Interactive effects of deoxynivalenol contaminated diets and coccidiosis on growth performance, immune response, oxidative status, and gut health in pullets

Authors: PANERU, DEEPENDRA - University Of Georgia; SHARMA, MILAN - Cornell University; GOO, DOYUN - University Of Georgia; SHI, HANYI - University Of Georgia; APPLEGATE, TODD - University Of Georgia; CHAI, LONG - University Of Georgia; Shanmugasundaram, Revathi; KIM, WOO - University Of Georgia

Submitted to: Poultry Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/18/2025
Publication Date: 6/19/2025
Citation: Paneru, D., Sharma, M.K., Goo, D., Shi, H., Applegate, T.J., Chai, L., Shanmugasundaram, R., Kim, W.K. 2025. Interactive effects of deoxynivalenol contaminated diets and coccidiosis on growth performance, immune response, oxidative status, and gut health in pullets. Poultry Science. 104; 9, 105462.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2025.105462

Interpretive Summary: Coccidiosis is a disease in poultry caused by a type of parasite called Eimeria spp. and it causes major economic problems for the global poultry industry. Pullets (young chickens) are particularly at risk because of their immature immune systems, especially their T cell-mediated immunity that fights off infections. The mycotoxin deoxynivalenol (DON) has the potential to weaken the immune response in young pullets thereby increasing their susceptibility to infections. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to investigate the combined impacts of coccidiosis infection and diets contaminated with DON on growth performance, gut health, immune response, and oxidative status in pullets during acute and recovery phases of coccidial infection. This study found that diets containing 15.4 ppm DON for 14 days exacerbated the negative effects of coccidial infection on pullet health and performance and led to significantly increased oxidative stress, disrupted T cell populations, and altered intestinal morphology.

Technical Abstract: Deoxynivalenol (DON) contamination in feed and coccidiosis are major challenges in poultry, leading to reduced performance and economic losses. This study investigated the effects of dietary DON exposure on the severity of coccidial infection in pullets. A total of 288 4-wks-old Hy-Line W36 pullets were allocated into control (2.5 ppm DON) and contaminated (13.9-15.4 ppm DON) dietary groups. At 6 wks of age, pullets were further sub-divided into non-challenged and coccidiosis-challenged groups in a 2×2 factorial design. Samples were collected during the acute and recovery phase of coccidial infection. Dietary DON did not affect BW or feed intake (FI) before coccidial challenge (P > 0.05). However, post-challenge, the interaction between DON and coccidiosis significantly reduced FI during the acute phase of coccidiosis (P = 0.038). Coccidiosis impaired the growth performance (P < 0.001), increased intestinal permeability (P < 0.001), and induced moderate intestinal lesions, with lesions numerically more severe in DON-fed birds (P > 0.05). Both coccidiosis and DON downregulated jejunal MUC2 expression (P < 0.05), with a trend toward interaction (P = 0.065). Coccidiosis upregulated CLDN1 and downregulated JAM2, OCLN and ZO1 during acute infection (P < 0.05), while the interaction further upregulated CLDN1 during recovery (P = 0.004). In cecal tonsils, coccidiosis upregulated inflammatory cytokines (IFN-' and IL-10) during the acute phase (P < 0.05), whereas DON only affected IL-1ß expression (P < 0.05). The interaction between DON and coccidiosis increased CD4+ T cells in the spleen during acute coccidiosis (P = 0.003). Coccidiosis reduced hepatic glutathione (GSH) and increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels during the acute phase (P < 0.05), while DON independently increased GSH and SOD during recovery (P < 0.05). Coccidiosis severely disrupted the intestinal morphology (P < 0.001), and DON affected jejunal morphology during recovery (P < 0.05). In conclusion, DON exposure had minimal adverse effects on non-challenged birds; however, it negatively affected the immune response and mucin production, exacerbating the negative effects of coccidiosis. Keywords: deoxynivalenol, coccidiosis, pullets, immune response, gut health