Anthelmintic efficacy and dose determination of Albizia anthelmintica against gastrointestinal nematodes in naturally infected Ugandan sheep

Weight loss, stunted growth, and death caused by gastrointestinal parasites are major constraints to livestock productivity, especially in tropical and developing countries where regular use, and misuse, of anthelmintics has led to nematode resistance. Albizia anthelmintica Brong. (Fabaceae) is traditionally employed throughout East Africa to treat helminth parasitosis in livestock. Reported efficacy has varied from 90% against mixed nematodes to just 19% against Haemonchus contortus alone. The objective of this study was to assess the anthelmintic effect of A. anthelmintica against naturally occurring infections of mixed gastrointestinal parasites, and to establish an effective treatment dose, in sheep under pastoral field conditions of northern Uganda. A. anthelmintica bark was collected and prepared according to local custom and packed into gel capsules. Fifty-five young female local mixed-breed lambs were randomly assigned to six groups, including a positive control group that received levamisole (synthetic anthelmintic) and a negative control group that received no treatment. Following the World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology (WAAVP) dose determination guidelines, the other four groups were treated with varying doses of A. anthelmintica. Statistical analyses (using generalized linear models) were performed to assess treatment effect. There was a significant treatment (group) effect on parasite egg/oocyte counts per gram (EPG) for nematodes, but not for coccidia. The most effective dose against nematodes (0.8 g, 58.7 mg/kg) closely approximates what is usually given by traditional healers, 0.9 g/adult sheep. It provided major and significant reduction in EPG as compared to the negative control. Anthelmintic efficacy was estimated using percent faecal egg count reduction (FECR). Other than the positive control, animals in the standard dose group showed the greatest decline in shedding of nematode eggs, with an FECR of 78%. This study indicates that A. anthelmintica holds potential as part of an integrated management plan for the control of helminths in developing countries.