title: The effects of combining Artemisia annua and Curcuma longa ethanolic extracts in broilers challenged with infective oocysts of Eimeria acervulina and E. maxima.
abstract: Due to an increasing demand for natural products to control coccidiosis in broilers, we investigated the effects of supplementing a combination of ethanolic extracts of Artemisia annua and Curcuma longa in drinking water. Three different dosages of this herbal mixture were compared with a negative control (uninfected), a positive control (infected and untreated), chemical coccidiostats (nicarbazin+narazin and, later, salinomycin), vaccination, and a product based on oregano. Differences in performance (weight gain, feed intake, and feed conversion rate), mortality, gross intestinal lesions and oocyst excretion were investigated. Broilers given chemical coccidiostats performed better than all other groups. Broilers given the two highest dosages of the herbal mixture had intermediate lesion scores caused by Eimeria acervulina, which was higher than in broilers given coccidiostats, but less than in broilers given vaccination, oregano and in negative controls. There was a trend for lower mortality (P = 0·08) in the later stage of the growing period (23-43 days) in broilers given the highest dosage of herbal mixture compared with broilers given chemical coccidiostats. In conclusion, the delivery strategy of the herbal extracts is easy to implement at farm level, but further studies on dose levels and modes of action are needed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Agroecology, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, Aarhus University, Research Centre Foulum, Blichers Allé 20, P.O. Box 50, DK-8830 Tjele, Denmark.
authors.forename: Gustavo F D
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Almeida
authors.affiliation: Danish Centre for Experimental Parasitology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Dyrlægevej 100, DK-1870 Frederiksberg C, Denmark.
authors.forename: Stig M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Thamsborg
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes, 1374. São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Alda M B N
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Madeira
authors.affiliation: USDA-ARS, US Salinity Laboratory, 450 W. Big Springs Rd., Riverside, CA 92507-4617, USA.
authors.forename: Jorge F S
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.affiliation: Chemical, Biological and Agricultural Pluridisciplinary Research Centre (CPQBA), University of Campinas - UNICAMP, P.O. Box 6171, BR-13081-970 Campinas, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Pedro M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Magalhães
authors.affiliation: Department of Economy and Rural Sociology, Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture (ESALQ), University of São Paulo, Avenida Pádua Dias 11, Piracicaba, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Luiz C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Demattê Filho
authors.affiliation: Department of Agroecology, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, Aarhus University, Research Centre Foulum, Blichers Allé 20, P.O. Box 50, DK-8830 Tjele, Denmark.
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Horsted
authors.affiliation: Department of Agroecology, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, Aarhus University, Research Centre Foulum, Blichers Allé 20, P.O. Box 50, DK-8830 Tjele, Denmark.
authors.forename: John E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Hermansen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D031172:Artemisia annua / Q000737:chemistry*; D002645:Chickens / Q000469:parasitology*; D003048:Coccidiosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000662:veterinary*; D003049:Coccidiostats / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D030024:Curcuma / Q000737:chemistry*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D004539:Eimeria / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D033661:Oocysts; D031341:Origanum / Q000737:chemistry; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D010946:Plants, Medicinal; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000469:parasitology / Q000517:prevention & control; D011897:Random Allocation; D014611:Vaccination; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D003049:Coccidiostats; D010936:Plant Extracts