EVALUATION OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE TOLTRAZURILE AGAINST CAECAL COCCIDIOSIS OF BROILER

Abstract

Coccidiosis is a fatal disease of poultry. In order to combat caecal coccidiosis of poultry this study was designed to evaluate the therapeutic and prophylactic efficacy of Toltrazuril at different doses as well as its combination with other therapeutic and immunomodulatory agents. Forty five day old chicks were randomized and divided into nine groups. Group A served as noninfected, non-medicated control group. The chicks of Group B, C, D, E, F, G, H and I were challenged orally with 1x104 sporulated oocysts of Eimeria tenella on the 10th and 15th day of their age to induce infection. Chicks of Group B were infected and non-medicated while chicks of Group C, D, and E were treated with Toltrazuril at a dose rate of 3.5, 7, and 12 mg/kg body weight respectively on day 22 and 23 of age; the early stage of clinical coccidiosis. Chicks of Group F were treated on day 22 and 23 with Toltrazuril and Vitamin K at a dose rate of 7mg/kg and 2.5 mg/kg body weight respectively. Similarly chicks of Group G were treated with Toltrazuril 7 mg/kg and Sulfaclozine 150 mg/kg body weight and the chicks of Group H were treated with Toltrazuril 7 mg/kg and Oyster Mushroom powder 100 mg/kg body weight. In chicks of Group I, Toltrazuril was given as prophylactic at a dose rate of 3.5 mg/kg body weight from day 10 up to day 24 of experiment. The efficacy of Toltrazuril was evaluated based on oocysts count per gram (OPG) of faeces, weight gain, morbidity, mortality and necropsy findings. The maximum reduction of OPG counts in therapeutic trial on day 24 were detected in Group F (0.09±0.03 thousand, p<0.05) and Group G (1.04±0.04 thousand, p<0.01). Concerning the mean body weight recorded as compared to healthy control on day 24, Group F (850.75±13.40 g, p<0.01) chickens showed highest performance in terms of therapeutic trial, followed by Group H (809.90±15.91 g, p<0.01) and Group G (797.22±14.20 g, p<0.01) chickens. Chickens belonging to Group B showed lowest performance in terms of body weight (643.97±17.64g) and OPG of faeces count (64.44±1.38 thousand) (p<0.01). In prophylactic trial chickens of Group I showed the highest performance in terms of body weight (942.60±16.44g) and OPG of faeces count (0.03±0.01 thousand) (p<0.01). Results showed Toltrazuril as an effective prophylactic agent against caecal coccidiosis of chicken and supplementation of Vitamin K in feed of infected flock reduced morbidity and mortality.