The prevalence of anthelmintic resistance and the consumer demand for alternative farming systems that limit the use of chemical anthelmintics has made the search for alternative gastrointestinal nematode parasites control methods crucial. Traditional medicinal/herbal plants can offer an alternative to the reliance on chemical anthelmintic drugs. This study evaluates the efficacy of crude aqueous extracts of Tephrosia vogelii Hook., Tephrosia villosa Pers., and Carica papaya Linn. leaves and Carica papaya Linn. seeds against gastrointestinal nematodes using in vitro egg hatch and larval development inhibition assays. Rectal faecal samples from sheep were subjected to parasitological examination for faecal egg counts (FEC) using the McMaster counting technique. 100 g of dried and poultice aqueous leaf extract of T. vogelii, T. villosa, C. papaya leaves and seeds was blended into liquefaction in 200 ml of distilled water then boiled at 90-100°C for 1 h and cooled. Levamisol and distilled water were used as positive and negative control in the bioassay. Egg hatch assay revealed more than 95.8% reduction in egg hatch at concentration of 500 mg/ml for dried and poultice paste of T. vogelii leaves and C. papaya seeds. Larval development inhibition assay results showed that both dried and poultice paste of T. vogelii leaves and C. papaya seeds extract yielded more than 98% inhibition at a concentration of 500 mg/ml. Based on the LD50 dried extract of C. papaya seeds was most potent extracts for the inhibition of both egg hatching (49.94 mg/ml) and larval development (49.32 mg/ml). Both poultice and dried extract for all the plants showed significant and dose dependent egg and larval development inhibition. These findings indicate that the evaluated plants have potential anthelmintic effect and could provide viable alternatives for the control of gastrointestinal helminthes in ruminants.

	 

	Key words: Aqueous extracts, Anthelmintic activity, Medicinal plants, Tephrosia vogelii, Tephrosia villosa, Carica papaya.

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In vitro anthelmintic effects of crude aqueous extracts of Tephrosia vogelii, Tephrosia villosa and Carica papaya leaves and seeds

Organic livestock production can be considered as a system of production that better fulfills animal needs, promotes use of organic and biodegradable input for production and reduce the use of conventional veterinary treatments. As demand for organic dairy products increases in Kenya, especially in Nairobi, so does the need to supply the growing demand. Increased diversification of organic production is needed to meet the growing demand. The objective of this study was therefore to investigate the potential, challenges and feasibility of integrating organic milk production in smallholder crop-livestock farms in Kiambu and Kajiado counties of Kenya and validate the efficacy of Tephrosia vogelii Hook., Tephrosia villosa Pers., and Carica papaya Linn. leaves and Carica papaya Linn. against gastrointestinal nematodes. Data was obtained through purposive cross-sectional survey of 55 certified organic crop producers with dairy cattle. It was complemented with additional information from longitudinal and targeted semi-structured interviews from 24 farmers randomly selected from previous cross-sectional survey. A laboratory experiment was also conducted to validate the efficacy of crude aqueous plant extracts (Tephrosia vogelii Hook., Tephrosia villosa Pers., and Carica papaya Linn. leaves and Carica papaya Linn.). Result from the study showed that lack of organic inputs to control pest and diseases (78%) and lack of organic feed (64%) were the most important constraints for farmers to integrate organic dairy production. The average herd size was 3.53 with all the dairy cows were zero-grazed. Most of the cubicles were less than 2.50M2 (75%) and majority of the farmers used acaricides on a weekly basis to control ticks (47%), while all incidences of diseases were treated by a veterinarian. Dried and poultice paste of T. vogelii leaves and C. papaya seeds had more than 95.8% and 98% reduction in egg hatch and larval development inhibition at concentration of 500 mg/ml respectively.

Egg hatch assay revealed more than 95.8% reduction in egg hatch at concentration of 500 mg/ml for dried and poultice paste of T. vogelii leaves and C.papaya seeds. Larval development inhibition assay results showed that both dried and poultice paste of T. vogelii leaves and C.papaya seeds extract yielded more than 98% inhibition at a concentrations of 500mg/ml. Based on the LD50 dried extract of C. papaya seeds was most potent extracts for the inhibition of both egg hatching (49.94mg/ml) and larval development (49.32mg/ml). From the fore going results it is observed that integration of organic dairy production in smallholder farms is constrained by inadequate organic feeds, lack of organic inputs to control pests and diseases, inadequate space for structures and outdoor runs to meet the welfare needs of the cows. Thus, solutions to the constraints to integration must concurrently involve financial, technical and institutional support for converting farmers.

Feasibility of integrating organic milk production into certified smallholder organic farms in kiambu and kajiado counties, kenya

Background: The performance and parasitology of semi-intensively managed West African dwarf (WAD) lambs were evaluated following exposure to gastrointestinal helminth infected paddock and varied protein-energy feeds. Methods: Twenty four lambs obtained from the Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics and brought to Directorate of University farm (DUFARM) of Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta, Ogun state, Nigeria, where the research was carried out in 2014, were grouped into four each containing six animals based on different energy-protein feed combination thus; group 1(G1) low energy low protein, group 2 (G2) low energy high protein, group 3 (G3) high energy low protein and group 4 (G4) high energy high protein. Experimental animals were supplemented with concentrate feed after grazing on daily in a nematode infected paddock. Clinical signs of infection were monitored. Live weight, faecal egg count (FEC), worm counts, packed cell volume (PCV), haemoglobin concentration (Hb) and red blood cell count (RBC) were determined using standard methods. Results : Anorexia and intermittent diarrhea were the observed signs. Worm counts did not differ significantly ( P =0.309) among the groups. The weight and FEC differed significantly ( P ˂0.05) across the days and among the groups, while haematological parameters increased significantly ( P ˂0.05) across the days and among the groups. Conclusion : Lambs in G2 followed by G4 showed improved parameters and superior performance when compared to the other groups. It is therefore recommended that feed high in protein content is capable of mitigating deleterious effect of gastrointestinal helminth parasitism.

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Performance and Parasitology of Semi-intensively Managed West African Dwarf Sheep Exposed to Gastrointestinal Helminth Infected Paddocks and Varied Protein-energy Feeds.

In vitro of Te

Nine female West African dwarf (WAD) goats naturally infested with gastrointestinal helminthes were used to assess the efficacy of pawpaw seeds suspension vis-a-vis that of levamisole in the treatment of gastrointestinal nematodes of goats  The animals were allotted into 3 groups: 1,2 and 3 of three animals each in a completely randomized arrangement  Group one was treated with pawpaw seds (dried and gound) at 50mg/kg orally, biweekly for six weeks; while the second group was given levamisole at 75mg/kg 1/m; Group 3 was left as untreated control  The approximate efficacy rating of 8646%, 9592% for Oesophagostomum; 9450%, 9854% for Trichuris and 9261%, 9406% for Trichostrongylus was established for treatment 1 and 2 respectively  However in the untreated control, the efficacy rating is not applicable since there were increase in egg per gram (EPG) in faeces across all the nematode types identified  Levamisole produced higher efficacy rating across all the nematode types compared to pawpaw seeds  There were gradual weight gains in treated animals while there were corresponding weight loss in the untreated ones  The PCV and Hb evaluations of treated animals were within the normal physiological range of values for each blood parameter unlike the untreated that fell below

I. O. Oyedeji

Papers

Pawpaw seeds as therapeutic agent for parasitic gastro-intestinal helminth of goats