Some Haematological and Biochemical Investigations on Duck Virus Hepatitis following Administration of Glycyrrhizin

The present study aimed to investigate the protective effect of glycyrrhizin (locally isolated and purified from licorice root) against duck hepatitis virus through the assessment of some hematological and biochemical parameters. One hundred and sixty white Pekin ducklings-one day old-were randomly divided into four equal groups. Group (1) was kept as normal control. Group (2) was inoculated I/P with 10 mg glycyrrhizin/kg BW, three times per week for four weeks. Group (3) was inoculated I/M with 0.5 ml of live attenuated DHV vaccine. Group (4) was inoculated with both glycyrrhizin (10 mg/kg BW I/P, three times per week for four weeks) and live attenuated DHV vaccine (0.5 ml, I/M). Then, all groups of treatment were challenged using virulent DHV except for 20 ducklings from the normal control group which were continued to be kept as negative control. The results revealed that duck hepatitis virus (DHV) caused macrocytic hypochromic anemia, leukopenia, hypoproteinemia, hypoalbuminemia, hyperglycemia, hypercholesterolemia, and marked elevation of liver enzymes and renal parameters. In conclusion, glycyrrhizin injected alone or in combination with DHV vaccine protected or ameliorated the deteriorating effects induced by DHV vaccine and/or duck hepatitis virus infection by improvement of erythrogram and leukogram, as well as liver and kidney functions.