The impact of a mixture of medicinal herbs on ruminal fermentation, parasitological status and hematological parameters of the lambs experimentally infected with Haemonchus contortus

Publication date: Available online 3 May 2017 Source:Small Ruminant Research Author(s): Z. Váradyová, S. Kišidayová, K. Čobanová, Ľ. Grešáková, M. Babják, A. Königová, M. Urda Dolinská, M. Várady The aim of this study was to determine the effect of dietary supplementation with a mixture of selected medicinal herbs (Herbmix) on hematological and parasitological parameters and on the inflammatory response of lambs infected experimentally with the gastrointestinal parasitic nematode Haemonchus contortus. Herbmix contained selected medicinal herbs common in central Europe (8.55% each of Althaea officinalis, Petasites hybridus, Inula helenium, Malva sylvestris, Chamomilla recutita, Plantago lanceolata, Rosmarinus officinalis, Solidago virgaurea, Fumaria officinalis, Hyssopus officinalis and Melissa officinalis, 5% Foeniculum vulgare and 1% Artemisia absinthium). Herbmix (100g dry matter (DM)/d) was added to the basal diets of meadow hay (600g DM/d) and a commercial concentrate (350g DM/d) per animal. Twenty-four female lambs were divided into four groups: infected animals (Inf), infected animals supplemented with Herbmix (Inf+Herb), uninfected control animals (C) and uninfected animals supplemented with Herbmix (C+Herb). Inf and Inf+Herb lambs were infected orally with approximately 5000 L3 larvae of a strain of H. contortus susceptible to anthelmintics (MHco1). Herbmix supplementation for Inf+Herb and C+Herb began on day 0 (D0). Feces were collected and e...
Source: Small Ruminant Research - Category: Zoology Source Type: research