Anticoccidial activity of Aloe Vera Leafs' aqueous extract and vaccination against Eimeria tenella: pathological study in broilers.

This study aimed to assess the efficacy of an anticoccidial vaccine and the anticoccidial activity of Aloe vera in broiler chickens infected with Eimeria tenella (E. tenella). A total of 225 healthy, sexless, one-day-old broiler chicks (avian48) from a commercial broiler company were randomized into nine experimental groups of 25 chicks. The groups were as follows: Group 1 (control, vaccinated, non-infected), Group 2 (vaccinated and infected with 5 × 104 sporulated oocysts), Group 3 (vaccinated, infected with 5 × 104 sporulated oocysts, and treated with Aloe vera), Group 4 (infected with 5 × 104 sporulated oocysts and treated with Aloe vera), Group 5 (positive control, infected with 5 × 104 sporulated oocysts), Group 6 (challenged with 5 × 104 sporulated oocysts and then treated with amprolium), Group 7 (treated with amprolium), Group 8 (blank control negative group), and Group 9 (treated with Aloe vera gel).Various parameters were evaluated, including clinical signs, growth performance, oocyst shedding, hematological and immunological parameters, and pathological lesion scoring. The results demonstrated that Aloe vera improved growth performance, reduced oocyst shedding, and decreased caecal lesion scores in E. Tenella-infected broiler chicks. The use of Aloe vera in combination with either amprolium or anticoccidial vaccines provided a potential solution to the issues of drug resistance and drug residues.In conclusion, this study provides valuable insights regarding the control of coccidiosis in broilers. Supplementing the chicken diet with Aloe vera had beneficial effects on the pathogenicity and infectivity of E. tenella, making it a cost-effective alternative as an herbal extract with no adverse side effects for coccidiosis control. These findings suggest that Aloe vera can be considered a potential candidate for inclusion in broiler diets for effective coccidiosis control.

Persea americana extract protects intestinal tissue from Eimeria papillata-induced murine Infection.

Coccidiosis is the most prevalent disease-causing widespread economic loss among farm and domestic animals. Currently, several drugs are available for the control of this disease but resistance has been confirmed for all of them. There is an urgent need, therefore, for the identification of new sources as alternative treatments to control coccidiosis. The present work aimed to study the effect of the Persea americana extract (PAE) as an anti-coccidial, anti-oxidant, and anti-apoptotic modulator during murine intestinal Eimeria papillata infection. A total of 25 male mice were divided into five groups, as follows: Group1: Non-infected-non-treated (negative control), Group2: Non-infected-treated group with PAE (500 mg/kg b.w). Group3: Infected-non-treated (positive control), Group4: Infected-treated group with PAE (500 mg/kg b.w.), and Group5: Infected-treated group with Amprolium (120 mg/kg b.w.). Groups (3-5) were orally inoculated with 1 × 103 sporulated E. papillata oocysts. After 60 min of infection, groups (4 and 5) were treated for 5 consecutive days with the recommended doses of PAE and amprolium. The fact that PAE has an anti-coccidial efficacy against intestinal E. papillata infection in mice has been clarified by the reduction of fecal oocyst output on the 5th day post-infection by about 85.41%. Moreover, there is a significant reduction in the size of each parasite stage in the jejunal tissues of the infected-treated group with PAE. PAE counteracted the E. papillata-induced loss of glutathione peroxidase (GPx), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and total antioxidant capacity (TCA). E. papillata infection also induced an increase in the apoptotic cells expressed by caspase-3 which modulated after PAE treatment. Moreover, the mRNA expression of the goblet cell response gene, mucin (MUC2), was upregulated from 0.50 to 1.20-fold after treatment with PAE. Based on our results, PAE is a promising medicinal plant with anti-coccidial, anti-oxidant, and anti-apoptotic activities and could be used as a food additive.

Comparative efficacy of allopathic and herbal drugs in sheep naturally infected with coccidiosis.

Development of anticoccidial resistance and concerns of drug residues have prompted the evaluation of alternatives to allopathic drugs. In current study, anticoccidial effect of amprolium was compared with that of Curcuma longa and Zingiber officinale. Ninety (90) sheep, naturally infected with Eimeria spp. and having a minimum oocyst per gram (OPG) count of faeces above 5000 were randomly selected and divided into six groups of 15 animals each. Animals were supplemented with amprolium @ 62.50 mg/kg body weight (bw) (GI), turmeric @ 200 and 300 mg/kg bw (GII and GIII) and ginger @ 200 and 300 mg/kg bw (GIV and GV), orally for 7 days and GVI animals were kept as untreated infected control. Faecal samples were collected on '0' day before treatment and on 8th, 14th, 21st and 28th day after starting treatment and evaluated using Faecal oocyst count reduction test (FOCRT). The efficacy of amprolium was 93.18%, 96.82%, 95.56% and 95.80% on 8th, 14th, 21st and 28th day, after starting treatment. Turmeric @200 mg/kg b.w. showed efficacy of 41.49%, 52.37%, 61.47% and 60.08% and turmeric @ 300 mg/kg bw was 44.92%, 54.32%, 64.21% and 61.95% effective on 8th, 14th, 21st and 28th day, respectively. Ginger @200 mg/kg bw showed efficacy of 38.51%, 53.48%, 55.38% and 55.53% and ginger @ 300 mg/kg bw was 39.65%, 54.81%, 57.18% and 58.22% effective on 8th,14th, 21st and 28th day, respectively. The results justify use of amprolium for clinical coccidiosis while Curcuma longa and Gingiber officinale could be used as natural prophylactic alternatives.

Biosynthesized selenium nanoparticles to rescue coccidiosis-mediated oxidative stress, apoptosis and inflammation in the jejunum of mice.

One of the most crucial approaches for treating human diseases, particularly parasite infections, is nanomedicine. One of the most significant protozoan diseases that impact farm and domestic animals is coccidiosis. While, amprolium is one of the traditional anticoccidial medication, the advent of drug-resistant strains of Eimeria necessitates the development of novel treatments. The goal of the current investigation was to determine whether biosynthesized selenium nanoparticles (Bio-SeNPs) using Azadirachta indica leaves extract might treat mice with Eimeria papillata infection in the jejunal tissue. Five groups of seven mice each were used, as follows: Group 1: Non-infected-non-treated (negative control). Group 2: Non-infected treated group with Bio-SeNPs (0.5 mg/kg of body weight). Groups 3-5 were orally inoculated with 1×103 sporulated oocysts of E. papillata. Group 3: Infected-non-treated (positive control). Group 4: Infected and treated group with Bio-SeNPs (0.5 mg/kg). Group 5: Infected and treated group with the Amprolium. Groups 4 and 5 daily received oral administration (for 5 days) of Bio-SeNPs and anticoccidial medication, respectively, after infection. Bio-SeNPs caused a considerable reduction in oocyst output in mice feces (97.21%). This was also accompanied by a significant reduction in the number of developmental parasitic stages in the jejunal tissues. Glutathione reduced (GSH), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels were dramatically reduced by the Eimeria parasite, whereas, nitric oxide (NO) and malonaldehyde (MDA) levels were markedly elevated. The amount of goblet cells and MUC2 gene expression were used as apoptotic indicators, and both were considerably downregulated by infection. However, infection markedly increased the expression of inflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and TNF-α) and the apoptotic genes (Caspase-3 and BCL2). Bio-SeNPs were administrated to mice to drastically lower body weight, oxidative stress, and inflammatory and apoptotic indicators in the jejunal tissue. Our research thus showed the involvement of Bio-SeNPs in protecting mice with E. papillata infections against jejunal damage.

Dietary tea tree (Melaleuca alternifolia) essential oil as alternative to antibiotics alleviates experimentally induced Eimeria tenella challenge in Japanese quails.

Coccidiosis is one of the most common infectious diseases seen in Japanese quails. The current study was conducted to evaluate the impact of tea tree essential oil (TTEO) on growth performance and intestinal health of quails in response to Eimeria tenella challenge. A total of 250 Japanese quails were divided into five treatments: untreated uninfected (negative control); untreated infected (positive control); infected + Amprolium; infected and 1% TTEO; infected and 2% TTEO. Except negative control, all groups were orally dosed with 5 × 104 sporulated oocysts of E. tenella. The results revealed that supplementation of 1% TTEO and treatment of amprolium improved feed intake, weight gain and feed conversion ratio in infected quails compared to the positive control. Similarly, lesion score and mortality was significantly (p < 0.01) reduced in quails supplemented with 2% TTEO and amprolium treated birds. Moreover, oocysts counts and histological features of caecum in infected birds were reversed in 1% TTEO and amprolium treatment. The histological findings of amprolium and 1% TTEO supplemented quails showed intact intestinal villi with mild sloughed epithelium. In conclusion, 1% TTEO can be safely used to control coccidiosis in Japanese quails as natural effective compound.

Investigating the etiologies behind emergent mass mortalities of farmed Liza carinata juveniles from coastal farms at Damietta, Egypt.

This study aimed to identify the mortality present in private fish farm Amyloodinium ocellatum and Cryptocaryon irritans were isolated from this outbreak affecting Liza carinata fingerlings at an earthen-based aquaculture facility in Damietta, Egypt. A total of 140 moribunds, L. carinata, were collected from the fish ponds during the mortality events. Physico-chemical analysis of water was analyzed. The skin, fins, gills, and eyes of each fish specimen were scraped gently onto slides in areas over 2 cm area. All smears were examined separately under the light microscope. Molecular identification of the parasites using analysis of ITS rDNA regions flanking both 18S and 28S rDNA genes of Amyloodinium protozoa and C. irritans. Identities of the detected parasites were confirmed by gene sequence and phylogenetic analysis. The majority of the examined fish (90%) were infected, 66.42% had a mixed infection, and 23.57% had a single infection either with A. ocellatum (10.71%) or C. irritans (12.85%).The mean intensity of A. ocellatum was 16.5 ± 2.03 in the skin and 13.18 ± 1.90 in the gills of infected fish, while that of C. irritans was 4.75 ± 1.05 in gills and 7.43 ± 1.45 in the skin, respectively. To control the emergent mortalities, affected ponds were treated using copper sulfate pentahydrate, hydrogen peroxides solutions, and amprolium hydrochloride powder in feed. Fish across the treated ponds were gradually improved with low morbidity and mortalityrates during the treatment period. The clinical disease was almost diminished at the end of the second week of treatment. Coinciding with the clinical improvement of the treated juveniles, microscopical examination of skin/gill scraps exhibited a marked decline in the number of protozoan parasites at the end of the second week of treatment.

The fabrication of an innovative extremely sensitive nano green carbon paste electrode amended with the nanocomposite CuO/Y for electrochemical quantification of amprolium in sheep meat and liver samples.

In this work, carbon paste electrode (CPE) and modified CPE with copper oxide or copper yttrium oxide were prepared for determining amprolium hydrochloride (AMP) by differential pulse voltammetry. AMP has an antiprotozoal activity for treating coccidiosis in poultry; their retaining- in sheep meat and livers- induces adversative effects for the customer. XRD pattern was employed to define the fabricated nanostructured materials; the elemental composition of the nanocomposite was examined using EDX spectra. Over a pH ranging from 2 to 8, the oxidation process of AMP was studied using phosphate buffer. The scan rates were studied over a wide range (20 to 140 mV s-1) using cyclic voltammetry. The developed sensor shows a wide linear range (1.0 × 10-8-1.0 × 10-3 M) with a detection limit of 2.32 × 10-9 M. This method can quantify AMP in pharmaceutical form, sheep meat, and liver samples.

Evaluation of sulfadimidine, amprolium and triquen to treat coccidiosis in wild pigeons.

Coccidiosis remains one of the major problems in poultry all over the world. Very limited data on anticoccidial drugs in wild pigeons is available. The current study was aimed to understand the comparative efficacy of sulfadimidine, amprolium and triquen in wild pigeons of Dir district, Pakistan suffering from coccidiosis. The faecal matter of wild pigeons were purchased from the local market for coccidian infection. Results revealed that 88.8% (16/18) were found infected with Eimeria spp. Three positive groups were treated with sulfadimidine (0.2mg/L), amprolium (25mg/L) and triquen. Sulfadimidine was most effective (45%) followed by amprolium (44.6%) while triquen (24.0%) showed less effectiveness against coccidiosis in pigeons. Number of oocysts were 79, 81 and 80 before treatment and 60, 44 and 44 after treatment with sulfadimidine, amprolium and triquen respectively. This study showed that sulphadimidine, amprolium and triquen could not significantly reduce the coccidiosis in pigeons. Further studies are required to clear the mechanism of anti-coccidial drugs in wild pigeons.

Thiamine-producing lactic acid bacteria and their potential use in the prevention of neurodegenerative diseases.

Thiamine or vitamin B1, an essential micronutrient mainly involved in energy production, has a beneficial impact on the nervous system, and its deficiency can be associated with the development and progression of neurodegenerative diseases. The aim of this work was to select thiamine-producing lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and study their physiological effects using neuron cell cultures. In this study, 23 LAB able to produce thiamine were identified by growth in thiamine-free synthetic medium. Intra- and extracellular thiamine concentrations were determined using a microbiological method and results confirmed by HPLC techniques. A wide variation in vitamin production was found showing that this property was not only species specific but also a strain-dependent trait. Five of these strains were pre-selected for their capacity to produce higher concentrations of thiamine. Only the pre-treatment with the intracellular extract of Lactiplantibacillus (L.) plantarum CRL 1905 increased significantly neuronal survival in N2a cells' model of neurotoxicity (MPP+) with thiamine deficiency conditions (amprolium). Furthermore, amprolium-resistant variants of CRL 1905 were isolated by exposition of the strain to increasing concentrations of this toxic thiamine analogue. The variant A9 was able to increase more than 2 times the intracellular thiamine production of the original strain. A9 bacterial extract significantly prevented neuronal cell death and the increase of IL-6. The amprolium-resistant strain A9 showed a modulating and neuroprotective effect in an in vitro model of neurotoxicity constituting a potential bio-strategy to counteract thiamine deficiencies and thus prevent or treat neurodegenerative diseases. KEY POINTS: • LAB can produce thiamine in a species- and strain-dependant manner. • L. plantarum CRL 1905 significantly reduce MPP+-induced neurotoxicity in N2a cells. • Amprolium-resistant strain A9 has neuroprotective effect and prevents IL-6 increase.

A comparative study of two analytical techniques for the simultaneous determination of amprolium HCl and ethopabate from combined dosage form and in presence of their alkaline degradation.

Chemometric and separation-based techniques (HPLC) are the most applicable and versatile analytical techniques for the analysis of multicomponent mixtures, in the present contribution, a comparison was highlighted between the two analytical techniques of utmost importance as stability indicating assays: UV-spectrophotometry and HPLC-UV focusing on the greenness of each for the simultaneous determination of amprolium HCl (AMP) and ethopabate (ETHOP) in the presence of their alkaline degradation products. The first method was chemometric methods applied were PLS-1, GA-PLS and GA-ANN. To compare the prediction ability of the models, a 4-factor 5-level experimental design was used to establish a calibration set of 25 mixtures containing different ratios of the drugs and their degradation products. The validity of the proposed methods was assessed using an independent validation set of 5 mixtures. The comparison between the different models showed the superiority of ANN model in solving the highly overlapped spectra of the quaternary mixture, yet using inexpensive and easy to handle instruments like the UV-VIS spectrophotometer. The ANN method was used for the quantitative analysis of the drugs in pharmaceutical dosage form via handling the UV spectral data. The second method was based on liquid chromatographic HPLC determination of AMP and ETHOP using C18 column (250 × 4.6 mm2)-PRONTOSIL 5 µm, a mobile phase consisting of methanol: Hexane sulphonic acid sodium salt at (pH = 3.4 ± 0.2) adjusted by orthophosphoric acid (55: 45 v/v). Quantitation was achieved with UV detection at 270 nm at temperature 24 °C. Linearity, accuracy and precision were found to be acceptable over the concentration range of 10.0-70.0 and 1.0-25.0 µg·mL-1 for AMP and ETHOP, respectively. The proposed methods could be successfully applied for the routine analysis of the studied drugs either in their pure bulk powders or in their pharmaceutical preparations without any preliminary separation step. The results obtained were statistically compared with those obtained by applying the reported method.

Influence of Eimeria spp. Infection on Chicken Jejunal Microbiota and the Efficacy of Two Alternative Products Against the Infection.

Eimeria spp. are important intestinal pathogens of chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus). Anticoccidial feed additives, chemicals, and ionophores have traditionally been used to control Eimeria infections in broiler production. Thus, the trend toward antibiotic-free and organic production requires new approaches to coccidiosis prevention. Two not mutually exclusive methods are the use of plant extracts with antiparasitic activity and manipulation of the intestinal microbiota by pre- and probiotics. In the present study, birds were inoculated with a combination of Eimeria acervulina, Eimeria maxima, and Eimeria tenella. We profiled the jejunal microbiome at multiple time points postinfection to investigate the changes in jejunum microbiota and to identify the time point of the maximum difference between infected and noninfected birds. Additionally, we assessed the anticoccidial effects of two anecdotal treatment methods, green tea and apple cider vinegar, as well as amprolium. Green tea and apple cider vinegar had no effect on oocyst shedding, but green tea reduced the mild unspecific lesions in coccidia-infected birds; there was no influence on unspecific lesions in uninfected controls. Jejunal contents were collected on the day of the infection and 1, 2, 4, 6, 10, and 14 days postinfection (dpi) for investigation of the intestinal microbiota by 16S ribosomal (r)RNA gene sequencing. Comparison of the untreated-uninfected and the untreated-infected groups showed a maximum community dissimilarity of 10 dpi. From 4 days after infection, Clostridiales were significantly enriched at the expense of Lactobacillales in infected compared with uninfected birds. Interestingly, treatment with green tea prevented proliferation of Clostridiales induced by the coccidia and increased the relative abundance of Melainabacteria.

Influencia de la infección de Eimeria spp. en el microbiota yeyunal del pollo y en la eficacia de dos productos alternativos contra la infección. Los protozoarios del género Eimeria spp. son importantes patógenos intestinales de los pollos (Gallus gallus domesticus). Los aditivos anticoccidiales en el alimento, los productos químicos y los ionóforos se han utilizado tradicionalmente para controlar las infecciones por Eimeria en la producción de pollos de engorde. Por lo tanto, la tendencia hacia la producción orgánica y libre de antibióticos requiere nuevos enfoques para la prevención de la coccidiosis. Dos métodos no mutuamente excluyentes son el uso de extractos de plantas con actividad antiparasitaria y la manipulación de la microbiota intestinal por prebióticos y probióticos. En el presente estudio, las aves fueron inoculadas con una combinación de Eimeria acervulina, Eimeria maxima y Eimeria tenella. Se determinó el perfil del microbioma yeyunal en múltiples puntos de tiempo después de la infección, para investigar los cambios en la microbiota del yeyuno e identificar el momento donde se observa la diferencia máxima entre las aves infectadas y no infectadas. Además, se evaluaron los efectos anticoccidiales de dos métodos de tratamiento basados por datos anecdóticos, el té verde y el vinagre de sidra de manzana, así como el amprolium. El té verde y el vinagre de sidra de manzana no tuvieron ningún efecto sobre el desprendimiento de oocistos, pero el té verde redujo las lesiones leves inespecíficas en aves infectadas con coccidia; no hubo influencia en lesiones inespecíficas en controles no infectados. Los contenidos yeyunales se recogieron el día de la infección y a los días 1, 2, 4, 6, 10 y 14 después de la infección (dpi) para la investigación de la microbiota intestinal mediante secuenciación del gene del ARN ribosómico 16S. La comparación de los grupos no tratados-no infectados y no tratados-infectados mostró una diferencia máxima en la comunidad a los diez días después de la inoculación. A partir de los cuatro días después de la infección, los agentes Clostridiales se enriquecieron significativamente a expensas de los Lactobacillales en aves infectadas en comparación con las aves no infectadas. Curiosamente, el tratamiento con té verde evitó la proliferación de Clostridiales inducida por los coccidios y aumentó la abundancia relativa de melainabacterias.

Comprehensive stability-indicating high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode array detection method for simultaneous determination of amprolium hydrochloride and ethopabate in powder dosage form for veterinary use.

This research deals with the development of a stability-indicating high-performance liquid chromatography method for simultaneous determination of amprolium hydrochloride and ethopabate. To the best of our knowledge, no comprehensive stability-indicating method has been reported for analysis of this mixture. Separation was achieved using Kromasil cyano column with gradient elution of the mobile phase composed of sodium hexane sulfonate solution and methanol. Quantification was based on measuring peak areas at 266 nm. Amprolium and ethopabate peaks eluted at retention times 10.42 and 18.53 min, respectively. The proposed procedure was validated with respect to system suitability, linearity, ranges, precision, accuracy, specificity, robustness, detection, and quantification limits. Linearity ranges for amprolium and ethopabate were 1.5-240 and 1-160 µg/mL, respectively. Analytes were subjected to stress conditions of hydrolysis, oxidation and thermal degradation. The proposed method enabled resolution of drugs from their forced-degradation products and amprolium related substance (2-picoline). Moreover, specificity was verified by resolution of the analytes from about 22 drugs used in antimicrobial veterinary products. The validated method was successfully applied to assay of the combined veterinary powder dosage form, additionally it was implemented in the accelerated stability study of the dosage form when stored for six months at 40°C and 75% relative humidity.

Study on the interaction of amprolium HCl and dinitolmide in animal-derived food products with BSA by multiple spectroscopies and molecular modeling techniques.

Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Thiamine and selected thiamine antivitamins - biological activity and methods of synthesis.

Thiamine plays a very important coenzymatic and non-coenzymatic role in the regulation of basic metabolism. Thiamine diphosphate is a coenzyme of many enzymes, most of which occur in prokaryotes. Pyruvate dehydrogenase and 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase complexes as well as transketolase are the examples of thiamine-dependent enzymes present in eukaryotes, including human. Therefore, thiamine is considered as drug or diet supplement which can support the treatment of many pathologies including neurodegenerative and vascular system diseases. On the other hand, thiamine antivitamins, which can interact with thiamine-dependent enzymes impeding their native functions, thiamine transport into the cells or a thiamine diphosphate synthesis, are good propose to drug design. The development of organic chemistry in the last century allowed the synthesis of various thiamine antimetabolites such as amprolium, pyrithiamine, oxythiamine, or 3-deazathiamine. Results of biochemical and theoretical chemistry research show that affinity to thiamine diphosphate-dependent enzymes of these synthetic molecules exceeds the affinity of native coenzyme. Therefore, some of them have already been used in the treatment of coccidiosis (amprolium), other are extensively studied as cytostatics in the treatment of cancer or fungal infections (oxythiamine and pyrithiamine). This review summarizes the current knowledge concerning the synthesis and mechanisms of action of selected thiamine antivitamins and indicates the potential of their practical use.

In vitro effect of two commercial anti-coccidial drugs against myxospores of Kudoa septempunctata genotype ST3 (Myxozoa, Multivalvulida).

Kudoa septempunctata (Myxozoa: Multivalvulida) myxospores infect the trunk muscles of olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus). In this study, two popular commercially formulated anti-coccidial drugs (amprolium hydrochloride and toltrazuril) were serially diluted and incubated with purified mature Kudoa septempunctata myxospores. The viability of K. septempunctata spores was determined after a 2-day incubation followed by Hoechst 33342 and propidium iodide staining, and scanning electron microscopy. Amprolium hydrochloride significantly decreased spore viability (18% of control) at a concentration of 920 µg/mL, whereas toltrazuril showed almost no effect (83% of control). Viability of the control (untreated spores) was 90%. In vivo studies are required to confirm the efficacy of amprolium hydrochloride in fish infected with K. septempunctata myxospores on their growth and immune system performance.

Evaluation of furazolidone, sulfadimidine and amprolium to treat coccidiosis in Beetal goats under field conditions.

Coccidiosis is a protozoal and occasionally fatal diarrheic disease of goats imposing heavy economic losses to farming community. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacies of Furazolidone, Sulfadimidine and Amprolium against coccidiosis in Beetal goats. Twenty-four (24) Beetal goats naturally infected with coccidiosis were randomly divided into four groups of 6 (A-D). Goats in groups A, B and C were treated orally with Furazolidone (10 mg/Kg), Sulfadimidine (100 mg/Kg) and Amprolium (55 mg/Kg), respectively for 7 days. Goats in-group D served as positive control. Oocysts per gram (OPG) of feces counts of individual goats in each group were performed on Days; 0 (pre-treatment) 7, 14 and 21 (post-treatment). OPG counts amongst goats in all groups at day 0 were not significant (P>0.05). On days 7, 14 and 21, OPG values decreased significantly (P<0.05) in groups A, B and C compared to group D. The efficacy of Furazolidone, Sulfadimidine and Amprolium was 98.6, 98.0 and 99.6 percent, respectively on Day 21 (end of trial). Statistically, the efficacies of three drugs were not significantly different (P>0.05). In conclusion, Furazolidone, Sulfadimidine and Amprolium are well-tolerated and any one of these may be recommended to effectively treat coccidiosis in Beetal goats.

Efficacy of treatment of elevated coccidial oocyst counts in goats using amprolium versus ponazuril.

Coccidiosis is an important disease of young goats leading to weight loss, diarrhea, and death. In the USA, both ionophores and decoquinate are labeled for prevention of coccidia in goats. However, there are no drugs approved for treatment of clinical cases of coccidiosis in this species. Amprolium is labeled for treatment of coccidiosis in calves while ponazuril, a metabolite of toltrazuril, is labeled for treatment of equine protozoal myeloencephalitis. In this study, 150 young goats housed on concrete lots had fecal samples collected and McMaster fecal oocyst per gram counts performed at 0, 7, 14, and 21 days post-processing. Goats were randomly assigned to receive either amprolium (50mg/kg once a day for 5 days by mouth) or ponazuril (10mg/kg by mouth once) if they had fecal oocyst counts >5,000 per gram. Fecal samples were obtained and oocyst counts performed at days 7, 14, 21, and 28 after the cessation of treatment. Goats were weighed on days 0 and 21 post-processing. Seven goats were enrolled into the amprolium group and 8 into the ponazuril group. Both treatments resulted in decreased oocyst counts post-treatment compared to before treatment. There was no significant difference between fecal coccidian oocyst counts between goats in each group. There was no significant difference in body weight between goats in each group. This study showed that both amprolium and ponazuril were effective in decreasing fecal coccidia oocyst counts in this group of goats. Use of both drugs is currently extra-label in the USA.

Synergistic approach for treatment of chicken coccidiosis using berberine--A plant natural product.

Despite the advent of anticoccidial drugs and vaccines, coccidiosis continues to result in substantial economic losses to the poultry industry. Berberine, a natural alkaloid is well known in studies involving synergistic approaches, thereby reducing the dosage of principal drugs. Therefore, a study was designed to see whether a synergistic anticoccidial effect could be obtained between amprolium and berberine, in vivo using broiler chicken. Anticoccidial activity was measured in comparison to the reference drug amprolium on the basis of oocyst output reduction, mean weight gain and feed conversion ratio. Oocyst output was measured using Mc-Masters counting technique. Different combinations of berberine and amprolium were tested and out of which 1:1 ratio was the most effective for controlling these parasites. Oral gavaging of 100(50 + 50) mg/kg body weight of 1:1 ratio of amprolium and berberine caused the equivalent reduction in number of oocysts (38.85 ± 9.61) one day prior to that of standard drug amprolium (49.95 ± 16.65) as well as pure berberine (44.4 ± 9.61) used in the study. Weight gain of birds was also highest in the synergistic group (1547.43 ± 12.86) among all the infected groups. Besides feed conversion ratio in the synergistic group was also better (1.387 ± 0.026). The results of this study proved the effectiveness of both amprolium and berberine and revealed synergism between amprolium and berberine against coccidian oocysts, confirmed by significant reduction in the number of coccidian oocysts shed in the feces, leading to better weight gain and improved feed conversion ratio. The study deep-rooted the synergistic potential of berberine, a natural bioactive compound for controlling a protozoan parasite and the results of this study corroborate with its use for treatment of severe diarrhoea, amoebiasis and intestinal infections.