Assessment of in vitro and in vivo anthelminthic potential of extracts of Allium sativum bulb against naturally occurring ovine gastrointestinal nematodiosis.

Background: The rapid development of anthelminthic resistance has limited the success of traditional control programmes, thereby forcing researchers to search for ethno-veterinary alternatives.

Objective: The objective is to assess the anthelminthic potential of various extracts of the bulb of Allium sativum in naturally infected sheep.

Animals And Methods: In vitro anthelminthic activities of crude aqueous and methanolic extracts of the bulb of A. sativum were investigated against the egg (500 eggs/ml) and larvae of naturally infected sheep. The aqueous extract of A. sativum was also investigated for in vivo anthelminthic activity in three groups (n = 15 each) of naturally infected Chokla sheep with a negative control group receiving no treatment, a positive control group was given a single oral dose of albendazole at 7.5 mg/kg bodyweight, and a group administered a single oral dose of an aqueous extract at 5 g/animal. Data were analysed using the general linear model.

Results: Aqueous extract showed better efficacy in egg hatch assay and larval development test. However, in larval paralysis test, reverse trend was seen as methanolic extract was more potent than the aqueous counterpart. A significant amount of 57% faecal egg count reduction was observed in in vivo trail using the aqueous extract on day 21 post-treatment, although in initial stages it showed 30% and 83% effectiveness on days 7 and 14 post-treatment, respectively. No deleterious ill effect was found in any of the haematological and biochemical parameters.

Conclusions: Bulb of A. sativum possesses good anthelminthic efficacy and further research is thereby warranted before recommending it for nematode control programme in ovines.