Managing Internal Parasites of Small Ruminants using Medicinal Plants a Review on Alternative Remedies, Efficacy Evaluation Techniques and Conservational Strategies

Abstract

Throughout the world, internal parasites are a major hindrance to small ruminant production. The most common internal parasites in grazing small ruminants are likely to be gastrointestinal nematodes. They cause a reduction in live-weight gain, wool growth, poor reproductive performance, and increased production costs and thus hamper global food security. Pharmaceutical control continues to be the main measure used to manage or control internal parasites, however as the resistance of internal parasite populations spreads, the efficiency of this method in resource-limited environments becomes limited and complex. Efforts to curb production losses caused by internal parasites have led communal farmers to use other treatments such as locally available indigenous medicinal plants to control internal parasites as an alternative to pharmaceuticals. However, many medicinal plants still need to be evaluated for their efficacy and efficiency using both in vitro as well as in vivo methods. Furthermore, in many developing countries, the use of these plants is not well documented nor they are guided by certain rules and regulations to conserve them. Therefore, the objective of this review was to document various remedies prepared from medicinal plants to manage internal parasites in small ruminants. A further objective was to evaluate techniques used to determine the safety and efficacy of these plants and to suggest possible strategies to conserve such useful plants and the knowledge associated with them.

Sustainable Small Ruminant Production in Low- and Middle-Income African Countries: Harnessing the Potential of Agroecology

“…Gliessman Transition Level 2 (GLT-2) of agroecological transition involves substituting conventional inputs and practices with sustainable alternatives [31]. Agroecological principles strive to replace harmful inputs, such as chemical fertilizers overutilization, and pesticides, by adopting the use of biofertilizers, e.g., animal manure and plant bioactive compounds, and traditional remedies to address common ailments in small ruminant production systems, including diarrhea and parasitic and respiratory infections [92,93]. In terms of a better animal health outcome, several strategies that substitute conventional inputs are shown in Table 2.…”

Effect of Mineral Feed Additives on the Rearing of Young Ducklings: An Experimental Study in Western Kazakhstan

“…Fourth, duck breeding is well combined with sustainable farming methods (Gayirbegov and Engurazov 2023). For example, an experiment was conducted where ducks were grown on rice fields and helped to control pests in those fields (Nikelo et al 2022). Fifth, duck fat and meat have a longer shelf life compared to other poultry, which is an advantage for distribution and storage (Kang et al 2006;Dyadichkina and Antonova 2007;Kokoszynski 2011;Zhanabayeva et al 2021).…”