Abstract
The aim of the present study was to investigate the efficacy of monensin sodium grain size on controlling coccidiosis in broiler chickens. Three hundred and fifty Cobb 700 chicks were infected experimentally with 8 × 10(4) sporulated oocysts of Eimeria spp. The birds were fed with diets supplemented with powdered (n = 150) or granulated (n = 150) monensin, with particle sizes of ≤ 100 µm and 450-650 µm, respectively. The remaining chicks (n = 50) were used as an unmedicated control group. The birds' weights and number of oocysts per gram of litter in each group were recorded weekly. A total of 96 birds were randomly selected and culled during the trial. Their intestinal oocyst counts and lesion scores were determined. No significant differences in body weights were found between the groups at the end of the study. The percentages of infected animals, oocyst counts and lesion scores were significantly higher in the control group than in the other two groups; the two treated groups did not show any appreciable differences to each other. Enteritis was observed in 14 birds, all in the group supplemented with granulated monensin. These results suggest that powdered and granulated monensin have comparable efficacy in controlling coccidiosis in broiler chickens. However, treatments with monensin sodium of high grain size may be subject to contraindications relating to enteritis.
Highlights
Poultry coccidiosis, caused by intracellular protozoan parasites of the genus Eimeria, is an important intestinal infection characterized by symptoms including diarrhea, weakness, drastic physiological damage, reduced feed conversion efficiency and, weight loss
These results suggest that powdered and granulated monensin have comparable efficacy in controlling coccidiosis in broiler chickens
From day 9 onwards, the oocysts per gram (OPG) value in the litter was higher in the control group than in the other two groups
Summary
Poultry coccidiosis, caused by intracellular protozoan parasites of the genus Eimeria, is an important intestinal infection characterized by symptoms including diarrhea, weakness, drastic physiological damage, reduced feed conversion efficiency and, weight loss. Occurrences of coccidiosis in commercial poultry can range from 5 to 70% (DU; HU, 2004; FREITAS et al, 2008; AARTHI et al, 2010; LEE et al, 2010; TOLEDO et al, 2011), and economic losses have been widely reported (DALLOUL; LILLEHOJ, 2006). There are basically two means of preventing coccidiosis: chemoprophylaxis and vaccination. While vaccination is today less applied in broiler production, because of its higher cost, chemoprophylaxis using anticoccidials in the feed is by far the most popular method, insofar as it is estimated that 95% of broilers produced receive anticoccidials (CHAPMAN, 1999). Of the 40.65 million tonnes of feed produced annually for chickens, turkeys and rabbits, approximately 18.33 million tonnes are manufactured with the addition of a coccidiostat (IFAH, 2007). Feed business operators generally produce a broad range of products within a single feed plant. Several studies have shown that completely contamination-free production of premixes and compound feeds in existing multi-product plants is impossible in practice (KENNEDY et al, 1998; STRAUCH 2002a, b, 2003), resulting in cross-contamination of subsequent feed-batches
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