Ciencia y tecnología veterinaria

Body Surface Changes in Gastrointestinal Helminthes Following in vitro Treatment with Allium sativum Oil

Abstract

Hatem A Shalaby, Tarek K Farag

A scanning electron microscopic study was undertaken to assess, for the first time, whether Allium sativum oil (ASO) extract had any effect on helminthes’ body surface following 24 h incubation in vitro. Two species of gastrointestinal helminthes, of most economic significance in sheep, Haemonchus contortus and Moniezia expansa were collected from naturally infected sheep slaughtered in Cairo abattoir, then exposed to 10, 50, 100 μg/ml ASO. The body surface of these helminthes was observed to be affected and altered by ASO. These changes were concentration dependent, and consisted of destructive alterations and deformity in the cuticle of H. contortus and also in the tegumental architecture of M. expansa. The current study confirmed that an alternative, effective and natural anthelmintic could be developed using garlic.