). In contrast, in another study, Chandrawathani et al (2006) reported the effectiveness of neem in reducing worm numbers of the same nematode in the abomasa of small ruminants fed on fresh neem leaves on a daily basis.…”

“…For example, traditional healers are not always familiar with the parasite species that are most pathogenic for livestock. In a participatory study in northern Kenya, traditional healers identified plants as being very effective antiparasitics if they expelled tapeworm segments (Githiori et al, 2004). The latter are easy to identify, as they are visible with the naked eye, but not as pathogenic as helminth nematodes, whose both parasitic and non-parasitic stages require specialised knowledge and equipment to be identified.…”

“…The latter will result in changes in plant availability in nutrients and metabolites, which may affect the reproducibility of their anthelmintic activity. For example, in the above study by Chandrawathani et al (2006) on the neem tree, the leaves were reportedly collected daily and fed fresh to the animals, whereas Githiori et al (2004) fed conserved leaves. The observed inconsistency on the anthelmintic effects of neem tree in the above studies could be attributed to the method of preservation, which may have affected the plant properties.…”

Anthelmintic action of plant cysteine proteinases against the rodent stomach nematode,Protospirura muricola,in vitroandin vivo

“…Since the early 19th century, extracts from the papaya plant (Carica papaya) and many species of fig (Ficus species) have been used against ascarids, tapeworms, whipworms and hookworms by indigenous people, particularly in tropical countries (Berger and Asenjo, 1940). Recently, there has been a resurgence of interest in using plant extracts as anti-parasitic treatments (Hammond et al 1997 ;Tagboto and Townson, 2001 ;Waller et al 2001 ;Githiori et al 2004 ;Anthony et al 2005). Although there are numerous published reports detailing the efficacy of various plant extracts against parasitic nematodes (e.g.…”