POULTRYINDONESIA, Bogor – The poultry industry, as the backbone of protein-based food supply, is facing various serious challenges, one of which relates to animal health. To date, worm infections remain a frequent concern for farmers. This disease not only disrupts poultry health but also negatively affects production performance.
This was stated by Prof. drh. Risa Tiuria, Professor at the School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (SKHB), IPB University, on Saturday (January 24). She explained that controlling worm infections, particularly ascariasis, cannot rely solely on chemical anthelmintic drugs.
“Repeated use of chemical dewormers actually creates new challenges in the form of potential parasite resistance. What needs to be done is to strengthen the mucosal defense system of the digestive tract as the primary line of defense of chickens against worm infections,” she explained.
In her scientific oration, Prof. Risa also highlighted Indonesia’s rich biodiversity, which holds great potential for use as alternative treatments. In vitro studies have shown that several plants possess anthelmintic activity, capable of reducing worm mortality. Even the very thick cuticle of worms can be penetrated by active herbal compounds, making them highly promising as medicinal agents.
“Herbal remedies are very promising to be developed as deworming agents. Plants such as meniran (Phyllanthus niruri), sambiloto (Andrographis paniculata), temulawak (Curcuma xanthorrhiza), and temuireng (Curcuma aeruginosa) have been widely developed and studied as anthelmintics that do not induce resistance,” she said.
Ascariasis in poultry is caused by the nematode Ascaridia galli, which is transmitted through the fecal–oral route and develops in the lumen of the small intestine. This infection can lead to decreased egg production, both in terms of quantity and egg weight, due to impaired nutrient absorption and intestinal tissue damage.
“Nevertheless, the development of worm vaccines still faces many obstacles. The complexity of helminth life cycles and differences in immune responses at each developmental stage present major challenges. Worms are metazoan helminths with complex life cycles, which makes vaccine development difficult,” she added.
She also acknowledged that research on immunology- and phytotherapy-based control of ascariasis is still at the in vivo stage, and therefore cannot yet be directly applied at the farm level.
“However, the use of herbal ingredients as supportive supplements for digestive tract health and immunity has begun to be widely adopted. Curcumin groups, for example, have been used to enhance chicken immunity, although they are not yet intended as a primary therapy,” Prof. Risa concluded.
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