Anthelmintic efficacy of selected medicinal plants against gastrointestinal nematodes in naturally infected sheep in Kenya

Abstract

The use of plants, or their extracts, for the treatment of human and animal ailments, including helminthosis is steeped in antiquity. Anthelmintic resistance in pathogenic helminths has been spreading in prevalence and severity to a point where there is multi-drug resistance against the three major classes of anthelmintics. This globe-wide phenomenon calls for urgent search for different approaches to the control of helminthosis including novel anthelmintic products. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of plants, which are commonly used in the treatment and control of helminthosis, under the natural grazing conditions in Loitoktok Sub-County of Kenya. The plant species (Albizia anthelmintica, Myrsine africana, and Embelia schimperi were selected based on their availability and ethnopharmacological uses, as anthelmintics, by the traditional health practitioners in the area. Fifty sheep of mixed breeds, belonging to local herders, and naturally infected with mixed gastrointestinal nematodes were recruited for the study. The herbal remedies were prepared and administered by methods prescribed by the traditional practitioners. Their efficacy was determined using faecal egg count reduction test (FECRT). The percentage faecal egg count reduction against the mixed gastrointestinal nematodes was 59, -11, -31 and 87 for Myrsine africana, A. anthelmintica, E. schimperi and albendazole respectively. It was concluded that some of the remedies have some efficacy and further studies are needed to evaluate their potential as anthelmintics. There was also suspicion of development of anthemintic resistance to albendazole and herders needed to be advised accordingly on the proper use of conventional anthelmintic products.