Control of Coccidiosis and Necrotic Enteritis - Greg Mathis
Published:March 8, 2018
Greg Mathis (Southern Poultry Research) offered his insights on what to do and use to control and mitigate this diseases, including essential oils, butyric acid and other additives, during IPPE 2018 in Atlanta, USA.
Thank you so much for this explanation Dr Lopes. No I am a Nigerian not a Belgian but I am representing a Belgian company here in Nigeria. My discussions are based on my NIGERIAN livestock field experiences. Many thanks again and cheers.
Many thanks Dr Lopes. Please what do you think about the use of both pre and probiotics in the prophylaxis rather than curative in the control of both coccidiosis and necrotic enteritis ? These would help to a greater extent if flocks are started on these earlier in their lives.
Coccidiosis is purely a management challenge. Poultry managers should give serious attention to proper litter management to prevent birds from picking spores of coccidia organisms. Wet litter should be avoided always by packing affected portions after water spillage. Bacillus subtilis enzymes produces butyric acid which has been found to be helpful in the control of coccidiosis and enteritis. In the overall proper pen sanitation must be a matter of priority to all poultry keepers.
We have tried different kinds of phytochemical ingredients like saponins, tannins, alkaloids, essential oils etc to prevent coccidiosis but unfortunately, we couldn't get consistent results with these ayurvedic products, so majority producers in India are depending on ionophores or other chemical anticoccidials, In case of necrotic enteritis you have so many opportunities to control through probiotics, acids like butyric acid, antibiotic growth promoters like zinc bacitracin, bacitracin methylene disalycilate etc...
Of course, the best method to prevent them is to give top priority to disinfection with multiple disinfectants, and proper cleaning of sheds in case of deep litter system and rotation and shuttle programmes in anti coccidials drugs which are giving excellent results.
Never start any medicines at least in advance but start when morbity is 10 to 15 percent, it is better to give sulfa drugs on onset of coccidosis as amrolium is resistent to many strains. Fly control is necessary tool to avoid coccidiosis in cages. Ht of feeders may be so adjusted so the spilled litter does not make entry in feed any reduction in feed may be followed by increasing dose of coccidiostat. Ionophores and zinc bacitracin may not be given simultaneously.
Bangladesh is a country of expanding poultry industry by open house shed. Most of them are concrete, semi-concrete and mud floor and affected by coccidiosis frequently, farmers are very much loosing economically. No feed company still perform successful anticiccidial Protocol. Seasonal variation also big factors for loosing specially in hot & humid environment from February to May in each year by several viral and bacterial diseases outbreaks with coccidisis(E.acervulina, maxima and tenella) and nectrotic enteritis. What would be the suggestions for control of coccidiosis?