Activity of diclazuril against coccidiosis in growing rabbits: experimental and field experiences

Abstract

AbstrAct:The efficacy of diclazuril in growing rabbits was investigated under experimental and field conditions. In a first experimental trial, the susceptibility of recent isolated French Eimeria field strains to in-feed use of diclazuril, salinomycin and robenidine was studied in fattening rabbits. Rabbits were challenged at the age of 31 d with a mixed inoculum of Eimeria magna, E. media and E. perforans. Production data and oocyst excretion were compared with an infected-untreated control group and an uninfected-untreated control group. Infection resulted in significantly lower production data and higher oocyst excretion in the infected-untreated control group. Salinomycin and diclazuril treated rabbits were able to control the infection, demonstrated also by comparable weight gain and final weight to those of the uninfected-untreated control rabbits and significantly higher than those of the infected-untreated control rabbits. Based on the production data and oocyst excretion, robenidine was not able to control the infection adequately. Economic performance (weight gain, feed intake, feed conversion) and oocyst excretion were significantly worse than in the uninfecteduntreated controls. In a second trial, a 1 yr longitudinal study was carried out in Italy to evaluate the excretion of coccidia in growing rabbits from 8 meat farms applying a 2-phase anticoccidial programme (diclazuril and robenidine). Parasitological parameters (oocyst counts and species identification) were measured monthly. Seven of the 11 known coccidial rabbit species were identified. Variable levels of oocysts per gram were detected in the farms, but on all farms lower oocyst per gram and a reduced number of Eimeria spp. in rabbit faeces were recorded in the 8-mo treatment period with diclazuril.

Efficacy of Sulphachloropyrazine, Amprolium Hydrochloride, Trimethoprim-Sulphamethoxazole, and Diclazuril against Experimental and Natural Rabbit Coccidiosis

“…Efficacy of subcutaneously administred diclazuril against Eimeria infection was demonstrated by Pan et al [34]. Furthermore, the superior efficacy of diclazuril in elimination of oocysts shed has been reported in several rabbit studies [13, 18, 21, 35]. Effectiveness of sulphachloropyrazine when used curatively against clinical coccidiosis reported in the present study agrees with an earlier study by Kolabskii et al [36].…”

“…Our study demonstrated the superior efficacy of curative use of diclazuril and sulphachloropyrazine against rabbit coccidiosis. Similar efficacies following curative use of diclazuril in resolving clinical signs of coccidiosis have been reported in other studies [18, 21] even against Eimeria spp. resistant to other anticoccidial drugs [20].…”

“…The inoculant dose had E. perforans (21%), E. flavescens (20%), E. stiedae (16%), E. media (11.2%), E. piriformis (10.6%), E. intestinalis (9%), E. magna (8%), and E. coecicola (4.2%). The inoculant was first tested in 5 pre-trial rabbits at a level of 100,000 mixed oocysts based on previous studies [21, 27–29] which all came down with clinical coccidiosis after 6 to 7 days postchallenge. With potency of the inoculant confirmed, 50 coccidia-free experimental rabbits were orally infected with the inoculant via syringes after overnight starvation…”

“…isolates. Whereas most anticoccidials are indicated for both prophylactic and curative usage, the purpose of this study was to determine the curative (therapeutic) efficacy of sulphachloropyrazine, amprolium hydrochloride, and trimethoprim-sulphamethoxazole and compare them to diclazuril that has proven efficacy elsewhere [18, 20, 21] and has never been used in Kenya.…”

Oocyst excretion pattern of three intestinal Eimeria species in female rabbits

“…Among Eimeria species responsible for natural coccidial infections in animals examined in this study, E. perforans and E. magna are included among the most frequent species reported in farm rabbits in Italy (Gallazzi, 1977;Vereecken et al, 2012), while the prevalence of E. exigua is lower (Vereecken et al, 2012). As for their pathogenicity, E. perforans and E. exigua are considered slightly pathogenic, while E. magna is considered mildly pathogenic to pathogenic Bhat et al 1996;Pakandl 2009).…”