Abstract
Twelve Korean native goats, spontaneously infected with mixed species of Eimeria were used to study the possible direct anticoccidial effect of feeding condensed tannin-containing plants on the production of Eimeria oocysts. The effects of feeding pine (Pinus densifora) needles, oak (Quercus acutissima) leaves and lucerne chaff on coccidia oocyst output were studied for a period of 10 days post-feeding. The results indicate that feeding fresh pine needles (40 g condensed tannins (CT) dry matter (DM)/day/goat) and oak leaves (40 g CT DM/day/goat) in combination with lucerne chaff had rapid anticoccidial activities in goats as demonstrated by a sharp decrease in oocyst production. Two days after feeding, the numbers of oocysts per gram of faeces (OPG) from the goats fed pine needles with lucerne chaff, and from goats fed oak leaves reduced by 40% and 44% compared to pre-feeding, respectively. On the sixth day after commencing feeding pine needles and oak leaves, the reduction was 81% and 72%, respectively. Ten days after feeding pine needles and oak leaves, the OPG was reduced by 93% and 85%, respectively compared to pre-feeding. Statistical analysis showed that feeding pine needles and oak leaves to goats naturally infected with coccidia significantly (p<0.001) reduced the numbers of oocysts compared to the control group fed lucerne chaff only. Four clinically important species of coccidia, Eimeria parva, Eimeria ninakohlyakimovae, Eimeria christenseni and Eimeria arloingi were identified in Korean native goats. (Asian-Aust. J. Anim. Sci. 2005. Vol 18, No. 9 : 1262-1266)
Highlights
Coccidiosis, caused by infection with Eimeria species affects cattle, deer, sheep, goats, pigs, horses, rabbits, turkeys, ducks and poultry (Cox, 1998), is probably the most important parasitic disease of veterinary importance throughout the world
Feeding dried oak leaves to the goats reduced the numbers of oocysts by 44%, 70%, 72%, 81% and 85% on days 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 post-feeding, respectively, compared to the numbers of oocysts shed before feeding oak leaves
All the goats used in this study were infected with coccidia and four species were identified
Summary
Coccidiosis, caused by infection with Eimeria species affects cattle, deer, sheep, goats, pigs, horses, rabbits, turkeys, ducks and poultry (Cox, 1998), is probably the most important parasitic disease of veterinary importance throughout the world. This disease costs the US poultry industry more than $1.5 billion in annual losses (Yun et al, 2000). Scanning electron microscopic observations of the small intestine of lambs infected with Eimeria species showed disturbed intestinal surfaces and the villi were short and flat with sloughing of the epithelium (Samizadeh et al, 1979). Some studies (Niezen et al, 1995; Robertson et al, 1995) have shown that CTcontaining forages such as sulla (Hedysarum coronarium) had significant effects on intestinal nematodes in sheep but they could not determine whether the effect was indirect, ie. by increasing the amount of protein reaching the small intestine which may increase animal resistance to the parasites, or to the direct effect of condensed tannins on parasites in the small intestine
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