Anthelmintic Efficacy of Garlic against Common Gastrointestinal Parasites in Sheep in Lesotho

This study was conducted to evaluate the anthelmintic efficacy of garlic (Allium sativum) against common gastrointestinal parasites (GIPs) in lambs at the National University of Lesotho (NUL) farm. A total of 17 lambs were purposively selected and randomly allocated to four treatment groups, including three garlic dosage levels (5 ml, 10 ml, and 15 ml) and a control group treated with the commercial anthelmintic, Prodose Orange. SPSS version 20 was used for the analysis of the data, where the paired sample T-test was used to determine the reduction rate in faecal egg counts, while the Kruskal-Walli’s test was used to determine the effectiveness between different levels. Two types of GIPs were identified, namely nematodes and coccidian, both with a 100% prevalence rate. In terms of faecal egg abundance, nematodes were significantly higher than coccidia. For efficacy determination, only nematodes were used. Garlic at the dosage rates of 10 ml and 15 ml yielded a statistically similar reduction rate to that of Prodose Orange 14 days after treatment. When determining the fecal egg reappearance period after 28 days, it was observed that garlic at a dosage rate of 10 ml demonstrated an insignificant increase similar to prodose orange, while a dosage rate of 15 ml demonstrated a significant increase, suggesting that it remains effective but for a short time. It is therefore concluded that garlic, particularly at the dosage rate of 10 ml, is effective for the control of GIPs and can be used interchangeably with Prodose Orange due to their similar performance.