Intestinal conditioner pronutrientes to prevent coccidiosis and a mixed infection with necrotic enteritis
An effective prevention of coccidiosis minimizes the severity of necrotic enteritis, as coccidia are a predisposing factor of NE.
Coccidiosis and necrotic enteritis are two major diseases in poultry production with severe economic consequences. They are tightly related with each other, since coccidiosis is one of the main predisposing factors for necrotic enteritis, and mixed infections are common.
Intestinal conditioner and intestinal optimizer pronutrients are two types of active molecules from plant extracts that can act synergistically to improve the animals’ resistance against coccidiosis and other protozoan enteric diseases.
OBJECTIVES
- To study if intestinal conditioner and intestinal optimizer pronutrients, together, can prevent coccidiosis in broilers.
- To evaluate whether these active molecules can minimize the consequences of necrotic enteritis when it is presented after exposure to coccidia.
EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN
480 one-day old male broilers were assigned to one of the six treatment groups for a period of 42 days.
RESULTS
The challenge significantly impaired body weight gain, since non-supplemented challenged groups obtained the worst body weights. On the contrary, pronutrients improved weight in non-challenged birds (+ 39 g) and minimized the effects of the challenges (+70 g for Eimeria infection and +25 g for mixed infection).
Similarly, the worst feed conversion rate (FCR) was observed in challenged non-supplemented groups. Pronutrients improved FCR in healthy (1.37%) and challenged birds. For the infected groups, the improvement was greater in birds challenged with Eimeria (2.37%) than in birds challenged with a mixed infection (0.49%). This means that pronutrients can prevent the consequences of coccidiosis and reduce the impact of the mixed infection.
The survival rate decreased in challenged birds, however, pronutrients reduced the mortality in all the challenged groups (Eimeria and mixed challenges).
Oocyst shedding was lower (76% reduction) in challenged groups with pronutrients than in challenged groups without supplements. The difference was greater on day 8 post-infection (dpi). Litter moisture and the dropping score (the higher, the poorer the quality of the feces, which is related to gut disorders) got increased in challenged non-supplemented groups; while the challenged groups that received pronutrients could minimize the worsening in litter quality and dropping scores.
CONCLUSIONS
- In healthy birds, pronutrients have a positive impact on performance.
- The challenges impaired performance, but pronutrients minimized the negative impact of the infections.
- Generally, pronutrients have a greater protective effect in birds challenged with Eimeria than in birds that receive a mixed infection. However, pronutrients had a small protective effect in mixed infections. This probably means that pronutrients need to be combined with another product, such as cimenol ring, to help to protect against the necrotic enteritis mixed infection.
- Lower oocyst shedding, litter moisture and the dropping score are indicators of better gut health and they are correlated with performance results, since the supplemented groups obtained lower counts, litter moisture and dropping scores than the groups without them.
In conclusion, an effective prevention of coccidiosis minimizes the severity of necrotic enteritis, as coccidia are a predisposing factor of NE.
These are partial results from a trial. If you would like to have the complete results, please contact the responsible for this website.
Intestinal conditioner and intestinal optimizer pronutrients are marketed as Alquernat Coneb, a product developed and manufactured by Biovet S.A.
