Following claims of anthelmintic activity of Cereus jamacaru DC (Cactaceae) by a commercialfarmer, in vivo studies were conducted to determine the possible direct anthelmintic effects of theplant on ovine gastrointestinal nematodes. Eighteen sheep were infected with 4000 Haemonchuscontortus and 6000 Trichostrongylus colubriformis larvae given in three divided doses over aperiod of three days. Once the infections were patent, the sheep were allocated to three groupsand were drenched once a week for six weeks with fresh blended C. jamacaru plant material at asingle (32.3 g/sheep) or double dose (64.6 g/sheep) or they remained as undrenched controls.Faeces were collected from individual animals on the day of treatment and three days thereafteron a weekly basis for seven weeks for faecal egg count. While there were no statisticallysignificant differences in the egg counts between the groups, a double dose of C. jamacaru waseffective in reducing the egg counts in the sheep by 18-65% over the 49 days of the experiment.Given that all animals remained in good health throughout the course of the experiment, with noadverse events occurring during the study, further experiments using higher doses oradministering the plant material for a longer period of time than in the present study would bewarranted.
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