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Antiparasitic Properties of Neem Tree Studied in Ciego de Ávila |
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Written by Delicia Leyva Morales|
Monday, 21 May 2012 09:23
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Specialists of the Bio-Feed Research Center (BFRC) of Morón, located north of the central province of Ciego de Ávila, study the antiparasitic effect in vitro and in vivo of the Azadirachta Indica species (Neem tree), in order to control gastrointestinal diseases of sheep.
In Cuba such illnesses are common in ruminants, mainly in their growth stage, the peripartum and the gestation period of the juveniles. The highest incidence is related to genders such as Trichostrongylos, Oeesophagostomun and Haemonchus, the last causing blood loss (between 25 to 40 percent) in the abomasum (end of the stomach), which usually hosts the parasite.
"We use the seeds and dry leaves of the plant. Once dry, after the conservation at room temperature under roof, they are milled for the extraction of azadirachtin (a substance with antiparasitic properties) in the form of flour mixed with natural water. That aqueous extract is swallowed by the animal in small doses, depending on the level of infestation, "said veterinary Mireisy Barrabí Puerta, a BFRC specialist and head coordinator of the research project.
"In the first phase of the in vitro study, we apply azadirachtin during hatching, growth and migration of the larvae, and compare the effect of the substance with that of a conventional chemical antibiotic used to control parasitic diseases. To date, there are no reports of toxicity levels in sheep and the animals have improved their overall health.
"Azadirachtin also be provided in nutritional blocks or extracts made from ethanol, but we followed a scientific methodology and obtained better results when we mixed it with water," he said.
For the bitter taste and slimming properties of the neem tree, similar studies on the island showed that the direct use of its leaves and seeds for food, reduces the voluntary intake of ruminants and production levels due to weight loss.
Currently, specialists analyze the external development cycle of the parasite, beginning in the feces of the animal with the hatching of eggs, which, with the help of changes in temperature and humidity, are incubated to study the growth of larvae (L1, L2, L3, L4 and L5), the last three, causing the infection in the adult individuals of sheep ingesting it with the pasture.
"We want to determine if the azadiracthina disrupts the migration period of the larva L3 to L5 or to the parasite established as population in the sheep's stomach and, according to research results, to promote the treatment among small producers and government agencies dedicated to sheep farming in the province", said Barrabí.
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