Gastrointestinal Nematodes Of Sheep Research Articles

Field evaluation of the efficacy of common anthelmintics used in the control of gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep in Dabat district, Northwest Ethiopia

BackgroundGastrointestinal nematode (GIN) infections are the main impediments that restrict the welfare and productivity of small ruminant in the world. Effective management of GINs in grazing sheep relies heavily on the use of highly efficacious anthelmintic drugs. However, anthelmintic resistance is becoming a significant concern in the world, and this phenomenon severely threatens the potential utilisation of this control strategy. Therefore, this study was conducted 1) to evaluate the efficacy of commonly used anthelmintic on GINs in naturally infected sheep and 2) to assess the farmers’ perception on anthelmintics utilisation practices in Dabat district, Northwest Ethiopia.MethodsOne hundred twenty nematode infected sheep were used in this study. Sheep were selected based on the egg count (≥150 eggs per gram of faeces). The animals were allocated randomly into four groups (30 animals per group). Group-I, II and III were treated with Albendazole, Tetramisole, and Ivermectin, respectively. The 4th group was left untreated (as control). Faecal samples were collected on day 0 (before treatment), on day 3, 7, 10 and 14 (post-treatment). The modified McMaster technique was used for quantifying the eggs. Faecal egg count reduction test (FECRT) was applied to determine the efficacy of anthelmintic at day 14 (post-treatment). In addition, a questionnaire survey was conducted on 100 randomly selected sheep owners.ResultsAll anthelmintics tested revealed significant (P < 0.05) reduction in nematode egg excretion in the sheep post-treatment. Faecal egg count reduction (FECR) levels for Albendazole, Tetramisole, and Ivermectin were 97.2, 98.9 and 97.7%, respectively. Post-treatment egg counts and percentage reduction of egg counts were not significantly different (P > 0.05) among the treatment groups. The nematode genera identified before treatment were Haemonchus, Trichostrongylus, Cooperia, Trichuris, Teladorsagia, Bunostomum, and Strongyloides. Haemonchus and Trichostrongylus were detected after treatment with Albendazole and Ivermectin. The questionnaire survey revealed that Albendazole was the most commonly (90%) used anthelmintic to treat nematodes in sheep, followed by Tetramisole (36%) and Tetraclozan (Tetramisole-Oxyclozanide combination) (20%). Respondents expressed that anthelmintic selection was made based on veterinarian prescription (84%), colour (27%), efficacy (4%), price affordability (1%) and availability (1%).ConclusionThis study demonstrated that the tested anthelmintics had an acceptable level of efficacy against GINs of sheep.

Effects of Spigelia anthelmia decoction on sheep gastrointestinal nematodes

The use of herbal medicines either in combination with or instead of synthetic anthelmintics is an approach to reducing the exposure of parasites to synthetic chemicals. The present study aimed to assess the in vitro and in vivo effects of Spigelia anthelmia decoction (SaDec) on sheep gastrointestinal nematodes. SaDec was obtained by extracting active constituents of the plant in boiling water. The condensed tannins present in SaDec were quantified and subjected to phytochemical analysis. The egg hatch test (EHT), the larval development test (LDT), and an adult worm motility (AWM) assay were performed. Ultrastructural changes in the cuticle of the adult Haemonchus contortus were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Acute toxicity tests in mice were performed to define the safe dose of SaDec to be administered in the fecal egg count reduction test (FECRT) In the FECRT, fecal samples were collected at days 0, 7 and 14 post-treatment to estimate the eggs per gram (epg) and to identify the most prevalent nematode genera. The results of the EHT and LDT were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and compared using Tukey’s test (P<0.05). The effective concentration to inhibit 50% (EC50) of egg hatching or larval development was determined by the probit method. In the AWM assay, worm survival was analyzed with the non-parametric stratified Cox regression test. The efficacy in the FECRT was calculated using BootStreat 1.0 software. The phytochemical screening detected high concentrations of condensed tannins, flavonoids, flavones, saponins, alkaloids and xanthones. The weights of the total phenolics and the condensed tannins were 96.56 and 51.25mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/g dry weight (DW), respectively. The EC50±95% confidence interval values of SaDec for the EHT and LDT were 1.4 (1.2–1.6) and 1.2 (1–1.3)mg/ml, respectively. Treatment with SaDec at 1.6mg/ml produced 100% inhibition of worm motility after 12h of exposure. SEM revealed ultrastructural changes in the cephalic region and cuticle of H. contortus females. In the acute toxicity test, there was no mortality in mice. SaDec at 350mg/ml reduced the sheep epg by 47% at 14days post-treatment. Haemonchus was the most prevalent nematode genus. This study demonstrated that SaDec shows promising efficacy against gastrointestinal nematodes in small ruminants.

Somatic extracts of Marshallagia marshalli downregulate the Th2 associated immune responses in ovalbumin-induced airway inflammation in BALB/c mice

BackgroundRecently the role of gastrointestinal nematodes in modulating the immune responses in inflammatory and immune-mediated conditions such as allergy and autoimmune diseases has been introduced. This is mainly due to the suppressive effects of somatic and excretory secretory (ES) products of nematodes on the immune responses. In this study, we evaluated the immunomodulatory potentials of somatic products of Marshallagia marshalli, a gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep, to suppress the immune-mediated responses in a murine model of allergic airway inflammation. BALB/c mice were intraperitoneally (IP) sensitized with ovalbumin (OVA)/Alum and then challenged with 1% OVA. Somatic products of M. marshalli were administered during each sensitization. The effects of somatic products on development of allergic airway inflammation were evaluated by analyzing inflammatory cells recruitment, histopathological changes, cytokines production (IL-4, IL-13, IL-10, TGF-β) and serum antibody titers (IgG1, IgG2a).ResultsSomatic products of M. marshalli were able to suppress the induction of allergic airway inflammation in mice. Modulation of Th2 type responses (IL-4, IL-13, IgG1) via upregulations of IL-10 and TGF-β production was observed after injection of somatic products of M. marshalli. In addition, inflammatory cells infiltration and pathological disorders were significantly diminished following administration of somatic products.ConclusionsOur data raised the possibility that helminths could be a potential therapeutic candidate to alleviate the inflammatory conditions in allergic asthma. According to these results, we concluded that M. marshalli may contain immune-modulatory molecules that attenuate allergic airway inflammation via induction of regulatory cytokines. Further investigations are required to identify molecules that might have potentials for development of novel therapeutic targets.

Multiplexed-tandem PCR for the specific diagnosis of gastrointestinal nematode infections in sheep: an European validation study

BackgroundTraditional methods of detecting and identifying gastrointestinal nematode infections in small ruminants, including sheep and goats, are time-consuming and lack in sensitivity and specificity. Recently, we developed an automated multiplexed-tandem (MT)-PCR platform for the diagnosis and identification patent infections with key genera/species of gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep and validated this approach in detailed experiments carried out in Australia. In the present study, we deployed this diagnostic platform in Scotland and Belgium to test samples from naturally infected sheep in these environments and to validate the MT-PCR platform relative to traditional diagnostic methods routinely used by local laboratories.ResultsMT-PCR detected all microscopy positive samples and there was a significant agreement between the results of the different test methods in terms of the species detected and their relative proportion in a test sample, however, for some samples, there were discrepancies between the results of the different test methods. Selective sequencing of purified MT-PCR products demonstrated the results to be 100% specific.ConclusionsThe MT-PCR platform is an advanced method for the species/genus-specific diagnosis of gastrointestinal nematode infections in small ruminants and has demonstrated utility when deployed in different countries and climatic zones. The platform is user-friendly due to the largely automated procedure and has high versatility in that it can achieve a specific diagnosis from different types of sample templates, including larval culture and faecal samples. With appropriate modifications of the primers used, the MT-PCR platform also provides potential for the diagnosis of a variety of other pathogens of veterinary or medical importance.

The use of Eucalyptus staigeriana nanoemulsion for control of sheep haemonchosis

ABSTRACT: Sustainable control of gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) in small ruminants has been based on the use of alternative methods, including targeted selective treatment, such as FAMACHA. Another GIN control alternative is the use of herbal medicines, although in many cases their use is based on empirical knowledge. Biopolymer nanoformulations has been investigated to maximize the essential oil effects against sheep gastrointestinal nematodes. The aim of the present study was to combine a Eucalyptus staigeriana essential oil nanoemulsion (EsNano) with FAMACHA as an alternative control for sheep haemonchosis. The study was performed over six months at a commercial sheep farm located in a semiarid region of Northeast Brazil. Initially, a fecal egg count reduction test (FECRT) in sheep with levamisole, ivermectin and oxfendazole in sheep was performed used to determine the most effective anthelmintic to use as the positive control. Levamisole has been selected because it showed efficacy superior to 95%. EsNano was obtained and then its physicochemical properties were characterized. The average (±SE) size of the particles in the nanoemulsion was 276.8 (±12.3) nm with bimodal distribution and polydispersity. Nine visits were performed, from April to September 2013, with an interval of 17 days. One hundred sixty-two male and female sheep were divided into three groups (n=54 each) and were treated when FAMACHA score was 3, 4, or 5: G-EsNano 250mg kg-1 EsNano; G-Lev 7.5mg kg-1 levamisole (positive control), and G-Neg was not treated (negative control). Feces from sheep were collected to quantify the number of eggs per gram of feces (epg) and to identify nematode genera. Sheep weight gain was monitored. The epg data for each group and the average sheep weight gains were analyzed by variance analysis and compared with the Tukey’s test (P&lt;0.05). Significant difference between the number of animals treated with EsNano and levamisole was not observed in any visit (P&gt;0.05). The epg variation was similar in the G-EsNano and G-Lev groups on visits (P&gt;0.05), except the second and fifth evaluation in the epg groups were significantly different (P&lt;0.05). Haemonchus spp. was the most prevalent nematode. There was no significant weight gain in any of the treated groups (P&lt;0.05). The combination of phytotherapy and FAMACHA can be an alternative to minimize the use of synthetic anthelmintics to control resistant GIN populations of small ruminants.

Anthelmintic evaluation of Cucurbita pepo againstgastrointestinal nematodes of sheep

The study was aimed at to investigate the anthelmintic efficacy of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of Cucurbita pepo against gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep by scientifically validated in vitro and in vivo tests. In vitro anthelmintic activity was determined by egg hatch assay, larval migration inhibition assay and larval development assay against eggs and larvae of mixed gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep. The extracts which were found to be effective in in vitro assays were further evaluated by in vivo faecal egg count reduction test against mixed species of sheep gastrointestinal nematodes with 3 different doses (125, 250 and 500 mg kg-1). Haematological and serum parameters were estimated before and after treatment to determine the impact of plant extracts on health of the animal. Aqueous extract of C. pepo demonstrated significant inhibition of egg hatch at 40 and 80 mg/ml. The ED50 value of egg hatch inhibition was 3.51mg/ml. In larval migration inhibition assay, both aqueous and ethanolic extracts of C. pepo demonstrated inhibition of larval migration and the LM50 was 1.75 and 0.32 mg/ml respectively. However, in larval development assay, both aqueous and ethanolic extracts showed only marginal inhibition of larval development at all concentrations tested. In faecal egg count reduction test (FECRT), aqueous extracts of C. pepo at 500 mg/kg caused significant reduction in eggs per gram (96.61 per cent) the reduction being higher than the result obtained with albendazole, the positive control (93.25 per cent). There was a significant difference in EPG reduction between sheep treated with albendazole and C. pepo. Haematological and serum parameters were not affected in both the treated and untreated sheep indicating that the extracts did not cause toxic effects. Based on the results obtained in this study, the aqueous extract of C. pepo possesses anthelmintic activity and could offer an alternative source for the control of gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep.

Anthelmintic Activities of Aqueous and Methanol Extracts of Prunella vulgaris L.

The increasing anthelmintic resistance, drug residues in animal products and high cost of conventional anthelmintics has created an interest in studying medicinal plants as an alternative source of anthelmintics. The aqueous and methanolic extracts of Prunella vulgaris was evaluated for anthelmintic efficacy against gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep under both in vitro and in vivo conditions using worm motility inhibition assay, egg hatch assay and faecal egg count reduction percent (FECR%) assay respectively. Crude methanol extract and crude aqueous extract of P. vulgaris resulted in mean percentage mortality of 94.44%, as observed after the worms were put in lukewarm PBS for 30 min after exposure to different treatments(p<0.01). Crude methanol extract (LC50=2.48 mg/mL) had higher inhibitory effects compared to that of crude aqueous extract (LC50=3.36 mg/mL) on egg hatching, exhibiting higher ovicidal activity. in vivo, maximum reduction (92.86%) in faecal egg counts was recorded for crude methanol extract, followed by crude aqueous extract (80.34%) with dose 2 g/kg of body weight at day 15 post-treatment. The results of the present study suggest that P. vulgaris extracts are promising alternatives to the commercially available anthelmintics for the treatment of sheep nematodes.

Gastrointestinal Nematode Parasites of Small Ruminants and Anthelmintics Efficacy Test in Sheep of Haramaya District, Eastern Ethiopia

The combination of cross-section and controlled field trail were carried out from December 2015 to June 2016 at Haramaya District, Eastern Hararhge, Ethiopia to evaluate the prevalence ofgastrointestinal nematodes and anthelmintic efficacy test in naturally infected small ruminants using faecal egg count reduction (FECR) test. From a total of 372 faecal samples examined using fecal flotation technique about 57% (212/372) samples were positive to gastrointestinal nematodes. Coprological investigation revealed that sheep and goats in district were infested with varieties of nematode parasites. The strongyles species were highly prevalent nematode parasites identified at about 22.3% (83/372) followed by trichuris 9.1% (34/372) and strongyloides 5.6% (21/372); whereas mixed infections of strongyles and strongyloides were recovered at lowest rate which accounted for about 5.1% (19/372). From considered risk factors age and kebele showed significant association (p&lt;0.05) with prevalence of nematodes parasites. The study revealed that 53.29% (97/182) of goats and 60.53% (115/190) sheep were found positive, while 58% (115/198) in female and 55.74% (97/174) in male and showed no significant difference (p&gt;0.05) between these factors. Mc Master egg counting in sheep harbored nematode parasites showed relatively similar percentage with no significant difference; but more of examined animals were classified in the range of moderate to heavy infections. The faecal egg count reduction test against albendazole, Tetraclozash and ivermectin indicated that 97.59%, 98.79% and 99.56% respectively which indicated an overall of very good state of efficacy against gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep. Therefore this study revealed that small ruminants of the study area harbored considerable level of gastrointestinal nematodes parasites which need further studies on species identification, larval ecology and strategic deworming with proper practice of available anthelmintics in small ruminants of the study area.

Comparative Efficacy of Moxidectin Ivermectin Doramectin and Fenbandazole Against Natural Infection of Gastrointestinal Nematodes in Sheep at Hisar

This study aim to evaluate the effectiveness of moxidectin (cydectin), ivermectin (Neomec), doramectin (dectomax) and fenbendazole (Panacur) against gastrointestinal nematodes in naturally infected sheep at central sheep breeding farm, Hisar, Haryana. The study includes 50 crossbred sheep divided randomly into five groups (group A, B, C, D and E) of 10 animal in each. Group A, B and C were treated with moxidectin, ivermectin, doramectin (@10 mg/kg BW) and group D with fenbendazole (@5 mg/kg BW) and group E served as the untreated control. The therapeutic efficacy was evaluated through determination of epg, body weight gain/loss and Hb concentration. Fecal, body weight and blood were collected before treatment on day 0, and on 7, 14 and 21 day post-treatment. The results showed that the fecal egg count reduction percentage in group A, B, C, D compared to control were 100, 90, 100 and 80 respectively on 21 day post treatment. The body weight of the treated group A, B, C sheep were slightly increased on 21 day post treatment but the differences was non-significantly (P<0.05) when compared with group D and E. The Hb values was significantly higher (p<0.01) between group A, B, C when compared with group D and E on day 21 post treatment. On the basis of these results it was concluded that moxidectin and doramectin proved the most effective against gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep in the present farm, while ivermectin being comparatively less and fenbendazole the least effective.

Anthelmintic resistance status of gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep to the single or combined administration of benzimidazoles and closantel in three localities in Mexico

Veterinaria Mexico OA ISSN: 2448-6760 Cite this as: Alcala Canto Y, Sumano Lopez HS, Ocampo Camberos L, Gutierrez L. Anthelmintic resistance status of gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep to the single or combined administration of benzimidazoles and closantel in three localities in Mexico. Veterinaria Mexico OA. 2016;3(4). doi: 10.21753/vmoa.3.4.374 Sheep production requires the constant assessment of parasitic burden and the efficacy of existing treatments for proper management. In this study, the administration of five different treatments was evaluated for the reduction of the percentage of eggs per gram of feces (EPG) shed by gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) from sheep on three different sheep-breeding farms in Mexico (Texcoco, Estado de Mexico; Hueytamalco, Puebla; and Tlaltizapan de Zapata, Morelos). In these farms, ivermectin and benzimidazole derivatives had been routinely administered for two consecutive years. To determine whether drugs with different pharmacological properties decreased GIN fecal egg excretion, the treatments closantel (CLOS), albendazole (ABZ) and fenbendazole (FBZ) were administered alone and in combinations of CLOS + ABZ and CLOS + FBZ, to five groups of sheep, with an additional untreated control group on each farm (n = 28 per flock). Anthelmintic resistance was determined using Fecal Egg Count Reduction Tests (FECRT) as recommended in the guidelines of the World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology. Fecal samples were collected 14 and 21 days after treatment. The anthelmintic resistance status was determined based on the reduction in the fecal egg count arithmetic mean and 95 % confidence limits. According to the FECRT, resistance developed to CLOS, ABZ, FBZ and CLOS + FBZ because the mean percentage of EPG reduction was ≤ 95 % with a lower confidence limit of ≤ 90 %. By contrast, nematode susceptibility was confirmed for the CLOS + ABZ combination, as it reduced the percentage of GIN fecal egg output by 96.46 ± 3.04 % (day 14) and 96.88 ± 3.04 % (day 21). Based on the morphometric identification of larvae, Haemonchus spp., Cooperia spp. and Teladorsagia spp. were the most abundant genera on all farms before the administration of these five treatments. In conclusion, the use of the anthelmintic combination of closantel plus albendazole may reduce the development of anthelmintic resistance in gastrointestinal nematodes. Figure 1. Marginal means ± SD of the percentage reduction in egg count on days 14 and 21 after treatment of sheep on three farms (n = 28 per flock) with fenbendazole (FBZ), closantel (CLOS), albendazole (ABZ), closantel + fenbendazole (CLOS + FBZ) and closantel + albendazole (CLOS + ABZ).

English

One of the limiting factors of sheep breeding is helminth infection, mainly resulting in poor weight gain. The combination of parasite control strategies, including the use of medicinal herbs can reduce the use of chemical anthelmintics. Tanniferous plants, by having phenolic compounds, mainly condensed tannins were associated with anthelmintic action. Fagopyrum esculentum Moench (buckwheat) has flavonoids, phenolic acids, tannins and high content of lysine, and the highest levels of these compounds are found in the seeds. Tannins exert direct anthelmintic action in reducing the the fertility of female nematodes, and indirect by increasing the immune response to protect the ingested protein of rumen degradation. The objective of this study was to evaluate the anthelmintic potential of the hydroalcoholic extract of F. esculentum Moench seeds (ETM) in the control of gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep in vitro and the antioxidant activity of ETM. Faeces from sheep presenting at least 2,000 eggs per gram of faeces were used. Hatchability and larvae migration tests were performed to evaluate the treatments ETM at concentrations of 0.625; 1.25; 2.5 and 5 mg mL-1, negative and positive controls and DMSO control (0.75% + distilled water). The treatment means were compared by Tukey test at 5% of probability. Subsequently, the total content of polyphenols, flavonoids, tannins and antioxidant activity of ETM were determined. For the conditions evaluated in this study, it was possible to verify anthelmintic activity of ETM in both tests in vitro. The ETM inhibited 19.66% of hatching in concentration 1.25 mg mL-1 and 17.66% of larvae migration in the concentration of 5 mg mL-1. The anthelmintic activity may be due to condensed tannin content found (288.89 mg equivalent tannic acid per gram of extract). Antioxidant activity was observed at all concentrations, reaching 38.71% at 3 mg mL-1 with IC50% = 3.83 mg mL-1 and 468.12 µM equivalent Trolox per gram of extract. At the same concentration to flavonoids and total polyphenols was observed respectively 31 mg equivalent rutin and 54.33 mg equivalent gallic acid per gram of extract. In addition to the direct effect of ETM on trichostrongylids of sheep, future research is also justified by the possibility of an indirect effect due to immune stimuli that protein diet provides on fostering in combating worms. It was concluded that it was possible to verify anthelmintic and antioxidant activity, demonstrating the potential of ETM in parasitological control of sheep. Key words: Agroecology, buckwheat, condensed tannins, gastrointestinal nematodes, organic production, sheep breeding.

Efficacy of ivermectin, closantel and fenbendazole against gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep in Kashmir valley.

The present work was undertaken to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of ivermectin, closantel and fenbendazole under field conditions against Gastrointestinal Nematodes (GIN) of cross bred merino sheep in Budgam area of Kashmir Valley. A total of 115 sheep having Egg per gram of faeces (EPG) greater than or equal to 150 (mean EPG 258.89) were selected. The animals were randomly divided into four groups comprising of 30 animals each in three treatment groups (ivermectin, closantel and fenbendazole) and twenty-five in fourth untreated infected control group. Faecal samples from the selected animals were collected on day '0' pre treatment and on days 8th and 14th post treatment. Based on Faecal Egg Count Reduction Test (FECRT), ivermectin was found to be 98.80% effective against strongyles on 8th day post treatment, however an efficacy of 100% was seen against strongyle worms on 14th day post treatment. 98.80 and 100% efficacy was observed on day 8th post treatment against strongyles in case of closantel and fenbendazole respectively, however efficacy decreased to 97.60 and 98.8% respectively on 14th day post treatment. There was no evidence of development of resistance by GIN of cross bred merino sheep in District Budgam of Kashmir Valley to ivermectin, closantel and fenbendazole.

Uso de hongos hematófagos en el control biológico de nematodos gastrointestinales en ovinos

El control de nematodos gastrointestinales en ovinos es realizado casi exclusivamente con productos de origen químico que, por lo general, ofrecen buenos resultados. Sin embargo, su inadecuado uso ha generado la presencia de resistencia en algunos grupos parasitarios. Consecuente con esto, y teniendo en cuenta que cada vez es mayor la preocupación encaminada hacia el consumo de alimentos inocuos que favorezcan la salud humana, se ha buscado desarrollar nuevos métodos de control de origen biológico que permitan manejar y controlar la presencia de parásitos gastrointestinales al interior de las explotaciones pecuarias mediante la utilización de enemigos naturales contra estos agentes patógenos en el medio ambiente. Dentro de los métodos biológicos más utilizados para el control de nematodos gastrointestinales en ovinos se encuentran los hongos nematófagos, los cuales tienen propiedades como la reducción del número de larvas de nematodos en materia fecal y la facilidad de atravesar el tracto gastrointestinal preservando su capacidad germinativa, lo que facilita la posibilidad de desarrollar variadas formas de administración. En la presente revisión se tratarán las especies de hongos nematófagos más utilizadas, así como las distintas formas de administración ensayadas en la actualidad.

Ovicidal and larvicidal activity of extracts of Opuntia ficus-indica against gastrointestinal nematodes of naturally infected sheep

This study describes the in vitro anthelmintic activity of extracts from Opuntia ficus indica against gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep. The anthelmintic activity was evaluated by inhibition of egg hatching, larval development and larval migration assays. The residual aqueous fractions from cladodes and fruits showed higher ovicidal activity with EC50 values of 7.2mg/mL and 1.5mg/mL, respectively. The aqueous, hexane, and ethyl acetate fractions from fruits and the aqueous fraction from cladodes inhibited 100% of larval development at the lowest concentration tested (1.56mg/mL). The crude cladode and fruit ethanolic extracts inhibited larval migration and showed EC50 values of 0.74mg/mL and 0.27mg/mL, respectively. Phytochemical screening detected high concentrations of alkaloids, tannins, flavonoids, and saponins in the fruits and cladodes. The results demonstrated that O. ficus exhibits anthelmintic activity in vitro, suggesting that, beyond its nutritional potential, this plant can also be an ally for parasite control in sheep.

In vitro anthelmintic activity of active compounds of the fringed rue Ruta chalepensis against dairy ewe gastrointestinal nematodes.

Infections by gastrointestinal nematodes negatively affect small ruminant health and at the same time cause substantial economic losses worldwide. Because resistance to conventional anthelmintic compounds is growing, target studies evaluating the effectiveness of alternative ingredients of botanical origin on gastrointestinal nematodes are needed. In this study, we evaluated the in vitro anthelmintic activity of Ruta chalepensis L. extracts on the third-stage larvae of sheep gastrointestinal nematodes. A methanol extract showed the highest anthelmintic activity, with an EC50 = 0.10 ± 0.06 mg/ml after 96 h, while the essential oil had an EC50 = 1.45 ± 1.22 mg/ml after 48 h. Moreover, three secondary metabolites of the essential oil, i.e. 2-decanone, 2-nonanone and 2-undecanone, showed EC50 values of 0.07 ± 0.06, 0.25 ± 0.29 and 0.88 ± 0.73 mg/ml at 24 h, respectively. The present study indicated that the R. chalepensis methanol extract, the essential oil and its metabolites 2-decanone, 2-nonanone and 2-undecanone showed promising anthelmintic activity on gastrointestinal nematodes.

LC-MS Guided Isolation of Bioactive Principles from Iris hookeriana and Bioevaluation of Isolates for Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Activities.

The genus Iris is diverse both in the abundance of secondary metabolities as well as the biological activities. The rhizomes of Iris hookeriana exhibit significant anthelminthic activity against gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep. Although Iris hookeriana has been a subject of the study of so many phytochemical studies, yet we report some constituents for the first time from this plant using a different isolation approach. This manuscript presents the isolation, antimicrobial and antioxidant evaluation of bioactive principles from Iris hookeriana. LC-MS guided isolation technique was applied for the separation of target constituents. The isolates were characterised by spectral techniques and subjected to antioxidant evaluation by DPPH assay. Four compounds; resveratrol, resveratroloside, junipeginin C and isorhamnetin-3-O-neohesperidoside were isolated for the first time along with 3 known compounds viz piceid, irigenin and iridin from I. hookeriana using this approach. The antioxidant activity screening of the isolates revealed that all the 4 constituents isolated for the first time, have strong antioxidant potential with IC50 of 14.0 µg/ml (resveratroloside), 19.7 µg/ml (junipeginen C), 12.8 µg/ml (resveratrol) and 19.8 µg/ml (isorhamnetin-3-O-neohesperodoside). So it can be safely concluded that LC-MS guided isolation of chemical compounds from Iris hookeriana has furnished 4 antioxidant constituents. Thus Iris hookeriana can act as as a good source of wonder molecule resveratrol and its 2 glycosides, resveratrolside and piceid which upon hydrolysis can be converted into the parent drug resveratrol.

In vitro and in vivo anthelmintic activities of Iris kashmiriana Linn.

In search of a natural antiparasitic, in vitro and in vivo anthelmintic activities of methanol and aqueous extracts of Iris kashmiriana Linn. rhizome were tested against gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep. A worm motility inhibition assay was used for in vitro study and a faecal egg count reduction assay was used for in vivo study. Crude aqueous extracts of I. kashmiriana exhibited greater anthelmintic activity against Haemonchus contortus than crude methanolic extract (P<0.05). The aqueous extracts of I. kashmiriana resulted in a mean worm motility inhibition of 85.0%, while methanolic extracts resulted in a mean worm motility inhibition of 100.0%. The in vivo anthelmintic activity of aqueous and methanolic extracts of I. kashmiriana in sheep naturally infected with mixed gastrointestinal nematodes species demonstrated a maximum (70.27%) egg count reduction in sheep treated with aqueous extracts at 2gkg−1 body weight on day 15 after treatment, closely followed by methanolic extracts at 1gkg−1 body weight on day 15 after treatment (33.17% egg count reduction) while as lethal concentration (LC50) values of aqueous and methanolic extracts of I. kashmiriana on adult worms of gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep H. contortus are 18.50mg/ml and 16.66mg/ml respectively. Thus aqueous extracts exhibited greater anthelmintic activity under both in vitro and in vivo conditions; this could be due to the presence of water soluble active ingredients in I. kashmiriana. From the present study it can be suggested that I. kashmiriana rhizome exhibited significant anthelmintic activity against gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep and has the potential to contribute to the control of gastrointestinal nematode parasites of small ruminants.

Relative maturity and the development of immunity to gastrointestinal nematodes in sheep: an overlooked paradigm?

Sheep display considerable variation in both the timing and magnitude of development of immunity to gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN). Onset of immunity is dependent on a number of factors, including antigenic stimulus, nutrition supply, age and size of the animals, the latter of which are confounded. Here, we review the factors associated with the development of immunity to GIN in sheep, particularly in the context of the role that relative maturity may have through applying the rules of genetic size scaling based on examples from published literature. Comparing animals based on their metabolic age, rather than chronological age, may provide an explanation for the timing of immune development and may reduce the variation in immune development that frequently is observed both between and within breeds. Further, this approach may help explain the phenotypic differences in animal performance between animals of varying immunological capacity to GIN through influences on mature body weight. As such, when considering factors influencing immune development to GIN, physiological age or relative maturity may be considered an overlooked paradigm. We propose it may be worthwhile to consider metabolic age when comparing the immune competence of animals to ensure the subjects are at an analogous stage of physiological development.

Antimicrobial and anthelmintic potential of root and leaf extracts of Gazania krebsiana Less. subsp. serrulata (DC.) Roessler: An in vitro assessment

IntroductionPhytotherapy has found relevance in the management and treatment of diseases in South Africa, particularly among the rural dwellers. In the present study, root and leaf extracts of Gazania krebsiana were investigated for antimicrobial and anthelmintic activities. MethodsG. krebsiana’s antimicrobial activity was evaluated against human pathogenic bacteria and fungi using agar well dilution method, while its anthelmintic activity was tested against gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep using egg hatchability and larvae mortality assays. ResultsThe extracts elicited varied degrees of antimicrobial activity with the ethanol extract showing the lowest minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 0.16–0.63mg/mL. The activity of the water extract appeared to be the least with MICs ranging from 10 to 20mg/mL on most of the isolates. At 10mg/mL, both the ethanol and acetone root extracts of G. krebsiana caused 100% egg hatch inhibition, and competed well with Tramisol®. Similarly, except for ethanol extract, other leaf extracts displayed commendable and concentration-dependent anthelmintic activity of nearly 100% (90.70–93.70%) inhibitions and a corresponding 100% parasite mortality after 72h exposure period at 10mg/mL dose. ConclusionThe observed effects could be adduced to the presence of active principles as revealed by the phytochemical analysis of the extracts. There is a need for in vivo studies to complement the present findings, the data so far presented have validated and lent scientific support to the applications of G. krebsiana as a vermifuge and antimicrobial agent by the Basotho people of the eastern Free State of South Africa.

Anthelmintic activity of Sesbania grandiflora against gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep

The study was carried out to validate the anthelmintic efficacy of Sesbania grandiflora and to standardize the effective dose of the plant extract required for worm control in livestock. In vitro and in vivo studies were conducted to determine the direct anthelmintic effect of ethanolic and aqueous extracts of S. grandiflora towards mixed ovine gastrointestinal nematodes. Egg hatch assay for ovicidal and larval migration inhibition and larval development assay for larvicidal properties were used to investigate in vitro effect of extracts on strongyle egg and larvae. Faecal egg count reduction test was conducted in vivo to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of the extacts administered orally @ 125, 250, 500 mg/kg to sheep naturally infected with mixed gastrointestinal nematodes. Aqueous extract of S. grandiflora demonstrated significant inhibition of egg hatch and larval migration @ 40 and 80 mg/ml. The ED50 value of egg hatch inhibition and LM50 value for larval migration inhibition were 1.489 and 0.683 mg/ml respectively. In faecal egg count reduction test (FECRT), aqueous extract of S. grandiflora at 500 mg/kg caused significant reduction in eggs per gram (98.10 %) higher than the result obtained with albendazole (93.25 %). Although there were slight variations in the haematological parameters (PCV, haemoglobin, RBC and WBC) in all the groups between day 0 and 12, all the parameters were within the normal range reported for sheep. Except for blood urea nitrogen, overall mean of all the serum biochemical profile was within the normal range for sheep. Based on the results obtained by in vitro and in vivo assay, the aqueous extract of S. grandiflora possess anthelmintic activity and could offer an alternative source for the control of gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep.