الفهرس 
CONTENTSOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Chicken coccidiosis takes priority in studies, enterprises, and poultry farms. The recent need to develop improved ways for combating drug resistance and devising schemes for integrated coccidiosis management led to a multidisciplinary search for new ways of dealing with the problem of resistance. So, the intent of this study was to: Assess the status quo of Eimeria spp. among coccidiosis affected-broiler chickens introduced to the different diagnostic labs in Assiut, Egypt, during September 2021-March 2022; Identify the current sensitivity state of the most frequent Eimeria sp. to some commonly used therapeutic anticoccidial drugs (Toltrazuril, Diclazuril, Amprolium HCl, Sulfaquinoxaline); Approach the therapeutic anticoccidial potential of organic acids blend, essential oils blend, and Artemisia annua extract and their additive effect when combined with the therapeutic anticoccidial drug “toltrazuril” in comparison to the nano-transformed toltrazuril as sug-gested lines that may enhance the drug efficacy.
Eimeria tenella was the most frequently identified coccidian species (48 %) followed by E. acervulina (30 %), E. mitis (28 %), E. maxima (24 %), E. praecox (10 %). E. brunetti and mivati were the least (1 %, each). The single infection with one Eimeria spp. was more than the mixed (64 % vs. 36 %).
Using the anticoccidial Sensitivity Profiles 1 and 2, the percent of optimum anticoccidial activity, relative oocyst production, and the I See Inside microscopic scoring, a highly pathogenic E. tenella field isolate expressed marked therapeutic resistance against the amprolium HCl and sulfaquinoxaline. A partial resistance to toltrazuril and sensitivity to diclazuril has been developed.
Sulfaquinoxaline treatment induced the most vigorous clinical signs and the highest mortality percent exceeding the infected non-treated birds (45 % vs. 40 %), toltrazuril-, and amprolium-medicated birds (35 % and 15 %, respectively). Diclazuril saved all birds’ life (0 % mortality).
All the used drugs didn’t improve the growth performance parameters (Feed Intake, Body weight gain, and Feed Conversion Rate). Nevertheless, treatment with toltrazuril and diclazuril showed growth performance parameters, statistically, better than untreated ones. The sulfaquinoxaline and amprolium impacted negatively on the growth performance. Sulfaquinoxaline was the worst.
Based on the respective numerical scoring systems, the diclazuril and toltrazuril medication lowered significantly the cecal gross lesions (MLS ≈ 2 and 2.3, respectively). The Amprolium- and Sulfaquinoxaline-medication did not significantly reduce the severity of the cecal lesions than the infected non-medicated (MLS ≈ 2.9, 3, and 3.3 respectively).
None of the used drugs stopped the oocyst shedding, however, the diclazuril- significantly decreased the oocyst shedding by 93.6 %. Meanwhile, the oocysts shedding lessened non-significantly by 64.3 %, and 38 % in the Sulfaquinoxaline and Toltrazuril medicated groups, respectively. Amprolium showed the lowest (worst) oocyst shedding reduction rate (31.2 %). The histopathological data supported these observations.
The therapeutic anticoccidial potential of organic acids blend, essential oils blend, and Artemisia annua extract and their synergistic effect when combined with the therapeutic anticoccidial drug “toltrazuril” in comparison to the nano-transformed toltrazuril were suggested as lines that may enhance the drug efficacy.
The organic acids blend, essential oils blend, and A. annua extract alone revealed a substantial anticoccidial potential that was comparable to the anticoccidial drug, as well, they acted synergistically with the drug and somewhat boosted its effect against E. tenella. The nano-toltrazuril expressed comparable marked enhancement in the efficacy of the toltrazuril which exceeded greatly the commercial product.
The medication with A. annua extract alone and Nano-toltrazuril re-markably reduced the clinical signs and mortalities followed by commercial Toltrazuril combined with the organic acids blend in comparison to commercial toltrazuril alone and infected non-medicated (6.7 %, 13.3 %, and 26.7 %, vs. 53.3 % and 60 %, respectively). Adding the essential oils blend and A. annua extract to toltrazuril reduced mortality to 33.3 % which was similar to the effect of the organic acids blend alone and lower than the use of the essential oils blend alone.
Treatment with the commercial toltrazuril alone showed no improvement over the +ve control group in the clinical picture of coccidiosis.
All medications significantly enhanced the growth performance parameters and the nano-toltrazuril was the best, but the enhancement after the other therapies was lower than that of the commercial drug.
In terms of lesion severity, the nano-toltrazuril and toltrazuril combined with A. annua extract did the best (MLS ≈ 2.1 and 2, respectively vs. 3.5). The organic acids blend alone, essential oils blend alone, and the commercial toltrazuril alone reduced similarly the lesion severity (MLS ≈ 2.3 each) which was better than the effect of toltrazuril essential oils combination and A. annua extract alone (MLS ≈ 2.5 each). Mixing the organic acids blend with toltrazuril produce MLS ≈ 2.7.
The best medications that reduced the oocysts shedding were the nano-toltrazuril followed by toltrazuril- organic acids combination, then toltrazuril-A. annua combination and toltrazuril-essential oils combination (85.5 %, 71 %, 52 %, and 50.7 % respectively). A. annua alone reduced the oocyst shedding better than the commercial toltrazuril alone, organic acids blend alone, and essential oils blend alone (47.8 % vs. 37 %, 17.4 %, 2.9 %, respectively).
The anticoccidial sensitivity indices concluded that A. anuua syner-gized with the commercial toltrazuril followed by the organic acids blend. Meanwhile, the nano-toltrazuril meaningfully increased the efficacy of the toltrazuril in comparison to other approaches.