Abstract

The anthelmintic efficacy of the aqueous and crude extract of Carica papaya seeds was studied in 40 Isa Brown commercial layers infected naturally with nematodes. They were randomly divided into 4 groups: A, B, C and D with 10 birds per group. Group A birds were untreated, while groups B, C and D were treated orally with proprietary anthelmintic (piperazine 322 mg/kg body weight/day), powdery (300 mg/day/bird) and aqueous (1:10 ml water required/day) extracts of C. papaya, respectively. Two weeks after treatment, blood and faecal samples were collected to evaluate for hematological values and faecal egg counts respectively. The results of this study showed that the powdered and aqueous extract of C. papaya after its administration, produced a significant increase (P < 0.001) in packed cell volume, red blood cells, haemoglobin concentration, lymphocyte counts and significant decrease in eosinophil counts. The faecal egg counts also showed a remarkable and significant reduction in the levels of the identified helminths. The reduction in faecal egg counts was more pronounced with the aqueous extract than crude extract administered. The effects of the C. papaya seed extracts in this study therefore showed that C. papaya extracts can serve as a source of chemical substance for use in the development of effective anthelmintic agents.

Key words: Carica papaya, anthelmintic, piperazine, helminths, haematology.