In vivo effect of herbal products against Histomonas meleagridis in turkeys

• Published in: Avian pathology Vol. 37; no. 1; pp. 45 - 50
• Main Authors: Hejden, H.M.J.F. van der, Landman, W.J.M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Taylor & Francis Group 01-02-2008; Taylor & Francis Ltd; Taylor & Francis
• Subjects: Animal diseases; Animals; Antiprotozoal Agents - pharmacology; Antiprotozoal Agents - therapeutic use; Birds; Dimetridazole - pharmacology; Dimetridazole - therapeutic use; drug therapy; Effects; feed additives; Herbal medicine; herbal medicines; Histomonas meleagridis; histomoniasis; medicated feeds; morbidity; Mortality; Phytotherapy - veterinary; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Plant Extracts - therapeutic use; Plants, Medicinal; poultry diseases; Poultry Diseases - drug therapy; Poultry Diseases - parasitology; Protozoan Infections, Animal - drug therapy; Protozoan Infections, Animal - parasitology; Trichomonadida - drug effects; turkeys; Turkeys - parasitology; Life Sciences
• ISSN: 0307-9457; 1465-3338
• DOI: 10.1080/03079450701784883

Histomoniasis is a serious disease in poultry. All chemotherapeutics with known efficacy against its causative agent, Histomonas meleagridis, have been banned from use as prophylactic or therapeutic use in production animals. In a search for possible alternatives, the in vivo effects of the herbal products Enteroguard™ and Protophyt™ were examined. Two-week-old turkeys allocated into 13 groups of 18 birds were either sham inoculated (negative control group) or were inoculated with 100, 3162 or 200 000 histomonads per bird. Control groups (no feed additives, dimetridazole, or Histostat-50™) were included in the study. No morbidity or mortality was observed in the negative control group or in the groups inoculated with 100 histomonads per bird. Mortality was 100% in the groups inoculated with 200 000 histomonads per bird and either untreated (positive control group) or receiving Protophyt SP™, Protophyt™ SP and Protophyt™ B, Enteroguard™, or Histostat-50™. Mortality was 17% in the dimetridazole-treated group. In the groups inoculated with 3162 histomonads per bird, mortality was 100% for the positive control group and the group receiving Enteroguard™, and was 94% in the group receiving Protophyt™ SP. In the present study, Enteroguard™ or Protophyt™ was not found to be effective against histomoniasis.