Anticoccidial Drugs Used in the Poultry: An Overview

Abstract

Coccidiosis is severe disease and important from an economic point of view in poultry industry. So, proper control measures should be followed for its prevention of occurrence. Control measures include good husbandry, as a prime requirement and the use of anticoccidial drugs for both prophylaxis and treatment. For the drug to be effective anticoccidial, it should be used prophylactically instead of therapeutical ly. Most of the anticoccidials show their greatest efficacy against the 1st and 2nd asexual cycle, some inhibits sexual stages of the life cycle. Selection of a n anticoccidial is based on the ability of the drug to improve weight and feed conversion and to suppress the development of lesions. The emergence of drug resistant strains of coccidia presents a major problem. So, to avoid the development of drug resistance a method is used which include switching around different classes of drugs and the ‘shuttle programme’. In present overview, we are discussing about some anticoccidials used for the prevention and control of coccidial infection by affecting different stages of life cycle of coccidia. The common anticocidials/class of anticoccidoals are ionophores, amprolium, sulphonamides, ethopabate, clopidol and quinolones.