The problems associated with synthetic chemical pesticides include resistance, residues, pest resurgence and the adverse effects on non-target organisms. Hence, many ecofriendly newer alternatives are being evaluated among which one of the most important is the use of herbal agents. Many of the plant extracts or its fractions are dissolved in polar or non polar solvents or detergents before tested for acaricidal activity. The solvent or detergent used for dissolving the herbal extract should have little or no acaricidal effects. In the present study, laboratory tests were carried out on engorged female Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) annulatus ticks to detect the toxicity of common diluents such as dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), Tween 20 and Triton X 100 at 1% concentration. The result of the study revealed that least acaricidal activity was with Triton X 100 while the other two inhibited the hatching of eggs laid by treated ticks.
Two male and two female emu birds of 8 months to 1 year old reared in a private farm were brought dead to College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Pookode for postmortem examination during the period from July to September, 2010. The birds were emaciated and drooling of blood from the mouth was observed for 2 days prior to death. Postmortem examination of the dead birds revealed occurrence of large numbers of red coloured worms throughout trachea with histopathological changes. The worms were identified as Syngamus trachea based on morphology. Economic losses due to this parasitism are also described.
The post-mortem examination of a leopard cat from Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, Kerala, died in a road accident, revealed presence of gastric tumours containing worms which were identified as Gnathostoma spinigerum based on morphological characteristics.
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