Combination of probiotics and coccidiosis vaccine enhances protection against an Eimeria challenge.

Miranda M Ritzi,Rami A Dalloul,Kobus Van-Heerden,Michaela Mohnl,Wael Abdelrahman,Nathaniel W Barrett

doi:10.1186/s13567-016-0397-y

Miranda M Ritzi, Rami A Dalloul + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/s13567-016-0397-y

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Abstract

Coccidiosis is endemic in the commercial broiler industry capable of inflicting devastating economic losses to poultry operations. Vaccines are relatively effective in controlling the disease; their efficacy could potentially be improved with concurrent use of probiotics as evaluated in this study using an Eimeria challenge. Day of hatch 400 Cobb-500 male broilers were assigned to one of four treatment groups including control (CON), vaccine-only gel application (VNC), probiotic-only gel application (NPC), and vaccine-plus-probiotic gel application (VPC). Birds were placed in floor pens (6 replicate pens/treatment, 16–17 birds/pen). NPC and VPC birds received the probiotics in the water on days 2–4, 8, 14–20, 22, 29, and 34–36. On day 15, birds were mildly challenged with 0.5 mL of a mixed oral inoculum of Eimeria sp. prepared with the coccidiosis vaccine at 10× the vaccination dose. Performance measurements were recorded on first day and weekly afterwards, and lesion scores were evaluated 6 days post-challenge. Overall, the probiotics and coccidiosis vaccine resulted in an enhanced protective effect against the challenge, with VPC birds exhibiting lower lesion scores in the duodenum than VNC or NPC birds. Birds in the VPC treatment also demonstrated higher weight gains during days 1–15, days 7–15, and days 21–28 when compared to the VNC birds. These results suggest that the combination of probiotics and coccidiosis vaccines could enhance performance and provide an additional protective effect against a mixed Eimeria challenge.

Highlights

The practice of supplying food animals with sub-therapeutic doses of antibiotics to protect against coccidiosis infections and improve general intestinal health has recently been under scrutiny
Known as direct-fed microbials, probiotics are classified as live nonpathogenic microorganisms that are capable of maintaining a normal gut microbial population [5, 6]
This study aimed to evaluate the combined protective effects of a probiotic product (PoultryStar, BIOMIN GmbH, Austria) containing Enterococcus, Bifidobacterium, Pediococcus and Lactobacillus species, and a coccidiosis vaccine (Immucox I, CEVA Santé Animale, Canada) containing Eimeria acervulina, E. maxima, E. necatrix, and E. tenella oocysts, against a coccidiosis challenge in broiler chickens

Summary

Introduction

The practice of supplying food animals with sub-therapeutic doses of antibiotics to protect against coccidiosis infections and improve general intestinal health has recently been under scrutiny. The relatively recent ban of sub-therapeutic doses of certain antibiotics as feed additives in the European Union has led to a general decline in animal health with increased incidences of enteric conditions [1] known as dysbiosis. This outcome, as well as the threat of a domestic ban, has led researchers to explore the promising alternatives including probiotics and potential combinations with live oocyst vaccines. The primary function of the gastrointestinal tract is to digest and absorb nutrients, a well-balanced gut microbiota is crucial for optimal animal health and performance. Probiotics may provide a potential alternative to the prophylactic use of drugs in food

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