Poultry coccidiosis, caused by 7 Eimeria species, has a significant economic impact on the poultry industry and is managed mainly by chemotherapeutic drugs. However, alternative control measures are needed due to the emergence of drug-resistant strains. This study aimed to evaluate the anticoccidial effects of a multicomplex mineral-based diet in broilers infected with Eimeria acervulina. Broilers were fed a multicomplex mineral-based diet and infected with E. acervulina. Fecal oocyst shedding was 39.0% lower in the E. acervulina-infected broilers treated with the multicomplex mineral compared to that in untreated-infected broilers (365.7×106±45.7 versus 599.8×106±8.7, P<0.05). On day 6 post-infection, body weight gain was significantly higher in treated-infected chickens than untreated chickens (103.2±1.5% versus 94.1±1.7%, P<0.001). The lesion scores were similar between the 2 groups. Histopathological observations revealed that the width of the villi in the treated-infected chickens (286±9.5 μm) was significantly increased by 19.1% (240±10.8 μm, P<0.05) and 34.9% (212±7.3 μm, P<0.001) compared to those in the untreated-uninfected and untreated-infected groups, respectively. However, the villous height and crypt depth were similar between the untreated- and treated-infected groups. The positive effects of the dietary multicomplex mineral, including reduced fecal oocyst shedding, increased weight gain, and increased villi width, suggest its potential application in mitigating the adverse effects of Eimeria infection in both conventional and organic chicken industries.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Urban environmental drivers of eukaryotic microbiota and parasite prevalence in domestic pigeon faeces: a metabarcoding-based public health risk assessment in Seoul, South Korea Singeun Oh, Jun Ho Choi, Xavier Chavarria, Myungjun Kim, Dongjun Kang, Myung-hee Yi, Yoon Hee Cho, In-Yong Lee, Tai-Soon Yong, Seongjun Choe, Ju Yeong Kim Journal of The Royal Society Interface.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Avian coccidiosis has a major economic impact on the poultry industry, it is caused by 7 species of Eimeria, and has been primarily controlled using chemotherapeutic agents. Due to the emergence of drug-resistant strains, alternative control strategies are needed. We assessed anticoccidial effects of berberine-based diets in broiler chickens following oral infection with 5 Eimeria species (E. acervulina, E. maxima, E. tenella, E. mitis, and E. praecox). When 0.2% berberine, a concentration that does not affect weight gain, was added to the diet, the 4 groups infected with E. acervulina, E. tenella, E. mitis, or E. praecox showed significant reductions in fecal oocyst shedding (P<0.05) compared to their respective infected and untreated controls. In chickens treated 0.5% berberine instead of 0.2% and infected with E. maxima, fecal oocyst production was significantly reduced, but body weight deceased, indicating that berberine treatment was not useful for E. maxima infection. Taken together, these results illustrate the applicability of berberine for prophylactic use to control most Eimeria infections except E. maxima. Further studies on the mechanisms underlying the differences in anticoccidial susceptibility to berberine, particularly E. maxima, are remained.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Evaluation of the Effectiveness of a Phytogenic Supplement (Alkaloids and Flavonoids) in the Control of Eimeria spp. in Experimentally Challenged Broiler Chickens Anne-Sophie Hascoët, Paulina Torres-Celpa, Roberto Riquelme-Neira, Héctor Hidalgo-Olate Animals.2025; 15(6): 847. CrossRef
Improving The Sporulation of Eimeria tenella Oocysts Purified From Chicken Faeces Nurfazila Latif, Aravind Marcus, Paul Bura Thlama, Suhaili Mustafa, Muhamad Hakim Mohd Ali Hanafiah, Lirong Yu Abit, Sharifah Salmah Syed Hussain, Nor Azlina Abdul Aziz, Shu-San Loo, Kiew Lian Wan, Sarah A Altwaim, Juriah Kamaludeen Malaysian Applied Biology.2025; 54(1): 38. CrossRef
Berberine Reveals Anticoccidial Activity by Influencing Immune Responses in Eimeria acervulina-Infected Chickens Binh T. Nguyen, Bujinlkham Altanzul, Rochelle A. Flores, Honghee Chang, Woo H. Kim, Suk Kim, Wongi Min Biomolecules.2025; 15(7): 985. CrossRef
Vaccinations and Functional Feed Supplements as Alternatives to Coccidiostats for the Control of Coccidiosis in Raising Broiler Chickens Maciej Rosłoń, Edward Majewski, Monika Gębska, Anna Grontkowska, Michał Motrenko, Artur Żbikowski, Monika Michalczuk, Jakub Urban Animals.2025; 15(17): 2548. CrossRef
Management and control of coccidiosis in poultry — A review Rafiq Ahmad, Yu-Hsiang Yu, Kuo-Feng Hua, Wei-Jung Chen, Daniel Zaborski, Andrzej Dybus, Felix Shih-Hsiang Hsiao, Yeong-Hsiang Cheng Animal Bioscience.2024; 37(1): 1. CrossRef
Large-Scale Field Trials of an Eimeria Vaccine Induce Positive Effects on the Production Index of Broilers Binh T. Nguyen, Dongjean Yim, Rochelle A. Flores, Seung Yun Lee, Woo H. Kim, Seung-Hwan Jung, Sangkyu Kim, Wongi Min Vaccines.2024; 12(7): 800. CrossRef
An insight into the potential of berberine in animal nutrition: Current knowledge and future perspectives Navid Ghavipanje, Mohammad Hasan Fathi Nasri, Einar Vargas‐Bello‐Pérez Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition.2023; 107(3): 808. CrossRef
Botanicals: A promising approach for controlling cecal coccidiosis in poultry Zohaib Saeed, Khalid A. Alkheraije Frontiers in Veterinary Science.2023;[Epub] CrossRef
Pathological Role of Oxidative Stress in Aflatoxin-Induced Toxicity in Different Experimental Models and Protective Effect of Phytochemicals: A Review Martha Cebile Jobe, Doctor M. N. Mthiyane, Phiwayinkosi V. Dludla, Sithandiwe E. Mazibuko-Mbeje, Damian C. Onwudiwe, Mulunda Mwanza Molecules.2023; 28(14): 5369. CrossRef
The Immunoprotective Effect of ROP27 Protein of Eimeria tenella Menggang Li, Xiaoling Lv, Mingxue Zheng, Yingyi Wei Animals.2023; 13(22): 3500. CrossRef
Oral administration of Lactobacillus brevis 23017 combined with ellagic acid attenuates intestinal inflammatory injury caused by Eimeria infection by activating the Nrf2/HO-1 antioxidant pathway Xuelian Yang, Xinghui Pan, Zhipeng Jia, Bingrong Bai, Wenjing Zhi, Hang Chen, Chunli Ma, Dexing Ma Veterinary Research.2022;[Epub] CrossRef
Epidemiological investigation and drug resistance of Eimeria species in Korean chicken farms Rochelle A. Flores, Binh T. Nguyen, Paula Leona T. Cammayo, Tuấn Cường Võ, Haung Naw, Suk Kim, Woo H. Kim, Byoung-Kuk Na, Wongi Min BMC Veterinary Research.2022;[Epub] CrossRef
First
Prev
