Comparative Studies on Commercial Livecox® Vaccine and Artemisia Extract Against Experimentally Induced Coccidiosis in Broiler

Abstract

Coccidiosis, a parasitic disease affecting chickens, poses a significant economic threat to poultry farmers worldwide, causing global economic losses. Therefore, seventy-five chicks one day old were divided into five equal groups, where group (1) represented the negative control, and groups (2–5) were infected with Eimeria tenella at a dose of 50.000 at 21 days and then received 200 ppm Artemisia extract (group 3), 1ml/100 chicks in the group (4) and 200ppm Artemisia extract with 1ml/100 chicks livecox vaccine in the group (5), respectively. Livecox® vaccine was found to have a considerable positive impact on protection against cecal coccidiosis, as evidenced by the following outcomes: reduced mortality rates, improved feed conversion and body weight, decreased oocyst output, improved the IgM and IgG, and decreased lesion formation. The current study revealed that two potential treatments for cecal coccidiosis were Livecox® vaccination and Artemisia liquid extract as they decreased oocyst count and cecal lesions and subsequently improved changes in some hematological (Hb, PCV%, WBCs and differential leukocytic counts) and biochemical parameters (IgM and IgG). Before using the extract in medical applications, additional investigations are necessary to determine the chemical components, recommended dosages, and mechanism of action.