Field outbreaks of coccidiosis all over the world were commonly reported in chickens over 3-weeks of age. Outbreak of coccidiosis in birds in the first few weeks of life is becoming increasing important but chickens less than 1-week of age appeared not to be susceptible. This case report describes the clinical signs and gross lesions of coccidiosis as well as its microscopic appearance in a five-day old intensively managed broiler breeder chicks. The outbreak occurred in December, 2009 and was characterized by early onset of an acute disease with high mortality. Other clinical features of the disease were: progressive increase and sudden decline of high chick mortality of up to 50%, ruffled feathers, blood stained whitish to brownish diarrhea, weakness and anorexia. Gross lesions seen were congested carcasses, distended caeca and intestinal segments with blood, mucus and tissue debris; retained yolk sac was also observed in some birds. Whole intestines were submitted to the Protozoology and retained yolk sac to Microbiology Laboratories for investigations. A farm visit revealed very poor housing ventilation and wet litter. Laboratory results confirmed coccidian schizonts and gametocytes from caeca and intestinal scrapings. Escherichia coli was isolated from the yolk sac. High hygienic standards must be maintained in hatcheries and poultry houses, damp and warm litter must be avoided and adequate ventilation should always be provided in poultry houses to prevent coccidiosis.
The in vitro anti coccidial activities of n-butanol and aqueous fractions of Khaya senegalensis, Gueira senegalensis and Tamarindus indica leaves extracts on Eimeria tenella parasite was studied by observing the effects of the plant extracts on the sporulation of the Eimeria tenella oocysts. Drug resistance and consumer demanding decrease in the use of drugs in animals have generated interest in alternative strategies to control the avian disease one of which is herbal intervention studies. Fresh faecal samples were collected from infected birds and their oocysts load determined. Dilutions of the extracts (100mg, 250mg, 400mg, 550mg, 700mg and 850mg per ml) in distilled water were prepared and placed in separate well labelled petri dishes. 100 oocysts were added to each petri dish and the set up was left at ambient temperature on the laboratory table and monitored twice daily (9.00am and 3.00pm) to observe the sporulation of the oocysts over a 72 hours period. Laboratory sporulation medium (2.5% Potassium dichromate) and Amprolium were used for comparison. The phytochemical result implied that the active ingredients were present mainly in the n-butanol and crude extract fractions with the nbutanol fraction of the Khaya senegalensis extract containing phenols and flavonoids which have antioxidant effects. The in vitro study showed that the n-butanol fraction of K senegalensis (100mg/ml) and the aqueous fraction of Tamarindus indica (100mg/ml) extracts had similar effects to those obtained using Amprolium which was considered as the standard by inhibiting the sporulation of Eimeria tenella oocysts. It is therefore recommended that more work needs to be done to determine the anti coccidial activities of these extracts in vivo. Key words: Eimeria tenella, sporulation, in vitro, extracts
A study to determine the anticoccidial efficacy of Khaya senegalensis in relation to oocyst shedding by broilers experimentally infected with Eimeria tenella was conducted. The development of drug- resistant field strains of Eimeria species has prompted the exploitation of alternative methods for controlling coccidiosis and there is an increasing use of medicinal plants as alternatives to orthodox medicine. Fresh leaves of Khaya senegalensis (KS) were collected dried under shade and the extract prepared using the maceration method in 70% methanol. The dried crude extract was partitioned into petroleum ether, chloroform, n-butanol and aqueous portions, dried with phytochemical analysis conducted on them. One hundred and twenty birds reared under standard management practice were divided into six groups (A, B, C, D, E and F). All the groups except group F (uninfected untreated group) were infected at four weeks old with sporulated Eimeria tenella oocysts (1.0 x 105 sporulated oocysts / ml / bird) obtained locally from the intestinal scrapings of experimentally infected broilers. Groups A, B and C were given calculated three dose levels of 11mg/kg, 33mg/kg, 99mg/kg respectively of the prepared n-butanol methanol extract twice daily for 5 days, group D was given Amprolium while E and F were each given 0.2ml water. Faecal samples were collected daily for 4 weeks into clean well labelled polythene bags and analysed in the laboratory for oocyst count using the McMaster counting chamber and were expressed as oocysts count per gramme of faeces. The birds were observed for pathological lesions grossly and histopathologically and the survival rates were determined. Data collected were analysed using analysis of variance and chi square. Results from the Phytochemical studies showed the presence of phenolic compounds in Khaya senegalensis. Post-infection faecal examination revealed oocyst load of +++ in all the infected pens (A-E) on the 6th day. Comparison of the groups with time showed statistical significance (P˂0.05). High mean oocyst production (A; 156060 ± 67020, B; 261590 ± 144310, C; 211620 ± 114280, D; 276930 ± 233650 and E; 159230 ± 100970) among the infected groups one week post infection as well as irregular oocyst production were observed in the course of this study. The higher mean oocysts count obtained in the infected untreated group (1748849 ± 40869) than the extract treated groups in the first week post treatment indicated that the extract had some inhibitory effects on oocyst production. This however, was dose dependent. Among the extract treated group, the 99mg/kg had lower mean oocyst production 2 weeks post treatment (9720 ± 3180) and this was comparable to the group treated with normal dose of the conventional drug Amprolium (8600 ± 40). This was therefore seen as the effective dose. Grossly, the extract had a beneficial effect in alleviating the damages to the caecal epithelium of the infected treated groups compared to the shrunken caeca of the infected untreated groups. The survival percentage was higher in the treated groups compared to the infected un treated group (55%) though Amprolium was more efficacious in the in vivo study with the highest survival rate of 90%. The histopathological lesions observed in the infected birds in this study were consistent with those associated with E tenella infection in which the parasite induced very severe lesions including severe villous atrophy and fusion. The anticoccidial efficacy of Khaya senegalensis promises greater areas for research as it relates to drug development and it is recommended that Khaya senegalensis should be exploited further for its anticoccidial properties using other parts of the plant. Key words: Broiler chickens, Eimeria tenella, oocyst production, Khaya senegalensis, in vivo
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