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Addition of a combination of onion (Allium cepa) and coconut (Cocos nucifera) to food of sheep stops gastrointestinal helminthic infections

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Abstract

Sheep with gastrointestinal nematodes and cestodes were fed on three farms with a combination of specially prepared extracts of onion (Allium cepa) and coconut (Cocos nucifera) for 8 days containing each 60 g coconut and onion extract, combined with milk powder and/or polyethylene glycol (PEG) propylencarbonate (PC). In all cases, the worm stages disappeared from the feces and were also not found 9 and 20 days after the end of the feeding with this plant combination. Since all treated animals increased their body weight considerably (when compared to untreated animals), worm reduction was apparently as effective as it was shown in previous laboratory trials with rats and mice (Klimpel et al., Parasitol Res, in press, 2010; Abdel-Ghaffar et al., Parasitol Res, in press, 2010; in this volume).

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful for the support of the Center of Excellence of the College of Science at the King Saud University at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, we thank Susanne Walter and Tim Mehlhorn for their cooperation in search for literature and preparation of the final manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology and Parasitology, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany

    Heinz Mehlhorn

  2. Department of Zoology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Saleh Al-Quraishy & Khaled A. S. Al-Rasheid

  3. Veterinary cabinet, 40878, Ratingen, Germany

    Antje Jatzlau

  4. Department of Zoology, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt

    Fathy Abdel-Ghaffar

Authors
  1. Heinz Mehlhorn
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  2. Saleh Al-Quraishy
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  3. Khaled A. S. Al-Rasheid
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  4. Antje Jatzlau
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  5. Fathy Abdel-Ghaffar
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Correspondence to Heinz Mehlhorn.

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Mehlhorn, H., Al-Quraishy, S., Al-Rasheid, K.A.S. et al. Addition of a combination of onion (Allium cepa) and coconut (Cocos nucifera) to food of sheep stops gastrointestinal helminthic infections. Parasitol Res 108, 1041–1046 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-010-2169-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-010-2169-3

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