Development of natural alternatives to drugs is necessary for the poultry industry not only for organic production, but also for limiting drug resistance and for complying with upcoming regulations. Two pen trials were conducted to evaluate the effect of Calica+, an activated vegetal oil from cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL), on broiler performance and on coccidiosis in different conditions. The first trial was conducted in Eimeria vaccination conditions with commercial Coccivac-B52. The second one was realized in Eimeria challenge conditions, induced by an oral administration of 200,000 sporulated oocysts of mixed Eimeria species harvested from field isolates. In Eimeria vaccination conditions trial, Calica+ improved average daily gain (ADG) (+4.5%, P < 0.05) during the overall growing period and decreased levels of oocysts per gram of feces (OPG) (−44.1%, P < 0.05), at Eimeria excretion peak (days 17–20), compared to untreated broilers. However, no significant effect of Calica+ on Eimeria intestinal lesions was observed. Overall ADG in Calica+-treated birds was not significantly different compared to nicarbazin-monensin anticoccidial medication (P = 0.8362) but showed higher feed conversion ratio (FCR; +6.0%, P < 0.05). In Eimeria challenge conditions trial, Calica+ feeding treatment improved ADG after infection, during the period from d20 to d36 of age (+4.4%, P < 0.05) compared to untreated birds. Compared with nicarbazin-monensin medication, Calica+-treated birds showed higher FCR (+3.5%, P < 0.05), but comparable ADG (P = 0.3145). Interestingly, birds fed the treatment with Calica+ showed a trend of increased plasmatic levels of IL-1ß compared to untreated broilers (+25.6%, P = 0.0676), suggesting an immune activation as a potential mechanism of action for Calica+. In summary, Calica+ showed beneficial growth performance and anticoccidial effects in these two different trial conditions. This feed additive could be involved in a strategy to reduce the use of anticoccidial medication in broiler production.
Vaccination has been developed over the years to counter coccidiosis; however, its effectiveness varies, and it is difficult to exploit due in particular to the young age of chickens at slaughter. Cashew nutsell liquid (CNSL) supplements have shown beneficial effects on growth performance and anticoccidial effects in Eimeria-challenged broilers. However, CNSL effects during an Eimeria infection in vaccinated chickens against coccidiosis need to be determined especially for organic production. Broilers vaccinated against coccidiosis were housed in pens and received one of the following treatments: 1) non-infected, non-treated (blank control); 2) infected, non-treated (negative control); 3) infected, nibarbazin/monensin shuttle program (positive control); 4) infected, Calica+ (CNSL-based formulation). Eimeria infection was induced by an oral administration of 200,000 sporulated oocysts of mixed Eimeria species harvested from field isolates. The trial was performed with 8 pens of 45 birds per treatment. Performance data and oocyst counts were analyzed by a mixed model including treatment as fixed effect and pen as random effect. Intestinal lesion scores were analyzed by category analyses. Calica+ improved average daily gain (ADG) (+7.4%, P < 0.05) and showed a trend to reduce feed conversion ratio (FCR) (−1.8%, P < 0.07) during the overall growing period (days 0–35), compared to infected and untreated broilers. Birds fed Calica+ also showed higher ADG than birds on nibarbazin/monensin shuttle program (+7.2%, P < 0.05). Calica+ did not change levels of oocysts per gram of feces (OPG) at Eimeria excretion peak (6 days after inoculation) but it showed a trend to reduce the Eimeria tenella intestinal lesion scores (p< 0.0685). In summary, the CNSL-based formulation Calica+ showed beneficial growth performance and anticoccidial effects in vaccination conditions against coccidiosis. This organic feed additive could be involved in an anticoccidiosis strategy that includes vaccination.
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