Abstract
Coccidiosis in poultry is caused by protozoan parasites of the Eimeria species, which is responsible for worldwide economic losses. The aim of this study was to evaluated the therapeutic effect of NeemAzal® on Eimeria tenellain broiler Chickens as compared to Amprolium as a standard anticoccidial drug. A total of One Hundred and Sixty (160) broiler chicks were purchased, acclimatized and randomly divided into 4 groups (G1, G2, G3 & G4). G1 non-infected, non-treated (negative control), (G2) infected with 20000 E. tenella oocysts (positive control), (G3) infected and treated with Amprolium (Standard, 7 mg/kg b.w. for 5 days) and (G4) infected and treated with NeemAzal®200 mg/kg b.w. for 5 days). Evaluation was by clinical signs, performance data (weight gain, oocyst shed/gram faeces (OPG) and histopathology of the Caecum, Liver and Kidney. The data showed that birds infected with E. tenellahad an output of 1.3×105±3,333 oocysts per gram faeces on day 5 post inoculation. This output is significantly decreased to 0.37×105±3,111 oocysts in neem-treated birds. Infection with E. tenellainduced marked histopathological alterations in the caecum in the form of inflammation, vacuolation of the epithelium, and destruction of some villi. NeemAzal® decrease body weight loss of infected chickens. Moreover, the number of goblet cells stained with Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) within the infected villi was significantly lowered (P≤0.05). The results revealed that chicks of G1 had the best performance data compared to G2, G3& G4. In G3 & G4 there were a remarkable improvement in the data on performance, clinical signs, gross and microscopically caecal lesions compared to G2. Amprolium (G3) was shown to be superior to NeemAzal® (G4) compared to G2. NeemAzal® could be a good alternative for use as a coccidiostat to supplement the expensive anti-coccidiostats in the market.
Highlights
Coccidiosis is a major parasitic disease of poultry caused by an Apicomplexan protozoan belonging to the subclass Coccidia, family Eimeriidae, and genusEimeria [1]
The Effect of NeemAzal® on Oocyst Count and Weight Gain (Efficacy Study) at a dose of 200mg/kg birds treated with NeemAzal® a statistically significant (P≤0.05) increase in weight gain was recorded among treated groups (Figures 1 & 2)
The observed reduction in oocyst count and the significant increase in weight gain of the birds when treated with NeemAzal®, as compared with the negative control group could probably be due to the inhibition of inflammation in the intestinal mucosa which is suggestive of an increased nutrient absorption across the intestinal wall and enhanced feed conversion ratio compared to the negative control this is in agreement with reports by Nwosu et al [12] and Biu et al [11] who reported an increased weight gain and feed conversion ratio in birds treated with only Khaya senegalensis extracts and Azardiracta indica, respectively
Summary
Coccidiosis is a major parasitic disease of poultry caused by an Apicomplexan protozoan belonging to the subclass Coccidia, family Eimeriidae, and genusEimeria [1]. Efficacy, safety, and cost-effectiveness are still challenges for anticoccidial vaccine use in poultry [6]. There is an expedient need for an alternative approach to prevent and treat avian coccidiosis. This necessitates an examination of the potential of natural products from plant extracts. Azadirachta indica has been reported to possess anticoccidial properties and has been used to combat avian coccidiosis. This property has been demonstrated by its ability to reduce oocyst count [11,12], inhibit inflammation [13], and enhance erythropoiesis [14, 15].
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