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Title: BATTERY AND FLOOR-PEN EXPERIMENTS ON EFFICACY OF EIMERIA MAXIMA OOCYST IMMUNIZATION WITH DAY-OLD STRAINS OF BROILER CHICKENS

Author
item Danforth, Harry
item WATKINS, KEVIN - ELANCO ANIMAL HEALTH, IN
item MARTIN, ALISON - DEMETER, NC
item DEKICH, MARK - PERDUE FARMS INC, MD

Submitted to: Poultry Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/10/1996
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Avian coccidiosis, an intestinal disease caused by protozoan coccidial parasites, is estimated to cost the U.S. poultry industry over $300 million annually. This disease has been partially controlled by the use of anticoccidial compounds that are usually mixed in the feed of broiler birds. During the past decade increased drug resistance by avian coccidia to all anticoccidial drug now cleared for use in poultry has caused great concern within the industry. Several large poultry producers now believe that new directions in the use of or adjuncts to drug medication must be investigated. In the present study, it was determined that day old broiler birds could be immunized by viable oocysts of one species of drug resistant coccidia. In addition it was found that day of age immunization with this species of drug resistant coccidia could be coupled with anticoccidial medication and still produce good immunity to the drug resistant strain. These results indicate that immunization and medication could be combined to protect against drug resistant strains of coccidia while still allowing for the medication to control drug sensitive strains of coccidia. In this way more effective control of avian coccidia could be accomplished for the poultry industry.

Technical Abstract: Effect of performance of birds immunized at one day of age with a drug resistant field strain isolate of Eimeria maxima on 3 different strains of broiler chickens was evaluated in battery and floorpen immunization trials. No difference was seen in the immunization potential of three different strains or sexes of day-old broiler chickens immunized with 2500 oocysts/bird of E. maxima and challenged at 10 days of age with 25,000 oocysts/bird of the same isolate in two separate battery trials. All immunized birds showed significant protection as measured by the parameters of weight gain and mid-intestinal lesion scores at 7 days post challenge (PC), when compared with nonimmunized challenged controls. In two separate floorpen immunization trials, one broiler bird strain (designated strain 2) immunized by the same procedure and challenged at 21 days of age with the equivalent of 25,000 oocysts/bird of the same isolate also showed significant protection for weight gain, and lesion scores at 7 days PC when compared with nonimmunized controls. Floorpen birds fed 3 different anticoccidial shuttle diets (Maxiban 90 g/t-Monteban 72 g/t + 3- Nitro 45.4 g/t, Nicarbazin 113 g/t-Monteban 72 g/t + 3-Nitro 45.4 g/t, Coban 100 g/t-Coban 100g/t) showed no interference with elicited immunity with E. maxima challenge for the same parameters measured. No significant difference was seen between any of the floorpen immunized bird groups for total weight gain at trial termination (49 days of age).