Effect of Azadirachta indica on Pheretima posthuma

Abstract

Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections are worm infections that can be facilitated by one or more intestinal parasitic worms such as roundworm (Ascaris lumbricoides), hookworm (HW; Ancylostoma duodenale and Necator americanus), threadworm (Strongyloides stercoralis), and whipworm (Trichuris trichiura). More than two billion people are thought to be affected by STH infections globally. Eggs in human feces, which are commonly seen in low-resource countries, spread STH by contaminating the soil and water in unhygienic places. The transmission is by human exposures to the infective stages, either by direct skin penetration or through ingestion that could result in a serious illness, though infections remain asymptomatic in the majority of cases with light-intensity infections. Azadirachta indica, usually called Indian neem, has been extensively used in ayurveda, unani, and homoeopathic medicine since time immemorial. A. inidica has been used ethnopharmacologically to treat diseases such as cancer, diarrhea, gastric ulcers, wound infections, trypanosomiasis, malaria, and tuberculosis. A. indica leaf extracts in methanol were tested for their ability to treat Pheretima posthuma worms. From the experimental outcome, we find that the leaf extracts of A. indica, when compared to the usual medication, the plant was found to exhibit substantial anthelmintic activity. The present research concludes that neem has a variety of bioactive compou