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This study evaluated effects of Havardia albicans foliage intake on sheep dry matter digestibility (DMD) and included post-mortem evaluation of Haemonchus contortus infection ( i.e. , worm burdens, worm female length, fecundity). Fifteen hair sheep (16 ± 4.2 kg live weight (LW)) raised free of gastrointestinal nematodes were used. Sheep were fed a basal diet: grain based concentrate and Pennisetum purpureum grass (900 and 100 g/kg DM, respectively) and were infected on day 0 with 3000 H. contortus infective larvae. On day 28 post-infection (PI) sheep were distributed to three groups being: Control (100 g/kg DM of basal diet), HA group (basal diet 600 + H. albicans 400) and the HA + PEG group (basal diet 600 + H. albicans 400) + Polyethylene glycol (PEG). The H. albicans foliage was supplied for 13 d including 7 d of adaptation ( i.e. , day 28–40 PI). The content of condensed tannins (CT), total polyphenols (TP) and total tannins (TT) was determined in the foliage. Concentrate, grass and H. albicans intake (g DM/kg LW 0.75 ), DMD and H. contortus egg excretions were determined. Sheep were slaughtered at day 41 PI to assess adult worm burdens, female worm lengths and fecundity ( i.e. , eggs in utero ). Foliage had (g/kg DM): 71.5 CT, 61.3 TP and 66.9 TT. Experimental groups had similar feed intakes, and intake of H. albicans was not affected by PEG. The DMD of HA + PEG and HA groups was lower than Control (P H. contortus females in the HA group were shorter and had reduced fecundity (P H. albicans intake on worm length. A short period of H. albicans intake affected the DMD of sheep and reduced the H. contortus female worm length and fecundity. The use of this type of tannin-rich foliage could bring nutritional and anti-parasitic benefits to the ruminants which consume them. |
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