Plants as de-worming agents of livestock in the Nordic countries: historical perspective, popular beliefs and prospects for the future.

Preparations derived from plants were the original therapeutic interventions used by man to control diseases (including parasites), both within humans and livestock. Development of herbal products depended upon local botanical flora with the result that different remedies tended to develop in different parts of the world. Nevertheless, in some instances, the same or related plants were used over wide geographic regions, which also was the result of communication and/or the importation of plant material of high repute. Thus, the Nordic countries have an ancient, rich and diverse history of plant derived anthelmintic medications for human and animal use. Although some of the more commonly used herbal de-wormers were derived from imported plants, or their products, many are from endemic plants or those that thrive in the Scandinavian environment. With the advent of the modern chemotherapeutic era, and the discovery, development and marketing of a seemingly unlimited variety of highly efficacious, safe synthetic chemicals with very wide spectra of activities, herbal remedies virtually disappeared from the consciousness--at least in the Western world. This attitude is now rapidly changing. There is a widespread resurgence in natural product medication, driven by major threats posed by multi-resistant pest, or disease, organisms and the diminishing public perceptions that synthetic chemicals are the panacea to health and disease control. This review attempts to provide a comprehensive account of the depth of historical Nordic information available on herbal de-wormers, with emphasis on livestock and to provide some insights on potentially rewarding areas of "re-discovery" and scientific evaluation in this field.     

Use of herbal remedies by small-scale farmers to treat livestock diseases in Central Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

The use of herbal remedies by African farmers in the treatment of livestock diseases was investigated using a range of methods, including group interviews, structured interviews, semi-structured interviews and participant observation. The study was concerned mainly with the 'why' and 'how' of herbal remedy use among African livestock holders farming on communally-owned land in central Eastern Cape Province. We found that the use of herbal remedies was still widespread because these remedies were cheap, locally available and convenient to administer. Farmers also used herbal remedies because they did not have knowledge of conventional remedies or found these too expensive and therefore used herbal remedies as a last resort. Most of the farmers interviewed (73%) had used some form of herbal remedy. A small number of farmers did not use herbal remedies at all. They rejected them because they had bad experiences in the past or because they considered the practice outdated and socially inferior. Often farmers used herbal remedies in combination with conventional ones, but a substantial number relied on herbal remedies only. Farmers obtained herbal remedies principally by preparing their own or by purchasing from herbalists. Different plant parts were used to prepare herbal remedies in the form of infusions, decoctions, powders, pastes, and juices from fresh plant material. Preparations were made from a single plant or from a range of plants. Application of a remedy was by different routes and methods, depending on the perceived cause of the disease condition. Topical applications were used for skin conditions, powders were rubbed into incisions, drenches were common in the treatment of systemic conditions, and drops to treat ears and eyes. We identified several aspects of herbal remedy utilisation that could be subject to improvement, which included the absence of standard dose regimes, the potential toxicity of certain compounds present in plants used, over-exploitation of the plant resource and a lack of interest by the youth to learn the art.     

Ethnoveterinary plant preparations as livestock dewormers: practices, popular beliefs, pitfalls and prospects for the future

Ethnomedicine is an integral part of traditional medical practices in many countries of the developing world. A large proportion of the population uses this form of treatment for primary health care and for the treatment of ailments in their livestock. Livestock is a major asset for resource-poor smallholder farmers and pastoralists throughout the world and internal parasites are recognized by these communities as having an impact on livestock health. Parasitic infections are among those infections that traditional healers confidently treat and against which an enormous variety of remedies exist. Many of these are based on the use of plant preparations. Although various methods have been used for the validation of traditional phytomedical preparations, there is a lack of standardization of these procedures. The present study is aimed at providing an overview of ethnoveterinary deworming preparations, the various methods that have been used in their validation and the future prospects for their use against helminth parasites of ruminant livestock in developing countries, with an emphasis on nematode parasites. Recommendations are made on the procedures that should be followed to conduct in vivo and in vitro assays. Fostering better interaction between traditional healers and scientists is advocated to prevent harmful overexploitation, both of local knowledge and of plant species that may have effects against nematode parasites.     

Nutritional applications and beneficial health applications of green tea and l-theanine in some animal species: A review

Green tea (Camellia sinensis) is a popular herbal plant with abundant health benefits, and thus, it has been used as a potent antioxidant for a long time. Based on the available literature, the diversity and the availability of multifunctional compounds in green tea offer its noteworthy potential against many diseases such as liver and heart diseases, inflammatory conditions and different metabolic syndromes. Owing to its bioactive constituents including caffeine, amino acids, l -theanine, polyphenols/flavonoids and carbohydrates among other potent molecules, green tea has many pharmacological and physiological effects. The effects of green tea include anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, anti-arthritic, anti-stress, hypolipidaemic, hypocholesterolaemic, skin/collagen protective, hepatoprotective, anti-diabetic, anti-microbial, anti-infective, anti-parasitic, anti-cancerous, inhibition of tumorigenesis and angiogenesis, anti-mutagenic, and memory and bone health-improving activities. Apart from its utilization in humans, green tea has also played a significant role in livestock production such as in dairy, piggery, goatry and poultry industries. Supplementation of animal feeds with green tea and its products is in line with the modern concepts of organic livestock production. Hence, incorporating green tea or green tea by-products into the diet of poultry and other livestock can enhance the value of the products obtained from these animals. Herein, an effort is made to extend the knowledge on the importance and useful applications of green tea and its important constituents in animal production including poultry. This review will be a guideline for researchers and entrepreneurs who want to explore the utilization of feeds supplemented with green tea and green tea by-products for the enhancement of livestock production.     

植物及其提取物在无抗猪肉生产上的应用研究进展

随着无抗时代的到来,各式各样的饲用替抗产品如雨后春笋般出现并涌入畜禽养殖产业.大量研究表明,天然植物及其提取物和中草药在畜禽健康养殖中的运用,是当前畜牧业生产的主要研究热点.文章从天然植物及其提取物和中草药本身的药食同源功效出发,综述了常见植物及植物提取物作为绿色饲料添加剂对生猪胴体性状、肉品品质的影响及其在无抗猪肉生...     

Anthelmintic Activity of Extracts of Spondias mombin Against Gastrointestinal Nematodes of Sheep: Studies In Vitro and In Vivo

This study was carried out to validate the efficacy of Spondias mombin, used locally as an anthelmintic, and to standardize the effective dose of the plant extract required for worm control in livestock. In vitro and in vivo studies were conducted to determine the direct anthelmintic effect of ethanolic and aqueous extracts of S. mombin towards different ovine gastrointestinal nematodes. A larval development assay (LDA) was used to investigate the in vitro effect of extracts on strongyle larvae. Another study 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 gastrointestinal nematodes. Twenty sheep were selected on the basis of positive faecal egg counts (750 epg). The sheep were allocated randomly to a non-medicated control group (A) or to groups given 125 mg/kg (B), 250 mg/kg (C) or 500 mg/kg (D) of extract, respectively. Sheep in groups B-D were given extracts orally on two days. Individual faecal egg counts were performed on days 0, 3, 6, 9 and 12. The presence of S. mombin extracts in in vitro cultures of larvae decreased the survival of L3 larvae. The LC50 of the aqueous extract of S. mombin was 0.907 mg/ml, while the LC50 of the ethanolic extract was 0.456 mg/ml. This difference in LC50 was statistically significant (p > 0.05). The mean percentage faecal egg reduction of sheep drenched with 500 mg/kg S. mombin extracts was 15.0%, 27.5%, 65.0%, 65.0%, 100.0% against Haenmonchus spp., Trichostrongylus spp., Oesophagostomunm spp., Strongyloides spp. and Trichuris spp. respectively, on day 12. Extracts of S. mombin could find application in the control of helminths in livestock.     

In vitro screening of two Nigerian medicinal plants (Vernonia amygdalina and Annona senegalensis) for anthelmintic activity

Vernonia amygdalina and Annona senegalensis, two plants used by local/smallholder livestock farmers in Nigeria as anthelmintic were screened for in vitro anthelmintic activity using Haemonchus contortus eggs. The extract of V. amygdalina did not show any significant activity at concentrations up to 11.2mg/ml. The extract of A. senegalensis showed significant (P<0.001) reduction in egg hatch at a concentration of 7.1mg/ml. The in vitro fecal culture of eggs with A. senegalensis showed significant (P<0.001) reductions in larval recovery with increasing concentrations from 1 to 10% ((w/w) in fecal culture) when whole ground plant material was used. Although traditional veterinary healers and local livestock farmers claim both plants are effective as anthelmintics, our result indicate that only A. senegalensis showed promising anthelmintic activity especially with use of ground whole plant materials as used by some farmers.     

Research Progress of Probiotics Fermented Feed Effects on Growth Performance and Immune Function in Piglets

The feed antibiotics are long added into the feed as growth promoters,resulting in a series of problems,such as drug residues in livestock products,drug-resistant strains emergence and environmental pollution.Probiotics fermented feed can reduce the anti-nutritional factors in raw materials, produces beneficial metabolites, soluble peptides and other small molecules,that will enhance the nutritional level of feed, play a role in promoting growth and improving immune function.The present studies have showed that probiotics fermented feed will be one of the potential solutions. Therefore, this paper will be focused on the effects of probiotic fermented feed on piglet growth and immunity, which will provide the theoretical base for further study in this field.     

益生菌发酵饲料对仔猪生长和免疫功能影响的研究进展

饲用抗生素作为促生长剂在饲料中被长期添加,造成了畜禽产品的药物残留、耐药菌株的出现和环境污染等问题。益生菌发酵饲料是改变当前养殖状况极具潜力的解决方案之一。益生菌发酵饲料能减少原料中抗营养因子,产生有益代谢产物和可溶性多肽等小分子物质,从而提高饲料营养水平,起到促生长和提高免疫功能的作用。作者就益生菌发酵饲料对仔猪生长和免疫功能方面的影响进行综述,以期为进一步研究益生菌发酵饲料对仔猪生长和免疫的影响提供一定理论依据。     

Managing anthelmintic resistance in small ruminant livestock of resource-poor farmers in South Africa

Gastrointestinal parasitism is one of the most important disease complexes of sheep and goats impacting on the resource-poor livestock farmer. Of the responsible nematodes, Haemonchus contortus, a blood-sucking worm of the abomasum, poses possibly the greatest threat. Over the past several decades, the worm has been controlled through the use of anthelmintics, but the emergence of anthelmintic resistance has threatened this chemotherapeutic approach. In Africa, the overall prevalence of anthelmintic resistance has not been extensively investigated, particularly within the resource-poor farming sector, but resistance has been reported from at least 14 countries with most of the reports emanating from Kenya and South Africa and the majority concerning H. contortus. While levels of resistance under commercial sheep farming systems in South Africa is considered to be amongst the worst in the world, resistance has also been reported from the resource-poor farming sector. Increases in productivity and reproduction of livestock and the development of markets for sale of animals are seen by international funding bodies as a way out of poverty for communities that keep livestock. This must lead to the greater need for parasite control. At such times, the risk of levels of anthelmintic resistance escalating is much greater and there is therefore a need to look at alternatives to their use. Proposed strategies include the appropriate, but judicious use of anthelmintics by application of the FAMACHA system and the use of alternatives to anthelmintics such as strategic nutrient supplementation. It is also very clear that there is a strong demand for knowledge about animal diseases, including helminthosis, and their effective management in the resource-poor livestock farming communities. This is an important challenge to meet.     

In vitro and in vivo anthelmintic activity of Euphorbia helioscopia L

The anthelmintic potentials of the aqueous and methanol extracts of Euphorbia helioscopia were investigated. In folklore medicine, E. helioscopia (Euphorbiaceae) is used in the treatment of various gastrointestinal ailments and diseases. A worm motility inhibition (WMI) assay and egg hatch assay (EHA) were used for in vitro assessment, and a faecal egg count reduction (FECR) assay was used for an in vivo study. The in vitro study revealed anthelmintic effects of crude methanolic extracts of E. helioscopia on live Haemonchus contortus worms as evident from their paralysis and/or death at 8h after exposure, different concentrations (12.5mgml(-1), 25mgml(-1) and 50mgml(-1)) of aqueous and methanolic extracts were used against H. contortus which exhibited dose-dependent anthelmintic effects on H. contortus. Aqueous and methanolic extracts of aerial parts (stem, leaves and flowers) of E. helioscopia were found to have very low percent inhibitory egg hatching as compared to levamisole. It is concluded that the entire plant of E. helioscopia possesses significant anthelmintic activity and could be a potential alternative for treating cases of helminth infections in ruminants.     

β-伴大豆球蛋白对仔猪抗营养阈值的研究进展

β-伴大豆球蛋白等抗原蛋白热稳定性较强,其抗原活性难以完全去除,可导致仔猪等幼龄动物产生过敏反应,从而影响其生理健康、日粮养分消化利用和生产性能。目前针对不同大豆制品在畜禽生产中的应用已有大量研究,但大豆抗原蛋白在幼龄畜禽日粮中的安全剂量尚不明确。本文对β-伴大豆球蛋白的理化性质及对仔猪的致敏机制、大豆制品中β-伴大豆球蛋白含量及大豆制品在仔猪生产中的应用进行综述,并对β-伴大豆球蛋白在仔猪日粮中的安全剂量进行探讨。     

中草药饲料添加剂的应用现状

中草药饲料添加剂能提高动物生产性能、繁殖机能、改善畜产品品质、抗应激,且毒副作用小,不易在肉、蛋、奶等食用畜禽产品中产生有害残留,是确保饲料和动物性食品安全及人体健康的理想添加剂。     

Efficacy of condensed tannins against larval Hymenolepis diminuta (Cestoda) in vitro and in the intermediate host Tenebrio molitor (Coleoptera) in vivo

Natural anti-parasitic compounds in plants such as condensed tannins (CT) have anthelmintic properties against a range of gastrointestinal nematodes, but for other helminths such effects are unexplored. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of CT from three different plant extracts in a model system employing the rat tapeworm, Hymenolepis diminuta, in its intermediate host, Tenebrio molitor. An in vitro study examined infectivity of H. diminuta cysticercoids (excystation success) isolated from infected beetles exposed to different concentrations of CT extracts from pine bark (PB) (Pinus sps), hazelnut pericarp (HN) (Corylus avellana) or white clover flowers (WC) (Trifolium repens), in comparison with the anthelmintic drug praziquantel (positive control). In the in vitro study, praziquantel and CT from all three plant extracts had dose-dependent inhibitory effects on cysticercoid excystation. The HN extract was most effective at inhibiting excystation, followed by PB and WC. An in vivo study was carried out on infected beetles (measured as cysticercoid establishment) fed different doses of PB, HN and praziquantel. There was a highly significant inhibitory effect of HN on cysticercoid development (p = 0.0002). Overall, CT showed a promising anti-cestodal effect against the metacestode stage of H. diminuta.     

藻类在猪和鸡养殖生产中的应用研究进展

文章总结了畜禽生产中可利用的藻类及其营养成分,重点介绍了含藻饲料对以猪和鸡为代表的畜禽生长、免疫、肌肉品质、产蛋性能和禽蛋品质等方面的影响,还指出了藻类在畜禽饲料应用中存在的问题并提出建议,旨在为藻类资源在猪、鸡养殖生产中的广泛应用提供参考。藻类分布广、易生长、产量大,尤其是海藻,含有陆生植物不具有的生物活性物质和营养物质。将富含不饱和脂肪酸和色素的微藻添加到饲料中能改善畜禽肉品质,提升禽蛋品质;将富含多糖等活性物质的大型海藻添加到饲料中有助于提升畜禽免疫力。饲料中添加少量藻类可提高饲料稳定性,提升畜禽生长性能和饲料利用率;当藻类添加量过高时,其所含的抗营养因子会对畜禽产生负面影响,但通过适当的预处理可消除部分抗营养因子,减轻负面效应。     

中草药“催情散”及其在治疗母畜乏情症中的应用研究进展

乏情症是造成母畜繁殖能力下降的主要原因,给畜牧业生产带来了严重的经济损失。中草药在动物疾病防治中的应用效果明显,且副作用小。兽医临床研究表明,中草药“催情散”对母畜具有催情和促排卵作用,能有效治疗母畜乏情。介绍了中草药“催情散”的主要组分及其药效,阐述了“催情散”在治疗母畜乏情症方面的研究进展及其作用机理研究进展,以期为该中草药复方在家畜养殖生产中的科学、合理使用提供理论依据。     

Treatment vs non-treatment of helminth infections in cattle: defining the threshold

Helminth infections are an important cause of lost productivity in livestock world-wide, often necessitating anthelmintic treatment. However, a large part of the anthelmintics are used indiscriminately because the parasite levels are too low to justify treatment or because the treatments are not correctly programmed, resulting in undertreatment or overtreatment. The objective of this paper is to discuss possible thresholds for anthelmintic treatment of some of the more important helminth infections in livestock, i.e. gastrointestinal nematodes, lungworms and liver fluke, to promote a more appropriate use of anthelmintics. When possible, a distinction is made between therapeutic thresholds, production-based thresholds and preventive thresholds. A "therapeutic threshold" is intended to identify (an) animal(s) with parasite levels that necessitate immediate treatment. The therapeutic threshold is basically the diagnosis of clinical disease, and can be determined relatively easily for the parasites discussed in this paper. A "production-based threshold" is intended to measure the effects of sub-clinical parasitism on productivity parameters, such as weight gain and milk yield, before clinical disease occurs. Finally, a "preventive threshold" is meant to predict future infection levels, to enable the application of appropriate control measures.     

Anthelmintic activity of Trianthema portulacastrum L. and Musa paradisiaca L. against gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep

Evaluation of anthelmintic effects of Trianthema (T.) portulacastrum L. (Aizoaceae) whole plant and Musa (M.) paradisiaca L. (Musaceae) leaves against prevalent gastrointestinal worms of sheep was done that may justify their traditional use in veterinary clinical medicine. In vitro anthelmintic activity of the crude aqueous methanolic extract (CAME) of both the plants was determined using mature female Haemonchus (H.) contortus and their eggs in adult motility assay (AMA) and egg hatch test (EHT), respectively. In vivo anthelmintic activity of crude powder (CP) and CAME in increasing doses (1.0-8.0 g kg(-1)) was determined in sheep naturally infected with mixed species of nematodes using fecal egg count reduction test (FECRT) and larval counts. The study design also included untreated as well as treated controls. Fecal egg count reduction and larval counts from coprocultures were performed pre- and post-treatments to assess the anthelmintic activity of the plants. CAME of T. portulacastrum and M. paradisiaca showed a strong in vitro anthelmintic activity and pronounced inhibitory effects on H. contortus egg hatching as observed through AMA and EHT, respectively. Both plants exhibited dose and time dependent anthelmintic effects on live worms as well as egg hatching. M. paradisiaca (LC(50)=2.13 μg mL(-1)) was found to be more potent than T. portulacastrum (LC(50)=2.41 μg mL(-1)) in EHT. However, in vivo, maximum reduction in eggs per gram (EPG) of faeces was recorded as 85.6% and 80.7% with CAME of T. portulacastrum and M. paradisiaca at 8.0 g kg(-1) on 15th day post-treatment, respectively as compared to that of Levamisole (7.5 mg kg(-1)) that caused 97.0% reduction in EPG. All the species of gastrointestinal nematodes (GINs), i.e. Haemonchus contortus, Trichostronglyus spp., Oesophagostomum columbianum and Trichuris ovis which were prevalent, found susceptible (P<0.01) to the different doses of CP and CAME of both plants. The data showed that both T. portulacastrum and M. paradisiaca possess strong anthelmintic activity in vitro and in vivo, thus, justifying their use in the traditional medicine system of Pakistan.     

Application of in vitro anthelmintic sensitivity assays to canine parasitology: detecting resistance to pyrantel in Ancylostoma caninum

Resistance of the canine hookworm Ancylostoma caninum to anthelmintic therapy with pyrantel is an emerging problem in canine veterinary practice. Detecting anthelmintic resistance in parasites of pets is problematic because traditional resistance-monitoring techniques used with livestock parasites, such as the faecal egg count reduction test, are often impractical for use in small animals. We used two field-collected isolates of A. caninum in an abbreviated critical trial to test their pyrantel resistance status. The strains showed high-level and low-level resistance, with in vivo pyrantel efficacies of 28% and 71%, respectively. We noted a distinct worm density dependence effect on faecal egg count during the critical trial; egg counts in the dogs containing the low-level resistant isolate were 41% higher 6 days after drug treatment, despite the removal of 71% of the adult worms by the drug treatment. We then assessed four candidate in vitro assays for their ability to detect pyrantel resistance in A. caninum larvae, using these two isolates. The assays included a new format termed the larval arrested morphology assay (LAMA), based on observation of the effects of pyrantel on the body shape adopted by infective stage A. caninum larvae in vitro. Our data suggests that three of these assays, the LAMA, the larval motility assay (LMA), and larval feeding inhibition assay (LFIA) show promise with regards to detection of pyrantel resistance in A. caninum, but the complexity of the LFIA would likely limit its suitability for field studies. In vivo pyrantel efficacies of 28% and 71% in the two A. caninum isolates were associated with a 17-fold shift in the in vitro IC(50) values measured using the LAMA. Further testing with isolates of varying degrees of resistance is required to determine which of these assays is suitable as a rapid in vitro laboratory test for pyrantel resistance in A. caninum. The present study also indicates that potential exists for the novel LAMA or the LMA to be of use in detecting pyrantel resistance in the human hookworms, Necator americanus and Ancylostoma duodenale.     

Prospects for biological control of nematode parasites of ruminants

Control of nematode parasites in ruminants is directed almost exclusively at the parasitic stage in the host using conventional anthelmintic therapy. However, to complete their life cycle, parasites have to develop through a series of free-living stages on pasture. It is within this environment that there is a vast range of cohabiting micro-organisms, some of which are known to infect or prey on nematodes. These include bacteria, protozoa, viruses and fungi. To date, most interest has been focused on those organisms producing chemical toxins which have been developed as anthelmintics, e.g. Streptomyces/avermectins. Yet the potential of predacious and nematoxic fungi and bacteria for the biological control of nematode parasites of livestock remains largely untapped. These organisms may well offer a cheaper and more sustainable approach to reducing the impact of parasitism in livestock.