Effect of diminazene aceturate and in combination with Aloe vera on parasitaemia, serum chemistry, physiological and haematological parameters of West African dwarf goats infected with Trypanosoma congolense

Abstract Background Tsetse-transmitted trypanosomiasis severely hampers livestock productivity in Africa, imposing significant economic and health challenges. Traditional trypanocidal treatments are limited by toxicity and emerging drug resistance. Recent interest has focused on use of ethnoveterinary medicines like Aloe vera (AV) which are known for their medicinal and potential antitrypanosomal properties. This study was designed to evaluate the combined effects of diminazene aceturate (DA) and Aloe vera gel (AVG) on parasitemia, serum chemistry, physiological parameters, and hematological profiles in West African Dwarf Goats (WADG) infected with Trypanosoma congolense. Results Sixteen adult goats were randomly allocated into four groups (A–D) of four animals each. Groups B, C, and D were infected intraperitoneally with 3.0 × 106/mL trypanosomes, while Group A served as the uninfected control. Two weeks post-infection, Group C received 3.5 mg/kg DA alone, and Group D received 3.5 mg/kg DA in combination with 1.2 ml/kg AVG; Group B remained untreated. Treatment was successful in both Groups C and D, but Group D demonstrated a significantly greater improvement in hematological parameters, with higher packed cell volume (PCV), red blood cell (RBC) count, and hemoglobin (Hb) levels compared to Group C. In contrast, untreated goats in Group B exhibited significantly elevated parasitemia, fever, tachypnea, tachycardia, and reductions in key haematological and serum chemistry values. Conclusion The combination of Aloe vera gel with diminazene aceturate not only enhances haematological recovery but also achieves earlier zero parasitemia compared to diminazene aceturate alone. These findings support the potential of integrating Aloe vera as an adjunct therapy in the management of trypanosomiasis in livestock.