The Control of Gastrointestinal Parasites of Village Chickens in Africa Using Ethnoveterinary Intervention: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Gastrointestinal parasites have been reported to have negative effects on chickens reared in rural areas in African countries. Hence, smallholder farmers use ethnoveterinary remedies to control these parasites in village chickens. This study used online databases (ScienceDirect, PubMed, and Google Scholar) to search, gather, and review articles published between January 1990 and June 2024 where ethnoveterinary intervention was considered to control gastrointestinal parasites, following PRISMA guidelines. A total of 540 articles were generated, and only 17 articles passed the screening process and were considered for further analysis. The findings of this review indicate that ethnoveterinary remedies are used by smallholder farmers to control gastrointestinal parasites such as Ascaridia galli, Capillaria spp., Choanotaenia infundibulum, Eimeria spp., Heterakis gallinarum, and Raillietina cesticillus in village chickens. Aloe spp., Carica papaya, Musa paradisiaca, and Venonia amygdalina were reported as the most-preferred medicines, and farmers utilized different plant parts ranging from leaves (48.8%), bark and roots (12.2%), tubers (7.3%), and seeds (4.9%). These remedies are administered per os, topically, and dermally. The current review successfully summarized ethnoveterinary intervention used by smallholder farmers to control gastrointestinal parasites in chickens found in African countries. Therefore, there is a need to investigate the efficacy of these identified ethnoveterinary medicines against gastrointestinal parasites in chickens.

Keywords

• antiparasitic remedies
• control measures
• helminths
• parasitic infections
• poultry
• smallholder farmers