Lead poultry researcher Novus Frances Yan, one of the experts involved in the study, said: “Coccidiosis is a disease of great economic importance caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Eimeria. The poultry industry has taken a prophylactic approach to treating coccidiosis and minimizing its consequences, either by including anti-coccidia or by giving vaccines to chicks. ” If you
Essential oils (EO) have been shown to be an effective tool in improving the growth performance and gut health of broilers exposed to an Eimeria challenge. Prior to the publication of this research, however, there was concern about whether essential oils or vaccines, or both in combination, would be compromised.
A study published in AnimalsIn March 2020, an evaluation of a Thyme / Carvacrol EO suggested that dietary encapsulated essential oils (EEOs) could be used as an alternative to anticoccidia for the relief of growth depression caused by coccidiosis in broilers.
“Further studies are needed to determine whether dietary EEOs can counteract environmental stressors such as heat stress or stocking density and improve the gut microbiome, antioxidant defense system and gut barrier functions in broilers,” the team wrote.
The study showed the effectiveness of vaccines against essential oils and coccidiosis and showed that they can be used together without harming each other, Yan said.
The essential oil blend used in the study increased body weight prior to coccidiosis exposure and improved feed conversion ratio (FCR) throughout, she said. The vaccine worked as expected – reduced oocyst shedding and improved body weight and feed conversion ratio during the exposure phase, Yan added.
The study If you
The research was carried out on 576 Ross 308 male broilers; The study assessed the effectiveness of an essential oil blend (NEXT ENHANCE 150, 1: 1 thymol carvacrol) against exposure to Eimeria when used alone or in combination with a coccidiosis vaccine.
The study consisted of eight treatments in a factorial 2x2x2 arrangement with two levels of vaccination (no or yes), two EOB levels (0 or 60 g / ton) and two Eimeria exposure levels (no or yes).
Each treatment had nine replicate pens from eight birds.
Vaccination was done with Eimeria exposure (35 times the recommended vaccine dose) given via an oral tube on day 21 at the start of the study, the team said.
The data were subjected to a 2-Way ANOVA before the Eimeria challenge and a 3-way ANOVA after the challenge to assess the main effects and their interactions.
The study, the researchers said, found that supplementing with the essential oil blend increased the birds’ body weights on day 21 and improved FCR on days 13, 21, and 29, and that the effects were independent of vaccination or Eimeria challenge was.
Regardless of the essential oil blend use or challenge, the team said the coccidiosis vaccination on days 13 or 21 did not affect growth performance, but body weight and FCR on days 21-29 – the Eimeria challenge phase – improved.
During days 26-28 of the study, the vaccinated birds shed minimal oocysts in their feces and unvaccinated birds shed significant numbers of oocysts, especially those exposed to Eimeria, indicating a vaccination and interaction Exposure was responsible, but there was none. The team reported a significant effect of the essential oil product seen in oocyst shedding.
The reduction in oocyst shedding along with the improvement in performance indicated that the coccidiosis vaccination gave the birds immunity to Eimeria and that the protective effect was not compromised by the supplementation with essential oils.
In summary, the research team found that the blend of essential oils increased the body weight of the birds prior to Eimeria exposure and improved FCR throughout the experiment, while the coccidiosis vaccination decreased oocyst production and body weight and FCR during the Eimeria challenge -Phase improved.
Title: Efficacy of an essential oil blend alone or in combination with a coccidiosis vaccine against the Eimeria challenge in broilers
Authors: F. Yan, J. Chen, V. Kuttappan, D. Hancock, M. Vazquez Anon
