PERFORMANCE OF BROILERS USING A LIVE VACCINE AGAINST AVIAN COCCIDIOSIS
Miguel Angel Müller and Alejandro Juan José Dubois*
Avian Health and Production Department, College of Veterinarian Sciences
Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Esperanza - Santa Fe - Argentina
*Corresponding author. E-mail: alejudubois@hotmail.com
ABSTRACT
Avian Coccidiosis is a parasitic disease which affects the digestive tract in
birds, causing considerably high economic losses. Anticoccidial drugs, such as
chemicals and ionophores, are administered to prevent it, but there is a risk of
resistance development by the different Emeria species, and residues are likely
to be present in poultry meat for human consumption, in addition to many other
disadvantages.
Vaccine prophylaxis is an alternative method to control this disease.
Farm trials were carried out in Argentina on a 500,000 broilers population
vaccinated on their first day of age with Inmunerâ Gel-Coc, by a specially
designed massive application method called “Lluvia – Gel”. This vaccine
aims at the prevention of Avian Coccidiosis in broilers and is formulated with
live-attenuated oocysts of E. acervulina, E. brunetti, E. maxima, and E. tenella.
The most important productive parameters were analysed from an economic point of
view and compared to objective parameters, which were compared with the average
performance indexes obtained during a production year without using vaccines.
At the same time, successive comparative trials focused on production were
performed. Performance rates reached in broilers flocks vaccinated with Inmunerâ
Gel-Coc on the first day of age were compared to the ones obtained in medicated
flocks which had received ionophores or chemical anticoccidial drugs through the
meal.
Performance indexes measured were flock average weight, feed intake, daily
weight gain, feed conversion ratio, and mortality. Each of them was weekly
analyzed.
Simultaneously, systematic and periodic coccidiological monitoring was carried
out in each of these flocks, as well as and histological studies in order to
evaluate possible anatomic-physiological development and/or
anatomic-pathological changes caused by the replication of different species of
Eimeria in the intestine.
Production data obtained in each of these trials showed a better performance of
the vaccinated groups as compared to the medicated ones.
Therefore, we conclude that this vaccine against Avian Coccidiosis does not
interfere with the most important production parameters from an economic point
of view. Moreover, the fact that no Coccidiosis clinical signs were found in the
vaccinated flocks demonstrate the protective effect of the vaccine and its lack
of harmful effects.