Abstract
The aqueous juice of the root extract of Carex baccans (Family: Cyperaceae) is used as an anthelmintic in Meghalaya, India. The present investigation was carried out to evaluate the extent of ultrastructural, histochemical and biochemical alterations caused by the plant derived component(s) on Raillietina echinobothrida, a cestode parasite of domestic fowl. Live tapeworms, collected from the freshly slaughtered host, were exposed to different concentrations of the crude ethanolic root extract of C. baccans for varying time durations. The treated parasites revealed complete inactivation and flaccid paralysis leading to death; they were processed for ultrastructural, histochemical and biochemical observations, as soon as paralysis set in. Compared to controls, the treated parasites showed extensive distortion and destruction of the surface fine topography of the tegument, erosion of microtriches, disruption of muscle layers, intense vacuolization of tegumental and subtegumental layers, swelling and vacuolization of mitochondria and a significantly reduced activity of tegumental enzymes like AcPase and AlkPase. Phytochemicals from the root of C. baccans seem to be effective against soft-bodied cestode parasites and need to be characterized and identified.