Anticoccidial efficacy of Azadirachta indica leaf powder against Eimeria tenella infection in broiler chickens (original) (raw)

Research was conducted to evaluate the in-vivo anticoccidial activity of crude leaf powder of Azadirachta indicia against Eimeria tenella, the cause of cecal coccidiosis that inflicts heavy economic loss to poultry industry all over the world. A total of 120 broiler chicks were infected via the oropharyngeal route with viable sporulated oocysts of the parasite and allotted to four groups designated 1-4 and each group replicated three times with 10 birds per replicate in a completely randomized design. Groups 1 and 2 were fed with diet containing 100 and 50 g leaf powder of the evaluated material per kg of feed, respectively. Group 3 was treated with 0.3 g (preventive dose) of Amprolium® per liter of drinking water, while group 4 was left without treatment. The test substance given, especially at the rate of 100 g, demonstrated efficacy in decreasing oocysts shedding, minimizing diarrhea , alleviating cecal damage, and lowering morbidity caused by the parasite but less than the conventional drug. However, its effect in reducing blood loss and mortality was almost similar that of the standard drug (p ≤ 0.05). Although the test material had slight negative effect on feed consumption and weight gain, it can still be used for prophylactic control of coccidiosis, especially when there is Eimerial resistance to conventional anticoc-cidial drugs or where they are not available or not affordable. ARTICLE INFO