DefinePK

Abstract

Prevalence of animal diseases is one of the major livestock production constraints in Kenya with high impacts on livelihoods due to related economic losses affecting food security in the country. The use of synthetic drugs for disease management has challenges; this makes the use of medicinal plants for treatment a rational alternative. Helminths of zoonotic importance in dogs in Kenya include Toxocara canis, Ancylostoma caninum and Dipylidium caninum which are commonly found in intestines of dogs and can cause infestation in human beings. This study was designed to evaluate the in-vivo efficacy of ethanol extracts from bulbs of A. cepa against common gastrointestinal helminths of dogs. Fifteen puppies of mixed sexes, aged between 8 and 10 weeks, with an average weight of 2.2 kg were divided into three groups of 5 animals each; Group 1 was treated with the extract, group 2 was given the recommended dose of a commercial anthelmintic while group 3 was given distilled water, all as single treatments. Fecal samples were obtained from each puppy a day before treatment (day 0) and on days 1, 3, 5, 7, 10 and 14 post treatment for determination of eggs per gram (EPG). Anthelmintic efficacy was determined by calculating the percentage fecal egg count reduction (%FECR) using the pretreatment and post treatment EPG counts. Whole blood was collected from each puppy on days 0, 7 and 14 to determine changes in the hematological parameters. Two puppies from each group were then randomly selected and sacrificed for postmortem examination and for collection of intestinal contents for parasitology. There was a percentage fecal egg count reduction of 47% for hookworms and a negligible reduction for ascarid worms. There was a significant drop in WBC (P=0.035) 7 days after treatment and a significant increase in RBC (P=0.04) and HGB (P=0.001) 14 days after treatment. The changes in hematological parameters when compared between the treatment and control groups were significant (P<0.05) 7 days after treatment for WBC, RBC, HGB and HCT, and 14 days after treatment for MCHC. There were no signs of toxicity or behavioural changes after oral administration of the A. cepa ethanol extract at 6mg/kg. The 47% efficacy against hookworms observed in treated puppies was due to the anthelmintic properties of the crude ethanol extract of A. cepa. This is supported by the hematological changes that occurred as a result of administration of the extract.