author(s)
Jatinderpal Singh

abstract
The anthelmintic activity of leaf and bark extracts of Acacia Nilotica was tested against Haemonchus contortus, a gastrointestinal nematode parasitic in ruminants. The crude aqueous extract of the plant leaves and bark was tested in vitro conditions. The adult worms were exposed to varying concentrations of plant extracts in artificial media, Tyrode's solution. The changes in motility, mortality and histology were observed. The motility of the adult worms exposed to varying concentrations of the extract was strongly inhibited after 5 to 10 hours. The 100% mortality was seen after 8 hours (in 50% concentration), 10 hours (in 40% concentration). Microscopic observations on the paralyzed and dead worms revealed wide-scale destruction of the cuticle and muscle cells. The in vitro effects of this plant extract showed excellent anthelmintic activity against Haemonchus contortus. However, further in vivo studies are necessary to validate the anthelmintic properties of this plant.