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Title: The effects of dried leaves of Manihot esculenta and Artemisia annua on coccidiosis in organically reared pullets in Brazil

Author
item ALMEIDA, GUSTAVO - Universidade Federal De Sao Carlos
item THAMSBORG, STIG - Copenhagen University
item CAMPOS, DANIEL - Universidade Federal De Sao Carlos
item HORSTED, KLAUS - Aarhus University
item MAGALHAES, PEDRO - Universidade De Campinas (UNICAMP)
item Ferreira, Jorge
item HERMANSEN, JOHN - Aarhus University

Submitted to: EAAP International Symposium on Energy and Protein Metabolism and Nutrition
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/15/2016
Publication Date: 9/15/2016
Citation: Almeida, G.F., Thamsborg, S.M., Campos, D.M., Horsted, K., Magalhaes, P.M., Ferreira, J.F., Hermansen, J.E. 2016. The effects of dried leaves of Manihot esculenta and Artemisia annua on coccidiosis in organically reared pullets in Brazil. EAAP International Symposium on Energy and Protein Metabolism and Nutrition. 137:355-356. doi: 10.3920/978-90-8686-832-2.

Interpretive Summary: There is currently a lack of natural control of anti-parasitic Cassava and annual (sweet) wormwood (artemisia) were tested as natural controllers of gastrointestinal parasitism (coccidiosis) in infected chickens and compared to a vaccinated group (Livacox, Merial®). Both cassava and artemisia were provided as dried ground leaves at 3% of animal daily diet at different life stages. The inclusion of annual wormwood in chicken food led to poorer animal performance compared to the group immunized with a commercial vaccine (control). This poor performance may have been in part due to the bitter taste of Artemisia, which led to reduced feeding. However, when evaluated at 21 days of age, chickens fed dried cassava leaves mixed with their feed presented both performance and parasite control similar to the one achieved for the control group. Thus, cassava leaves showed great potential as a natural alternative for the commercial vaccine and could be used by farmers practicing the organic, slow input, poultry production system. Results need to be validated at the commercial organic field level.

Technical Abstract: The effects of Manihot esculenta and Artemisia annua as natural coccidiostats were investigated as compared to a vaccinated group. The inclusion of Artemisia annua showed poorer performance compared to the vaccinated group whereas dried leaves of M. esculenta presented similar results of a commercial vaccine in performance and smaller oocyst shedding at 21 days of age. Manihot Esculenta might be an option as natural coccidiostat for organic and slow input poultry systems and deserves further investigation.