Antiparasitic Efficacy of the Root Bark Powder of Oldfieldia Dactylophylla (Welw. Ex Oliv.) J. Léonard on the Digestive Strongyles of Grazing Goats in Lubumbashi (DR Congo)

Abstract

In order to evaluate the efficacy of the root bark powder of Oldfieldia dactylophylla (Welw. ex Oliv.) J. Léonard (a Picrodendraceae), 32 locally breed grazing goats naturally infested with various gastrointestinal helminths were randomly assigned to four groups of eight animals: one untreated control, one positive control group treated with a reference anthelmintic (albendazole, 5 mg/kg), and two groups treated per os with O. dactylophylla root bark powder (100 and 200 mg/kg body weight, respectively). Four doses of these respective treatments were administered monthly. To evaluate parasitological, blood and zootechnical parameters, samples were taken on day 0, just before administration of the first treatment and on 14, 31, 45, 62, 76, 92 and day 126. O. dactylophylla was effective on day 14 after treatment with 69% strongle egg fecal excretion (both doses) versus 90% albendazole. However, efficacy was stabilized at 85, 86 and 89% for O. dactylophylla (100 and 200 mg/kg) and albendazole, respectively. These data support the ethnoveterinary use of this plant in the control of digestive parasitism in goat breeding. However, phytochemical studies support that the plant should make contributions to human studies in the future.