Aim:Gastrointestinal (GI) nematodes are considered as a major constraint for successful sheep production. Control of these parasites heavily relies on the use of chemical anthelmintics. Over the past decades, the development of anthelmintic resistance to various groups of anthelmintics and problem of drug residues in animal products has awakened interest in medicinal plants as an alternative source of anthelmintics. Hence, this study was undertaken to evaluate the anthelmintic efficacy of Indigofera tinctoria by scientifically validated in vitro and in vivo tests approved by the World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology.Materials and Methods:In vitro assays such as 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, respectively. Fecal egg count reduction test was conducted in vivo to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of the extracts administered orally at dose rates of 125, 250, 500 mg/kg to sheep naturally infected with mixed GI nematodes.Results:Ethanolic extract of I. tinctoria demonstrated significant (p<0.01) inhibition on egg hatching at concentrations of 40 mg/ml and 80 mg/ml. In in vivo assay, the ethanolic extract of I. tinctoria reduced the fecal egg count ranging between 30.82% and 47.78% at various doses (125, 250 and 500 mg/kg). Although there was a slight variation, all the hematological parameters were within the normal range reported for sheep. Except for alanine transaminase, the overall mean of all the serum biochemical profile was within the normal range for sheep.Conclusion:Based on the results obtained by in vitro and in vivo assay, the ethanolic extract of I. tinctoria possesses anthelmintic activity and could replace the chemical anthelmintics used presently.
The study has highlighted an overall seroprevalence of 11.71% with 12.57% in immunocompromised and 10.86% in immunocompetent patients respectively in a southern district, Tamil Nadu, which underlines the importance of screening of this parasite especially in the immunocompromised patients.
Myiasis is the infestation of the tissues and organs of animals or man by fly larvae. Ophthalmic myiasis has been reported from various world regions. In this study, we are presenting the clinical manifestations of external ophthalmomyiasis which was caused by the larvae of the sheep nasal botfly, Oestrus ovis, in 10 patients in the Tirunelveli and the Tuticorin districts of Tamil Nadu state India. All the patients were farmers, who worked in close contact with sheep and goats. All the patients presented with severe conjunctivitis. The larvae were observed in the bulbar conjunctiva and following their removal, the symptom of eye inflammation improved in a few hours.
Poultry farms in and around Namakkal with a history of tapeworm infection were surveyed for the presence of beetles which could act as intermediate host for the tapeworms. Beetles collected from different poultry farms with suspected tapeworm infection were examined for the presence of metacestode stage of the parasite. A total of 1,880 beetles were collected from 12 poultry farms with suspected tapeworm infection to study the vector potentiality. Out of these, 205 beetles (10.9 %) from nine farms were found to harbour cysticercoids. The percentage of cysticercoid infection in beetles was 8.24, 10.34 and 16.66 % respectively in three different surveys. The beetles harbouring the cysticercoids were identified as Opatroides frater, which may be a natural intermediate host for Raillietina cesticillus. Infection free young chicks (4 weeks old) were experimentally infected with specific number of cysticercoids and prepatent period of tapeworms was found to be between 12 and 13 days. Gravid segments were expelled between 3 and 4 p.m. consistently. The results of this study would help to formulate suitable control measures against the above tapeworm infection.
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