EFFECT OF ARTEMISIA SANTONICA ON SCHISTOSOMA MANSONI INFECTED MICE: PARASITOLOGIOCAL, HISTOPATHOLOGICAL AND SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPICAL STUDIES

Schistosomiasis is one of the most wide spread tropical diseases. Millions of people suffer severe illness related to schistosomiasis. This study evaluated the anti-parasitic effects of crude Artemisia santonica and their aqueous and hexane fractions against Schistosoma mansoni infected mice by some parasitologiocal and histopathological studies as worm load, liver egg load, intestine egg load, oogram pattern and also by surface ultrastructure of recovered worms using SEM. The result reflected that mice treated with crude extracts of A. santonica and their aqueous fractions gave a promise anti-inflammatory and anti-schistosomal agent.