Abstract
Coccidiosis is an avian intestinal disease caused by several distinct species of Eimeria parasites that damage the host’s intestinal system, resulting in poor nutrition absorption, reduced growth, and often death. Increasing evidence from recent studies indicates that immune-based strategies such as the use of recombinant vaccines and various dietary immunomodulating feed additives can improve host defense against intracellular parasitism and reduce intestinal damage due to inflammatory responses induced by parasites. Therefore, a comprehensive understanding of the complex interactions between the host immune system, gut microbiota, enteroendocrine system, and parasites that contribute to the outcome of coccidiosis is necessary to develop logical strategies to control coccidiosis in the post-antibiotic era. Most important for vaccine development is the need to understand the protective role of the local intestinal immune response and the identification of various effector molecules which mediate anti-coccidial activity against intracellular parasites. This review summarizes the current understanding of the host immune response to coccidiosis in poultry and discusses various non-antibiotic strategies which are being developed for coccidiosis control. A better understanding of the basic immunobiology of pertinent host–parasite interactions in avian coccidiosis will facilitate the development of effective anti-Eimeria strategies to mitigate the negative effects of coccidiosis.
Highlights
Coccidiosis is a major enteric infection of poultry that is estimated to cost more thanUSD 14.5 billion annual losses globally [1]
Live vaccines require a host to replicate parasites or to induce active immunity, which is a fundamental disadvantage as this requires a considerable amount of time and money, and there is a high risk of inducing subclinical coccidiosis
Chickens vaccinated with a DNA vaccine of E. tenella surface antigen 4 (EtSAG4) exhibited higher levels of secretory immunization utilizing pathogen-specific egg yolk antibodies (IgY) antibodies, a greater IL-17 and IFN-γ cytokine response, and better clinical performance in terms of body weight, oocyst output, and gut lesion scores compared to the non-immunized control [127]
Summary
Coccidiosis is a major enteric infection of poultry that is estimated to cost more than. In the absence of growth promoters, live vaccines can increase the incidence of bacterial enteritis [4]. In response to these concerns, the demand for cost-effective and safe anticoccidial vaccines is rapidly increasing. This review will provide the current knowledge on the host immune response to coccidiosis in poultry and discuss the efficacy of various Eimeria vaccine candidate antigens in protecting chickens against coccidiosis. Alternative countermeasures such as hyperimmune antibodies, antimicrobial peptides, prebiotics, and probiotics will be discussed
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