Original Research

Effect of Peganum harmala (wild rue) extract on experimental ovine malignant theileriosis : pathological and parasitological findings

A. Derakhshanfar, M. Mirzaei
Onderstepoort Journal of Veterinary Research | Vol 75, No 1 | a90 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/ojvr.v75i1.90 | © 2008 A. Derakhshanfar, M. Mirzaei | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 10 September 2008 | Published: 10 September 2008

About the author(s)

A. Derakhshanfar,
M. Mirzaei,

Full Text:

PDF (379KB)

Abstract

Malignant theileriosis of sheep is a highly fatal, acute or subacute disease is caused by the tick-borne protozoan parasite, Theileria hirci. In this investigation ten healthy male lambs aged 5-6 months were randomly divided into two groups, A and B and were kept in isolated tick-proof pens. They were treated for internal and external parasite before commencement of the experiment. The lambs were experimentally infected with T. hirci by placing ticks Hyalomma anatolicum anatolicum infected with T. hirci on them. The ticks used in this survey had originally been isolated from sheep and colonies of them were established in an insectarium. Before and after infection rectal temperatures and clinical signs of the lambs were recorded, blood and prescapular lymph node smears were prepared and examined to determine the extent of the parasitaemia, and blood samples were analyzed to evaluate their haemoglobin (Hb) and packed cell volume (PCV) rates. Three days after the commencement of a febrile reaction and appearance of the schizonts in the lymph node smears, treatment of the lambs in Group A with an extract containing the alkaloids of Peganum harmala (wild rue) was commenced. Group B lambs were kept untreated controls. Before treatment there were no significant differences in the rectal temperature, parasitaemia rate, and the Hb and PCV values between animals in the two groups but after treatment significant differences in these values was detected (P < 0.05). After treatment, the clinical signs and parasites in the lymph node smears of the animals in Group A disappeared and they all animals recovered. These parameters in the animals of Group B progressed until their death. Pathological studies showed the characteristic lesions of theileriosis in lambs in Group B, but not in Group A. The results indicate a therapeutic effect of the alkaloids of P. harmala for treatment of ovine malignant theileriosis.

Keywords

No related keywords in the metadata.

Metrics

Total abstract views: 5403
Total article views: 4303

 

Crossref Citations

1. Identification of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors from seeds of plants of genusPeganumby thin-layer chromatography-bioautography
Xi-yuan Zheng, Lei Zhang, Xue-mei Cheng, Zi-jia Zhang, Chang-hong Wang, Zheng-tao Wang
Journal of Planar Chromatography – Modern TLC  vol: 24  issue: 6  first page: 470  year: 2011  
doi: 10.1556/JPC.24.2011.6.3