TITLE:
Correlation between Intestinal Health and Coccidiosis Prevalence in Broilers during Different Seasons of the Year in Brazil from 2012 to 2018
AUTHORS:
Fabio Luis Gazoni, Gabriela Miotto Galli, Marcel Manente Boiago, Lenita Moura Stefani, Aline Zampar, Marco A. Juárez-Estrada, Guillermo Tellez-Isaias, Aleksandro S. da Silva
KEYWORDS:
Eimeria, Epidemiology, Intestinal Pathology, Broiler Chickens, Brazil
JOURNAL NAME:
Food and Nutrition Sciences,
Vol.15 No.3,
March
22,
2024
ABSTRACT: Coccidiosis is a
disease caused by intracellular protozoan parasites, specifically belonging to
the genus Eimeria. These parasites target the gastrointestinal tract
in different types of hosts, causing sores in the intestinal lining. The presence of these lesions reduces the
animal’s ability to digest and absorb nutrients, significantly impacting their overall performance.
The current study aimed to explore the
potential correlation between seasonal variations and the incidence of Eimeria spp-induced lesions in broiler
chickens’ gastrointestinal tracts in Brazil from 2012 to 2018. A total of 8,607 broiler
chickens, aged 14 to 42 days, were sampled from 103 poultry integrated
companies in Brazil to conduct intestinal health examinations. The sampling process
involved selecting 3 to 6 chickens from each poultry house for examination. The assessment included
various abnormalities such as shedding of intestinal cells and excessive fluid and mucus presence, thickening and tension of the
intestines, food movement, roughened mucosal surface resembling a
Turkish towel in the small intestine, tissue
death, duodenal inflammation, intestinal inflammation, gizzard erosion,
presence of worms and bedding material, and ingestion of mealworms. During
the seasons, winter exhibited the highest average occurrence of Eimeria maxima microorganisms at 52.83%, with E. acervulina following closely at 26.42% in second place. In
spring, E. maxima had an occurrence of 11.31%, while in fall, E. tenella had the lowest occurrence at
6.74%. When analyzing the seasonal
occurrence of Eimeria, it was observed that E. maxima micro was
more common during winter compared to summer (P = 0.0491). However, no discernible
variation was observed in the occurrence of the remaining species across
different seasons. Research findings suggest that
subclinical coccidiosis is most prevalent during the winter season in Brazil. Likewise, clinical disease
caused by E. acervulina is also prevalent during this time. In contrast, E. maxima is more likely to cause clinical disease
in the spring, whereas E. tenella is more commonly associated with
clinical disease in the fall. Lesions induced by Eimeria spp. are associated with factors influencing the overall
health of broiler intestines. These findings allow for the utilization of seasonal
metrics in disease management, thereby reducing economic losses associated with
the condition.