EFFICACY OF AQUEOUS EXTRACT OF XYLOPIA AETHIOPICA WHOLE FRUITS ON EXPERIMENTAL ASCARIDIA GALLI INFECTION IN GUINEA FOWL KEETS (NUMIDA MELEAGRIS GALEATA PALAS)
EFFICACY OF AQUEOUS EXTRACT OF XYLOPIA AETHIOPICA WHOLE FRUITS ON EXPERIMENTAL ASCARIDIA GALLI INFECTION IN GUINEA FOWL KEETS (NUMIDA MELEAGRIS GALEATA PALAS)
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Date
2016-08
Authors
MUSTAPHA, NIZAM IKIRA
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Abstract
The major control strategy adopted against helminth parasites in Nigeria is the use of conventional anthelminthics. However, the high cost of modern anthelminthics has limited their use in rural areas, coupled with the emergence of resistant strains of pathogenic helminthes. It was against this background that the desire to search for alternative additional chemotherapeutic agents that this study was initiated; to evaluate the effects of Xylopia aethiopica (Xa) whole fruit extract on anthelminthic efficacy, haematological and biochemical parameters in guinea fowl keets experimentally infected with Ascaridia galli. One hundred guinea fowl keets were randomly assigned to five groups (I, II, III, IV and V) of 20 birds each. Each Keet in groups I, II, III, and IV was inoculated with 700 infective A. galli eggs contained in 0.4 ml normal saline, while keets in group V were uninfected and untreated. Before administration, toxicity study was conducted on the Xa fruit extract. At 3 weeks post-infection and 3 days after first detection of A. galli, keets in groups I and II were treated with 2,000 mg/litre and 4,000 mg/litre of Xa, respectively, while those in group III were treated with 1,000mg/litre of piperazine (as reference standard) for three days. The efficacy of the Xa and piperazine were determined based on percentage deparasitization (postmortem worm count). Blood samples were collected through the wing vein of three keets from each group for haematological and serum biochemical analyses. Packed cell volume (PCV), haemoglobin concentration (Hb)and erythrocyte count were determined by the microhaematocrit, cyanmethaemoglobin and haemocytometry methods respectively. Serum biochemical assay was carried out for Alkaline phosphatase (ALP), Alanine transaminase (ALT), Aspartate transaminase (AST) and total serum albumin (ALB)on samples from all groups. The LD50 of the Xa extract was above 5000 mg/kg. There was significant difference (p<0.05) in the egg per gram count between all groups post treatment. The percentage
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deparasitization observed in groups I, II and III were 25.5%, 44.4% and 100%, respectively. Increases in PCV and Hb concentration were observed post-treatment with aqueous extract of Xawhole fruit in A. galli-infected keets in groups I (38.7 ± 1.25 %) and II (38.2 ± 1.03 %) when compared to infected/untreated keets in group IV (34.3 ± 3.42 %). Decreases in serum aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase levels were also observed post-treatment of keets inA. galli-infected groups I (67.2 ± 7.12 u/l and 3.8 ± 0.37 u/l) and II (74.0 ± 9.13 u/l and 3.6 ± 0.24 u/l) when compared to the values in infected/untreated keets in group IV (81.6 ± 4.76 u/l and 4.4 ± 0.87 u/l), respectively.It was concluded that the XAwhole fruit aqueous extract used in this study has a dose-dependent anthelminthic effect on A. galli in guinea fowls and was able to reduce the severity of the effect of A. galli infection on the haematological and serum biochemical parameters.The use of aqueous extract of Xylopia aethiopica whole fruits as an anthelmintic remedy especially in rural poultry is recommended
Description
A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE SCHOOL OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES, AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA IN PARTIAL FULFULMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF A MASTER DEGREE IN AVIAN MEDICINE. DEPARTMENT OF VETERINARY MEDICINE, FACULTY OF VETERINARY MEDICINE, AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA
Keywords
EFFICACY,, AQUEOUS EXTRACT,, XYLOPIA AETHIOPICA,, FRUITS,, EXPERIMENTAL ASCARIDIA GALLI INFECTION,, GUINEA FOWL KEETS,, (NUMIDA MELEAGRIS GALEATA PALAS),