Clinicopathological evaluation of Newcastle disease virus vaccination using gums from Cedrela odorata and Khaya senegalensis as delivery agents in challenged chickens

Following previous studies on delivery potential and immune response of chickens given Newcastle disease vaccine with gums, this study was conducted to evaluate the protective ability of vaccines delivered with plant gums against clinicopathological features of Newcastle disease (ND). Processed gums from incised trunks of Cedrela odorata and Khaya senegalensis trees were combined with ND vaccine in ratio 2:2:1 and administered at 21 days to white leghorn cockerels after weaning of maternal antibodies. The birds were grouped into gum-vaccine-oral (GVOR), vaccine-oral (VOR), gum-vaccine-ocular (GVOC), vaccine-ocular (VOC), gum-oral (GOR), gum-ocular (GOC), no-gum-no-vaccine/challenged (NGNV/C), no-gum-no-vaccine/unchallenged (NGNV/U). Vaccination was boosted with the same preparation at day 42 while birds were challenged with live ND virus (KUDU strain) at day 84. Clinical signs (Dullness, Diarrhoea, Paralysis, Torticollis) Post infection (Pi), terminal weakness, gross and histology lesions were scored on a severity scale from absent (0-), mild (1+) to moderate (2+) and severe (3+). Scores were assigned a quantitative score of 0, 10, 20, 30 respectively. Clinical signs scores for the 5 week Pi were subjected to Friedman test to assess the significance of severity among the groups. The test was significant at 1% significance level which implies that the clinical signs ranked highest in the NGNV/C, followed by the Gum alone groups, the vaccine alone groups and the gum-vaccine groups irrespective of route. Moribund birds subsequently euthanized were seen in the GOR and GOC group at 21% each and at 57% in NGNV/C group alone. No signs were seen in the NVNG/U group. Grossly, mild to moderate lesions were seen in all groups except GVOR and NGNV/U. At histology, pulmonary congestion, acute pneumonia, cecal tonsilar haemorrhages, gliosis and neuronophagia were present at different proportions in all groups except the GVOR and NGNV/U. Overall, lesion severity was least in the gum-vaccine groups while the oral groups had less lesion score compared to the ocular. From this study, phytogenic mucoadhesives polymers used hold immense potential as a delivery agent capable of improving protection against clinicopathologic features of Newcastle disease in previously vaccinated birds. Keywords: Vaccines, Chickens, Mucoadhesives, Gums, Newcastle disease, Patholog

Contribution of indigenous health care givers to the herbal managament of febrile illnesses in Rivers state, South-south, Nigeria

This study was carried out in two rural communities: Kaani and Boue, in Khana Local Government Area (LGA) and, in one urban community, Eleme, in Eleme LGA, all in Rivers State, South-South Nigeria. The investigations involved in-depth interviews conducted with 104 health care givers comprising indigenous healers: herbalists, sellers of herbal remedies and community elders. Information was obtained on types of fevers (febrile illnesses) treated, symptoms and methods of establishing illnesses, and traditional herbs used in the prevention and treatment of febrile illnesses. On types of febrile illnesses treated, respondents presented the following: malaria (78.8%), typhoid (23.1%), yellow fever (21.2%), high fever (19.2 %), convulsion (15.4%), and pregnancy fever (2.9%). Other illnesses treated were yellow eyes (4.8%) headache (11.5%), waist pain (14.4%), and joint pains, (8.7%). Respondents determined whether a person had fever by the following: physical examination (85.4 %), listening to patients' complaints (9.4 %), through divination and inspiration (9.4 %), while others (0.2 %) were not quite explicit on their methods of diagnoses. On the treatment of febrile illnesses, respondents used herb teas (88.5%), herb powders (42.3%), incantation (3.3 %), and performance of sacrifice (4.8%) or use of special fluids (27.9%). Majority of the respondents, in describing the best herbal medicines for the treatment of febrile illnesses, 62.5 % said that dogonyaro (Azadiracta indica) was the best medicine. Other responses were: lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratys, 51.9 %), mango (Mangifera indica) bark (29.8 %); lime (Citrus limetta) juice (30.0 %), paw paw (Carica papaya) leaf/fruit (20.2 %); guava (Psidium guajava) leaf (18.3 %), akpagbogoro (Salacia nitida), 7.7 %, plantain (Musa sapientum) sucker (6.7 %), Lipton tea (3.8 %) and scent leaf (Ocimum gratissimum), 1.9%. Keywords: Malaria, fever, febrile illness, herbal remedies, NigeriaWest African Journal of Pharmacology and Drug Research Vol. 21 (1&2) 2005: pp. 48-5