Surfactants against ectoparasites associated with ZamPen native chicken

The economically important ectoparasites in chicken includes lice and mites that serves as vector of zoonotic diseases to humans. This study was conducted to determine the effects of natural surfactant and synthetic surfactant in dislodging ectoparasites from the breed of ZamPen native chickens procured randomly and acclimatized in a housing pen. Chickens were bathed with surfactants such as commercial shampoo, commercial powdered soap, formulated tobacco liquid soap, commercial liquid soap and water through three tub method. The physicochemical parameters of liquid soap was evaluated within the range. Results showed that there was a significantly high number of ectoparasites dislodged after the first and second applications of the treatments except those bathed with water only. However, after the third application of treatments, a significant number of ectoparasites were dislodged from chickens treated with commercial powdered soap and commercial liquid soap but significantly a low number of ectoparasites were dislodged from chickens treated with formulated tobacco liquid soap. This suggests that the remaining ectoparasites were not able to recover its population in chickens treated with formulated tobacco liquid soap after the third treatment application. The clinging ability of the ectoparasites may have been rendered weak within seven days after the third application. Dislodged ectoparasites include three species of lice such as Menopon gallinae, Menacanthus stramineus, Lipeurus caponis and two species of mites such as Ornithonyssus bursa and Megninia sp. Hence, the formulated tobacco liquid soap is effective and a potential alternative organic treatment in reducing ectoparasites on infested chickens.