Combination of albendazole and hydro-ethanolic extract of Curcuma longa as a mitigation strategy to combat benzimidazole resistance in goats

The efficacy of a combination of albendazole and Curcuma longa hydro-ethanolic extract was tested against benzimidazole resistant caprine nematodes in vivo employing faecal egg count reduction test (FECRT). Forty non-descript goats, which were identified resistant to benzimidazoles by egg hatch assay were divided in four groups of ten each. Animals of group I were administered albendazole (@ 7.5mg/kg), those of group II were given hydro-ethanolic (50:50) extract of Curcuma longa (@500mg/kg), group III were administered with the combination of albendazole and Curcuma longa hydro-ethanolic extracts, while group IV animals were kept as untreated control. Faecal samples from each animal were collected on 0 day and 10^th day and faecal egg counts (FEC) were assessed. The percentage reduction in FEC for group I, II, III and IV were 72%, 61%, 95% and 4%, respectively. FECRT indicated the efficacy of combination therapy by reducing 95% egg count in treated group of animals compared to controls, with a lower 95% confidence limit of 86%. The present experiment confirmed that the combination therapy can be used as one of the mitigating strategy to combat benzimidazole resistance. However, mass experimentation and further pharmacological investigation are required to validate the results.