Green Veterinary Pharmacology Applied to Parasite Control: Evaluation of Punica granatum, Artemisia campestris, Salix caprea Aqueous Macerates against Gastrointestinal Nematodes of Sheep.

Fabio Castagna,Vincenzo Musella,Giuseppe Cringoli,Cristian Piras,Carmine Lupia,Domenico Britti,Ernesto Palma,Antonio Bosco,Laura Rinaldi,Vincenzo Musolino

doi:10.3390/vetsci8100237

Fabio Castagna, Vincenzo Musella + Show 8 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci8100237

Copy DOI

Abstract

Resistance to anthelmintic drugs in gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) of sheep is of high concern for livestock production worldwide. In Calabria (southern Italy), many plants have been used in ethnoveterinary medicine for parasite control in small ruminants. Here, we present an in vivo evaluation of anthelmintic efficacy of three plant extracts. The first was based on bark and leaves of Salix caprea, the second and the third were based on the whole plant Artemisia campestris and whole fruit (seeds and peel) of Punica granatum, respectively. Anthelmintic efficacy was evaluated according to the fecal egg count reduction test (FECRT) performed with the FLOTAC technique. The results showed a significant anthelmintic effect of Punica granatum macerate (50%), a low effectiveness of the Artemisia campestris macerate (20%), and a complete ineffectiveness of Salix caprea macerate (0.1%). With these outcomes, we report a P. granatum-based remedy reducing 50% GIN egg output. This result was obtained without using any synthetic drug, paving the way for the employment of green veterinary pharmacology (GVP) as a complementary and sustainable method to reduce the use of chemicals and to counteract anthelmintic resistance.

Highlights

In the preliminary screening phase, 105 farms were enrolled in the study
Seven days after the treatment (Figure 1b), a FECR of 50% was observed in the Punica granatum group in comparison with the control group (p ≤ 0.001)
This study confirms what emerged from recent in vitro studies [25], namely that in the Calabria region of southern Italy, there are still some small farmers and shepherds who continue to use traditional vegetable macerates against gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) infections of sheep and that some of them have a significant anthelmintic efficacy, confirmed by the in vivo tests. It emerged that the use of these mixtures, the one based on the whole fruit of P. granatum, is not reported in the Calabrian ethnoveterinary literature, despite its anti-helminthic efficacy. The results of these field tests, highlight the importance of anthelmintic efficacy studies of ethnoveterinary remedies, and paves the way for the use of green veterinary pharmacology (GVP) as an alternative and sustainable method to reduce the use of chemicals and to counteract the phenomena of anthelmintic resistance (AR)

Summary

Introduction

Sheep and goat animal productions are important in the European area, in which are reared 16.8 million goats and 130.8 million sheep. This ensures livelihoods for vulnerable populations in rural areas, including those living in under-developed areas [1]. Small ruminant dairying is of major importance for the agricultural economy of the Mediterranean basin [2], where extensive grazing-based ruminant systems have a long tradition dating back to antiquity [3]. In Italy, a lot of sheep and goats are bred in several different conditions due to the huge variety of pasture environments. In the Calabria region, sheep farming represents an

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion