Chicken coccidiosis is caused by intracellular protozoan parasites belonging to seven species of Eimeria, their development in the lining of the intestine and ceci causes diarrhea, morbidity and mortality, which lead into serious economic consequences in poultry industry. Due to the emergence of drug-resistant coccidial strains and the bad impact of drug-residues in poultry products on health of consumers, we have sought safe alternative anticoccidial dietary spice materials (turmeric and ginger) for the control of chicken coccidiosis.
Two hundred and twenty five, 28-days-old chicks were used in the present study, two trials were conducted, 5 groups of birds in each trial, four groups were infected orally with 10,000 sporulated Eimeria tenella oocysts and group 5 were kept as non infected control. Group 1 received ration containing 5% turmeric, group 2 received ration containing 2% ginger, group 3 received plain non medicated ration but amprolium was added to drinking water, Groups 4 and 5 were fed on plain ration without additives to serve as infected unmedicated control and non infected unmedicated control groups respectively. Ration used in all groups was formulated without anticoccidals. Bloody diarrhea, oocysts excretion, lesion scores, mortalities and the mean body weights were investigated throughout the experimental period.
Results showed that bloody diarrhea was observed from day 4 to day 8 post infection in infected unmedicated control group and in group which received ginger in ration. The turmeric-treated group and the non infected control group showed no bloody diarrhea. There was minimal bloody diarrhea in amprolium treated group at 5 days post infection, excreted oocysts in the groups treated with ration supplemented with 5% turmeric powder were markedly lower than that of the infected unmedicated control group. Lesion scores in groups treated with turmeric and amprolium were markedly lower than that of the infected non medicated control groups and groups treated with ginger, by the end of the experiment, the highest mortalities were recorded in the infected unmedicated control groups, followed by groups treated with ginger, then in groups treated with amprolium and there were no mortalities in groups treated with turmeric. The mean body weights in groups treated with turmeric and amprolium were significantly higher than that of the infected unmedicated control groups.
On the basis of the overall results of the present investigation, turmeric is a promising new natural herbal coccidiostat. Further research to indicate the active principle, mechanism of action, the optimal anticoccidial dose and the possible tanning effect of turmeric on the meat of poultry will be carried out by the authors. This paper documents the use of turmeric as anticoccidial in chickens for the first time