Aim: Intestinal parasites cause severe diseases at poultry farms, especially in developing countries, including Indonesia. Infections cause significant decreases in productivity at poultry farms. Ascaridia galli is a common nematode found in chickens with a prevalence of up to 92%. This study evaluates the in vitro and in vivo effects of Areca catechu crude aqueous extract (AAE) as an anthelmintic against A. galli. Materials and Methods: In the in vitro study, already-infected slaughtered chickens were collected from local slaughterhouses in Yogyakarta. The chicken intestines were carefully examined and transported to the Parasitological Laboratory of Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta. A. galli was collected from the intestines and put into a Petri dish containing 0.62% saline solution. Sixty A. galli individuals were soaked in different concentrations of the AAE for 3-6 h. The number of deceased A. galli was recorded by ascertaining whether they had ceased movement using a stereo microscope. The morphological characteristics of the parasites were studied. The in vivo study used 40 female chickens that were 1.5 months old and infected with the eggs of A. galli. Approximately 3000 infective eggs were found in each chicken. There were four treatment groups; Group A served as the control and was treated with Aquadestilata, Group B was treated with 26 mg/ml of AAE, Group C was treated with 79 mg/ml of AAE, and Group D was treated with 50 mg/ml of pyrantel pamoate. The AAE was applied using a pipette for 14 days. The observed parameters include the effect of the treatments on hematology, body weight (BW), and the number of A. galli eggs within each gram of fecal matter. Results: The AAE damaged the morphology, including the anterior end, posterior end, and vulva, of A. galli in vitro. The tegument of the anterior and posterior ends was slightly rougher, wrinkled, and damaged. The vulva and spicule ducts were irregular and indistinct. The average eggs per gram (EPG) in the untreated control increased in vivo from 1450±355.90 to 1975±325.96. The average EPG decreased from 1485±386.62 to 0±0.00 during 14 days of treatment of 79 mg/ml of AAE. The mean BW gain in the treated chickens was significantly (p<0.5) higher than the control. The treatment with 79 mg/ml of AAE increased the total erythrocyte count, total leukocyte count, hemoglobin, and packed cell volume values in the chickens. Conclusion: AAE can cause morphological changes and subsequent death in adult A. galli in vitro and effectively decrease ascariasis severity in chickens, therefore increasing overall BW in vivo.

Determine the prevalence and risk factors of viral nervous necrosis (VNN) disease in tiger grouper cultured in the floating net cage in Bintan district, Indonesia

Background and Aim: One of the complications of diabetes mellitus is diabetic ulcer. Diabetic ulcer is commonly infected by infectious agents, especially methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). This study aimed to evaluate the potential effects of alcoholic extracts of Aloe vera, Apium graveolens, and Sauropus androgynus on promoting wound healing in a diabetic wound infected with MRSA. Materials and Methods: A total of 60 male Sprague-Dawley rats (6 months old, weighing 250-300 g) were injected with 65 mg/kg body weight of streptozotocin to induce diabetes. On day 7, the backs of the rats were shaved, and two circular wounds (4 mm in diameter) were created on their back, which were infected with MRSA. The rats were divided into six groups: Group I = control, Group II = treated with cream base without extract, Group III = treated with 2% A. vera cream, Group IV = treated with 2% A. graveolens cream, Group V = treated with 2% S. androgynus cream, and Group VI = treated with 2% A. vera + 2% A. graveolens + 2% S. androgynus cream. The wounds were treated twice a day for 14 days. The data were collected on days 7 and 14. Results: The results showed that all three herbal extracts and their combination decreased wound area and percentage of the wound, increased tensile strength of skin, collagen deposition, vascular endothelial growth factor expression, and skin thickness, and depressed the C-reactive protein profile and cyclooxygenase-2 expression. Conclusion: A. vera, A. graveolens, and S. androgynus creams can be used as herbal therapies against diabetic wounds infected with MRSA, both as a single and combination treatment.

Aflatoxin (AF) is the secondary metabolite ofAspergillus flavusand commonly contaminates feed during storage. AF causes lowered growth rate, stress, and increased mortality in the poultry, especially for broiler industries. The aims of this study are to determine the effects ofSauropus androgynus(L.) Merr. leaf powder (SAP) in the chickens fed a diet naturally contaminated with AF. A total of 108 chickens are divided into 6 group: group I fed with basal diet (AF not detectable); group II fed with basal diet (AF not detectable) + 5% SAP; group III with AF (>1 ppb 1 ppb 51 ppb 101 ppb <150 ppb) + 5% SAP. The data of the body weight, feed intake and efficiency, the relative weight of liver, kidney, spleen, bursa of Fabricius (BF), histopathology, haematological profile, haemagglutination inhibition (HI) titer, AF residue, and immunohistochemistry are collected on days 7, 14, and 21. All the data were analysed using SPSS 16. The supplementation of 5% SAP in the chickens fed a diet naturally contaminated with AF showed the potential effects of the body weight performance, haematological profile protection, increase in the cellular and humoral immune responses, reduction of AF residue in the organ, protection of liver, kidney, spleen, and BF histopathology, and increase in the immune-expression of CD4+/CD8+ lymphocytes ratio (P < 0.05). It shows that 5% SAP can be used as the alternative herbal supplementation to depress the impacts of aflatoxicosis in the broiler chickens.

Background and Aim: A wound is a common problem for humans and animals. The wound becomes more severe if it is infected by bacteria, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The wound healing mechanism involves various factors, either in the local tissue or the bloodstream. However, the presentation of infected wound healing regarding its impacts on the dynamic change of blood profile is not clearly understood. This study aimed to explore the impacts of wound creation on the blood profile in rat models with and without being artificially infected by MRSA. Materials and Methods: Thirty male Sprague-Dawley rats (6 months old; weight, 300 g) were used as the model. They were divided into three groups: Without wound creation (C), wounded without infection (CW), and wounded and artificially infected by MRSA (CWI). Groups CW and CWI were shaved and induced with 4 mm two-round full-thickness biopsy on the back. Furthermore, group CWI was artificially infected by 105 colony-forming units of MRSA. The blood samples were collected through the tail vein from days 1 to 5. The blood parameters included blood profile, total plasma protein, C-reactive protein, CD4(+), CD8(+), CD4(+)/CD8(+), and COX-2. The data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, version 16 (SPSS, IBM, Armonk, NY, USA). Results: The result showed that the presentation of a wound with and without MRSA infection significantly changed the total erythrocytes, leukocytes, neutrophils, lymphocytes, total plasma protein, C-reactive protein, and the subset of circulatory CD4(+), CD8(+), and COX-2 (p<0.05). In addition, the wound infected with MRSA impacts the mean corpuscular volume (p<0.05). Conclusion: Moreover, the presentation of the wound with and without MRSA infection induces dynamic changes on various blood profile parameters.

The study aimed at investigating the population, the protein profile and the ultrastructure of adult worms in the intestine of domestic chicken treated using Areca catechu crude aqueous extract. Fifty domestic female chickens of 6 weeks of age were assigned to 5 groups. Group A (negative control) was not given any treatment and any drug. Groups B, C and D were given the treatment at the doses of 26 mg/mL, 53 mg/mL and 79 mg/mL, respectively. Group E (positive control) was given Pyrantel®. Necropsy was conducted to all of the chickens 14 days after the treatment. Adult worms were collected and counted. The worms used in Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) were those collected from the jejunum of the chickens in the groups A, B and C. The biggest number of the worms was found in the jejunum. The results of electrophoresis showed that the dose 53 mg/mL gave fewer protein bands than the negative control (21:12 ratio), while the results of the SEM showed that there was cuticle damage and anterior labia abrasion at the dose of 53 mg/mL. The Areca catechu crude aqueous extract showed anthelmintic activity potential by reducing the number of the adult worms, lowering their protein profile and damaging the A. galli worms in the intestine.