Vu Thi Thu Hang et al., 2012. Livest. Res. Rur. Dev., 24: 221
Scabies known as Sarcoptic mange is caused by the mite Sarcoptes scabiei, which burrows under the host's skin, causing intense allergic itching. In rabbits it is normally treated by injecting with Ivermectin, but this has a high cost and is not always effective. For a long time, during the process of controlling diseases, the Vietnamese have used many methods of curing by using traditional medicines. Many traditional medicines are made from plants that are easy to grow and as a result the cost is low. Tithonia diversifolia commonly known as Mexican sunflower is a member of the family Asteraceae. There have been many studies suggesting that Tithonia can be used for many different purposes, such as feed for animals and fish, as fuel, compost, land demarcation, soil erosion, building materials and shelter for poultry (Olabode et al 2007). An early report from Colombia indicated its agronomic potential (Ríos and Salazar 1994). Since then it has been reported to be a good source of green manure for maize in Kenya, Malawi and Zimbabwe (Nziguheba et al 2002), for cowpea (Taiwo and Makinde 2005) and for potted tomato plants (Liasu and Achakzai 2007). Particularly, the extract from leaves and buds of Tithonia has been used as a medicine to treat various ailments such as constipation, stomach pains, indigestion, some throat and liver pains (Agboola et al 2006) and malaria (Oyewole et al 2008; Odugbemi et al 2007) and Scabies in animals and humans. In Vietnam, Tithonia grows wild in the high lands and recently has been cultivated in the GRRC where it produced high yields of biomass (Sao et al 2010). In Lao PDR, there are reports of its potential use as the basal diet of growing goats (Pathoummalangsy and Preston 2008). However, there appears to have been no research in the SE Asia region on its use for treating diseases. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the use of an extract from leaves of Tithonia diversifolia for treating Scabies in rabbits.