Effects of Artemisia annua and Foeniculum vulgare on chickens highly infected with Eimeria tenella (Phylum Apicomplexa)

Background

Intensive poultry production systems depend on chemoprophylaxis with anticoccidial drugs to combat infection. A floor-pen study was conducted to evaluate the anticoccidial effect of Artemisia annua and Foeniculum vulgare on Eimeria tenella infection. Five experimental groups were established: negative control (untreated, unchallenged); positive control (untreated, challenged); a group medicated with 125 ppm lasalocid and challenged; a group medicated with A. annua leaf powder at 1.5% in feed and challenged; and a group treated with the mixed oils of A. annua and Foeniculum vulgare in equal parts, 7.5% in water and challenged. The effects of A. annua and oil extract of A. annua + F. vulgare on E. tenella infection were assessed by clinical signs, mortality, fecal oocyst output, faeces, lesion score, weight gain, and feed conversion.

Results

Clinical signs were noticed only in three chickens from the lasalocid group, six from the A. annua group, and nine from the A. annua + F. vulgare group, but were present in 19 infected chickens from the positive control group. Bloody diarrhea was registered in only two chickens from A. annua group, but in 17 chickens from the positive control group. Mortality also occurred in the positive control group (7/20). Chickens treated with A. annua had a significant reduction in faecal oocysts (95.6%; P = 0.027) and in lesion score (56.3%; P = 0.005) when compared to the positive control. At the end of experiment, chickens treated with A. annua leaf powder had the highest body weight gain (68.2 g/day), after the negative control group, and the best feed conversion (1.85) among all experimental groups.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that A. annua leaf powder (Aa-p), at 1.5% of the daily diet post-infection, can be a valuable alternative for synthetic coccidiostats, such as lasalocid.     

五种抗球虫药对柔嫩艾美耳球虫病的预防效果对比试验

为了解聚醚类离子载体抗球虫药对柔嫩艾美耳球虫病的预防效果。我们选择了海南霉素(Hainanmycin)、马杜霉素(Maduramicin)、盐霉素(Salinomycin)、莫能霉素(Monensin)和拉沙霉素(Lasalosidum)5种抗球虫药，鸡在人工感染条件下，进行了预防对比试验。以成活率、相对增重率、抗球虫指数(ACI)等指标，进行综合判定。结果显示：海南霉素、马杜霉素、盐霉素用药组的ACI在160～180之间，分别为160．35、171．34和161．22。而莫能霉素和拉沙霉素用药组的ACI在160以下，分别为139．95和142．20。感染不用药组的ACI为100．67。说明海南霉素、马杜霉素、盐霉素对本鸡场鸡球虫株(E．tenella)具有中等抗球虫效力。而莫能霉素和拉沙霉素的抗球虫效果属于低效。     

Determination of artemisinin in Artemisia sieberi and anticoccidial effects of the plant extract in broiler chickens

Artemisinin has received much attention in the treatment of malaria in recent years, and it is now considered as a potential candidate to reduce coccidial infection in chickens. It is a sesquiterpene compound which has been isolated from Aretemisia annua for the first time. The present study aimed to investigate the occurrence of artemisinin in A. sieberi (AS) and to test the anticoccidial effects of plant extract in broiler chickens. The aerial parts of the plant were collected during different seasons from Yazd Province, in the centre of Iran. The artemisinin content of the AS was extracted with petrol ether and analysed by high-performance liquid chromatography using UV detection. Anticoccidial effects of the plant extract were tested on chicks challenged with various species of Eimeria. The infected chickens were treated with doses of 1 or 2.5 mg/kg per day artemisinin via oral administration of plant extract. The analytical results showed that the level of artemisinin in AS was 0.2% and 0.14% of dried weight (DW) of plant materials in summer and autumn, respectively. Treatment of experimentally infected chickens with AS extracts showed that artemisinin was able to reduce the severity of coccidial infection induced by Eimeria tenella and E. acervulina, but not E. maxima. The anticoccidial effects of artemisinin were shown by significant decrease in output of number of oocysts per gram of faeces in chickens challenged with different species of Eimeria. This study showed that the levels of artemisinin in AS were comparable with those in other species including A. annua, and that the extract of this plant can reduce coccidial infection in broiler chickens.     

中药复方对鸡柔嫩艾美尔球虫病的疗效观察

通过人工感染预防试验和治疗试验,对由常山、青蒿、柴胡、苦参、苦楝根、黄芪等13种中草药按不同组成和配比组成的5个不同中药复方的抗球虫效果进行了试验观察。结果在5个中药复方中,预防试验复方4(0.5 mL/d)的抗球虫指数最高(ACI=110.07),是阳性对照组的193.0%,存活率为100%,卵囊值较低,为20;治疗试验复方4高剂量组(1.0 mL/d)的存活率相对较高,为95%;预防试验复方1和复方3存活率较高,均为93.33%,在预防试验和治疗试验复方1和复方3的卵囊值均为20,相对于其他中药复方和阳性对照组较低。结果表明,常山配比高的复方可明显降低鸡球虫感染后的卵囊值,青蒿配比高的复方可明显提高鸡球虫感染后的存活率。     

Comparative effects of Herba Cox®, a commercial herbal extract,on rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) experimentally infected with Eimeria stiedae

The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of Herba Cox®, a commercial herbal compound containing extracts from Bombax malabaricum, Aegle marmelos, Anethum foeniculum, Resina salvia, Ferula asafoetida and Papaver somniferum, for the treatment of rabbit hepatic coccidiosis. Thirty rabbits were allocated into three groups (10 × 3), the G1 group served as a negative control group, G2 group (positive control group) was infected with 5 × 10⁴ sporulated E. stiedaeoocysts and served as infected-untreated group, and G3 group was infected with 5 × 10⁴ sporulated E. stiedaeoocysts and treated with Herba Cox®, 1 ml/liter of drinking water, starting 7 days before infection and continuing for 4 weeks post-infection. When compared to the infected group (G2), body weight and weight gain were significantly (P ≤ 0.05) increased, the feed conversion rate was improved and no mortality was detected in infected treated group (G3) and similar to negative control group (G1). In addition, faecal oocyst output and liver enzymes were significantly decreased. Malondialdehyde, nitric oxide, and glutathione concentrations observed in G3 were similar to those in G1. In infected-untreated rabbits (G2), the haemoglobin, lymphocytes, and CD4+/ CD8+ ratio were significantly decreased, while the total leukocyte count, percentage of heterophils, and heterophil/lymphocyte ratio were increased. Significantly more severe histopathological hepatic lesions were observed in G2 when compared to G1 and G3. In conclusion, the obtained results showed that Herba Cox® should be considered a safe and novel effective compound for the treatment of E. stiedae infection in rabbits.     

细胞培养筛选抗球虫剂程序的研究

本文作者在Ｅｉｍｅｒｉａ ｔｅｎｅｌｌａ细胞培养模型上研究了评价抗球虫剂的程序，包括投药时间、效果评定指标、药物有效浓度及毒性浓度、细胞培养有效浓度及鸡体中使用浓度之相关性等内容。试验结果表明药物溶剂影响药物效能的发挥。投药于球虫培养全期比其他几种投药时间更能准确地评价各种药物的效果。药物评价的指标，除子孢子的活力及裂殖体形成数量之外，卵囊形成数量更能显示出药物的作用效果。本试验确定的药物筛选程序     

药物对柔嫩艾美尔球虫内生阶段超微结构影响的研究

本文对柔嫩艾美尔球虫(Eimeria tenella)在鸡体内正常发育的超微结构和分别用三种抗球虫药物处理情况下超微结构的变化进行了观察和比较研究,注意到125ppm尼卡巴嗪(Nicarbazin)能引起裂殖生殖阶段的滋养体或初生裂殖体及裂殖子的线粒体、内质网等膜结构系统和核的异常变化;168ppm磺胺喹恶啉(SQ)对滋养体、初生裂殖体及裂殖子、大配子和卵囊壁的形成均有影响,对裂殖生殖阶段的影响主要表现为核膜的增生复制等一系列核的异常变化;对配子生殖阶段的影响表现为Ⅰ型和Ⅱ型卵囊壁形成颗粒(WFB_1和WFB_2)的异常变化;80ppm盐霉素(Salinomycin)对上皮内淋巴细胞(IEL)中的子孢子及粘膜中成熟裂殖子的影响表现为表皮的分离或破裂及胞浆内微线粒(MN)和多糖颗粒(PG)等的轮廓模糊。由药物引起的其他一些超微结构的异常变化也作了观察和描述。     

堆型艾美耳球虫早熟株和母株对8种抗球虫药的敏感试验

[目的]探讨堆型艾美耳球虫早熟株和母株对常用抗球虫药的敏感性。[方法]选用地克珠利、氯苯胍、二硝托胺、癸氧喹酯、尼卡巴嗪、马杜米星、盐霉素和拉沙洛西8种抗球虫药,进行鸡体试验,通过抗球虫活性百分比（POAA）、病变记分减少率（RLS）、相对卵囊产量（ROP）和抗球虫指数（ACI）4项指标进行综合评定。[结果]堆型艾美耳球虫早熟株和母株均对地克珠利、氯苯胍、癸氧喹酯、尼卡巴嗪、马杜米星和拉沙洛西敏感,对盐霉素轻度敏感,对二硝托胺不敏感。[结论]遗传背景相同的虫株,其药物敏感性也相同。     

大鼠粪便中抗球虫新药沙咪珠利的HPLC检测方法研究

为研究抗球虫新化合物沙咪珠利在大鼠粪便中的排泄情况和物料平衡规律,建立检测大鼠粪便中沙咪珠利含量的高效液相色谱法,大鼠粪便经乙酸乙酯提取,过MAX固相净化小柱后上样,以乙腈-0.1%甲酸水溶液为流动相梯度洗脱,经C18色谱柱分离,251 nm波长紫外检测器检测。结果表明:该方法在20~400μg/g添加浓度范围内检测粪便中的沙咪珠利具有很好的线性关系(R2=0.995);平均回收率为74%~117%,日内变异系数为3.2%~11.5%,日间变异系数为6.6%~16.3%,具有特异性好、灵敏度高、准确性和重现性良好、操作简单等优点,能初步满足粪便中沙咪珠利的检测需求。大鼠一次性经口灌服沙咪珠利后,约有60%通过粪便以原型形式排泄。     

球安等药物抗Eimeria tenella的效力

将１日龄罗曼公雏于无球虫条件下饲养至１３日龄时随机分组,按组分别投予球安９Ａｖａｔｅｃ,含２５％Ｌａｓａｌｏｃｉｄ）１２５ｍｇ／ｋｇ。球佳（含２％Ｄｉｌａｚｕｒｉｌ）１ｍｇ／ｋｇ,加福（Ｃｙｇｒｏ,含１％Ｍａｄｕｒａｍｙｃｉｎ）５ｍｇ／ｋｇ和球净（Ｎｅｃｏｘｉｎ,含２５％ Ｎ ｉｃａｂａｚｉｎｅ和１．６５ Ｅｔｈｏｐａｂａｔａ）１２５ｍｇ／ｋｇ,并设立不给药不感染,不给药感染对照组。