EVALUATION OF CRUDE EXTRACTS OF PAWPAW (CARICA PAPAYA, A. CRONQUIST) AGAINST (EIMERIA TENELLA, A. RALLIET) IN EXPERIMENTALLY INFECTED BROILER CHICKENS.

Abstract

This research was conducted to determine the in vitro and in vivo anticoccidial activities of the methanol crude extract as well as the N-butanol fraction of Carica papaya leaf extracts on Eimeria tenella infection in broilers chickens. The evaluation of the prophylactic and therapeutic efficacy of the extracts were studied.The research also further studied if the extracts have prophylactic ability in preventing the incidence of coccidiosis by administration of extracts before experimental inoculation of birds with sporulated Eimeria oocyst. .N-butanol fraction had a greater anticoccidial activity in which there was total sporulation inhibition (90%) while the methanol crude extract had a lesser anti coccidial activity with 80% sporulation inhibition. The lethal dose 50 (LD50) for both the methanol crude extract as well as the N-butanol fraction were determined using Lorke’s method and graded doses of both were determined as 190 mg/kg, 316 mg/kg, 443 mg/kg and 134.2 mg/kg, 223.6 and 313 mg/kg respectively using a factor of 2.5 on the LD50. These were administered orally to 4 week old birds at the same period which were divided into 6 groups (T1-T6) respectively. Three (3) control groups (C1-C3) were used. Each group had 2 replicates comprising 4 birds making a total of 8 birds per group for the therapeutic phase . The prophylactic phase comprised of 5 groups namely P1, P2, P3, P4 and Cp each with 2 replicates. Each replicate had 3 birds. Comparison was made among the different doses used for both extracts in the extent of reduction of the oocyst count in the extract treated birds. Although lower oocyst counts were recorded in the groups treated with the crude methanol extract as well as the N-butanol fraction, there was no significant difference in the average oocyst count among the groups. One of the control groups specifically C1 (Totrazuril + Infection) had lower average oocyst count comparable to that observed in groups treated with doses of the two extracts .However, the difference was not significant. In conclusion, both the crude methanol extract as well as it’s N-butanol fraction of Carica papaya leaves are potent anticoccidials both for therapeutic and prophylactic use. It is recommended that the crude methanol extract of C. papaya can be used at 190mg/kg and 316mg/kg for therapy and prophylaxis respectively against coccidiosis in broiler chickens while the N-butanol fraction can be used at 134mg/kg and 224mg/kg for therapy and prophylaxis respectively against coccidiosis in broiler chickens.