Abstract
The abomasal parasitic nematode Haemonchus contortus can influence the abomasal microbiome of the host. On the other hand, no information occurs on the influence of the parasite on the hindgut microbiome of the host. We evaluated the impact of Haemonchus contortus on the fecal microbial community of the experimentally infected lambs treated with a mixture of medicinal herbs to ameliorate the haemonchosis. Twenty-four female lambs were divided into four groups: infected animals (Inf), infected animals supplemented with a blend of medicinal herbs (Inf+Herb), uninfected control animals (Control), and uninfected animals supplemented with medicinal herbs (C+Herb). Inf and Inf+Herb lambs were infected orally with approximately 5000 L3 larvae of a strain of H. contortus susceptible to anthelmintics (MHco1). Herb blend (Herbmix) consisted of dry medicinal plants of Althaea officinalis, Petasites hybridus, Inula helenium, Malva sylvestris, Chamomilla recutita, Plantago lanceolata, Rosmarinus officinalis, Solidago virgaurea, Fumaria officinalis, Hyssopus officinalis, Melisa officinalis, Foeniculum vulgare, and Artemisia absinthium. Each animal was fed meadow hay and a commercial concentrate (600 + 350 g DM/d). Inf+Herb and C+Herb lambs were fed Herbmix (100 g DM/d and animal). Treatment lasted for 50 days. The fecal microbial fermentation parameters (short-chain fatty acids, ammonia, and pH) were evaluated at intervals of 0, 20, 32, and 50 days. The fecal eubacterial populations were evaluated by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) at day 32 when H. contortus infection was the highest. No substantial effects of the H. contortus infection and the herbal treatment on fecal microbial fermentation parameters and fecal eubacterial populations were observed. Evaluation of DGGE patterns by Principal component analysis pointed to the tendency to branch the C+Herb group from the other experimental groups on Day 32. The results indicate that hindgut microbial activity was not disturbed by H. contortus infection and herbal treatment.
Highlights
Haemonchus contortus is the most pathogenic gastrointestinal parasitic nematode of small ruminants, which adult worms attach to abomasal mucosa and feed on the blood
The lambs used in the present study were part of a larger in vivo experiment to investigate the effect of a mixture medicinal herbs (Herbmix) on ruminal fermentation, parasitological status and hematological parameters of the lambs experimentally infected with Haemonchus contortus and had been described in more detail previously [7]
The lambs were randomly divided into four groups (n = 6/group, one stall per group): animals infected by H. contortus (Inf), infected animals supplemented with Herbmix (Inf+Herb), uninfected control animals (C) and uninfected animals supplemented with Herbmix (C +Herb)
Summary
Haemonchus contortus is the most pathogenic gastrointestinal parasitic nematode of small ruminants, which adult worms attach to abomasal mucosa and feed on the blood. Young animals usually carry more onerous parasite burdens than adult animals resulting in reduced animal production and eventually deaths [1]. Medicinal herbs contain bioactive compounds with a broad activity toward human cells, bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites. The use of medicinal herbs with bioactive properties is an alternative strategy to control intestinal nematode populations [5,6]. The complex interactions that occur between gastrointestinal parasitic helminths and commensal bacteria are essential for the cross-talk between host and parasite establishment, and mucosal immune system development [10]
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