TITLE:
Efficacy of Neem Extract and Cydectin Used as Treatments for the Control of Gastrointestinal Parasites in Sheep
AUTHORS:
Aaron E. Francis, Ashton M. Stanley, Dawn E. Lewis, Codjo A. C. Akpovo, Raveenia E. Roberts-Hanna
KEYWORDS:
Anthelmintic, Caribbean, Neem, Helminth, Gastrointestinal
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Animal Sciences,
Vol.15 No.3,
June
12,
2025
ABSTRACT: Small ruminants, such as sheep in The Caribbean, are affected by an incidence of gastrointestinal (GI) parasites. Many such parasites negatively affect sheep’s productivity and significantly reduce the economic viability of livestock. Parasite control, commonly by anthelmintic medication (such as Cydectin), is limited by the cost of treatment. Additionally, some herds have been infected with helminths resistant to multiple drugs. Therefore, smaller-scale livestock farmers require an alternative treatment form to control GI parasites. This research was carried out on the farmland of the livestock farm of The Bahamas Agricultural and Marine Science Institute (BAMSI) in North Andros, Bahamas. In this region, Neem (Azedarach indica) is a part of the natural flora. For the present study, ten sheep testing positive for helminth eggs in their feces were chosen and split evenly into two groups (A and B). Groups A and B were treated with neem extract at 0.5mL·kg-1 and Cydectin drench at 0.2 mL·kg−1 body weight, respectively. The egg count was determined using the modified McMaster technique. Results of the experiment show that neem extract showed significant (p