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Longitudinal Characterization of Coccidiosis Control Methods on Live Performance and Nutrient Utilization in Broilers
Alyson E Gautier1, Juan D Latorre1, Phil L Matsler1
1Department of Poultry Science, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, United States.
Frontiers in Veterinary Science
|January 30, 2020
Summary
Coccidiosis vaccination in broilers caused a temporary decrease in nutrient digestibility, but growth performance recovered by 28 days. Intestinal morphology was unaffected by vaccination or chemical coccidiostats.
Area of Science:
- Poultry Science
- Animal Nutrition
- Veterinary Immunology
Background:
- Coccidiosis remains a significant challenge in broiler production, impacting bird health and economic returns.
- Vaccination strategies offer an alternative to traditional chemical coccidiostats, but their effects on broiler performance require detailed evaluation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify the effects of coccidiosis vaccination on broiler growth performance, nutrient digestibility, and intestinal health.
- To compare the impacts of live oocyst vaccination (VAC) with unvaccinated (NC) and chemical coccidiostat (PC) groups.
Main Methods:
- Male Cobb broilers were assigned to unvaccinated, chemical coccidiostat, or live oocyst vaccination treatments.
- Growth performance (BWG, FI, FCR), apparent ileal digestibility (AID) of nutrients and energy, plasma carotenoids, nitric oxide, and jejunal morphology were assessed at multiple time points.
- Oocyst shedding was monitored to confirm vaccination efficacy.
Main Results:
- Vaccination (VAC) led to transient reductions in apparent ileal digestibility (AID) of nutrients and energy, especially lipids, by day 12, which normalized by day 20.
- Broiler growth performance showed a temporary dip in BWG and FI at day 20 for VAC birds, but feed conversion ratio (FCR) remained comparable across groups.
- By days 28 and 36, growth performance in VAC birds was similar to the chemical coccidiostat group, and jejunal morphology was unaffected by any treatment.
Conclusions:
- Live oocyst coccidiosis vaccination induces a temporary reduction in nutrient and energy digestibility in broilers, with effects diminishing by day 20.
- Despite transient digestive challenges, coccidiosis vaccination supports comparable growth performance to chemical coccidiostats by the later stages of broiler grow-out.
- Intestinal morphology is not adversely affected by coccidiosis vaccination or chemical coccidiostats, suggesting a safe alternative for coccidiosis control.
