Neem oil (Azadirachta indica a. Juss) for lice (Anoplura) control in goats from Falcón state, Venezuela

Abstract

In small ruminant production systems of Falcon State, lice of the suborder Anoplura, including the genera Linognatus and Damalinia, affect goats and sheep. The Anoplura are wingless insects that live as ectoparasites of mammals and cause weight loss and skin disease, especially in kids. Goat farms suffer from high lice infestations due to poor sanitation management. In the present study neem seed oil (NSO) (Azadirachta indica) was tested as an alternative prevention measure for the control of lice populations. Twenty-one Creole goats, 3 to 14 Mo of age and 18.7f ± 5.8 kg live weight, were randomly selected and used to evaluate the application of NSO by two different methods, each at three different doses rates. The seven experimental treatments were: spray application of 5, 10, and 20 mL NSO (T1, T2, and T3); topical application in mixture with 5 g of lanolin of 5, 10, and 20 mL NSO (T4, T5, and T6); and control without NSO application (T7). The applications were administered three times at 10-d intervals starting on day 1. Over the 110-d experiment, 11 body counts were performed, also at 10-d intervals. Number of lice per animal and relative reduction with respect to the control (weighted percentage) of the number of lice were dependent variables in the statistical analysis. Treatments T3 and T6 were the most effective in combating lice and surpassed (P <0.01) T7. The peak of effectiveness recorded was that of T3 at the 7th body count (87.3% reduction); T6 achieved levels of 80.2, 83.8, and 80.4%, reduction at the 7th, 10th, and 11th counts, respectively. The control goats maintained high lice loads between 1000 and 2000 per animal. It was also noted that the lice population was distributed uniformly on both sides of the animals’ body. These results demonstrate that NSO can form part of an integrated lice control strategy in goats.