Planning your attack against coccidiosis

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Planning your attack against coccidiosisAuthored by: Dr. Sekhar Basak, Innovista Consulting, New Delhi

The battle against coccidiosis requires carefstep planning. The first thing to do is to define precisely

what you are up against. Having used lesion scoring and oocyst counting to determine that coccidio

the most probable cause performance, there are still many queshave to be addressed.

1. Is the primary cause of the problem a coccidiosis

challenge which is simply too high for the birds to tolerate?

2. Or is the outbreak caused by intercompromising) diseases?

3. Is the level of anticoccidial in th4. Are poor management standards a factor?5. Is the problem localized or is it wide6. Is there a ‘real’ problem or are you looking at ‘normal’ seasonal fluctuations?

Only by finding answers to these and other questions can you identify and

implement best possible solutions. However, the problem often lies in the area of product selection. A good place to

start is to evaluate the available products and ensure the best ones for your particular requirements are used in the most effective way.

Studying the historical surveys of programmes and products used in the integration will teach a lot. It will give a very good indication of which products

need to be rested for a while, and which products can be used again. The efficacy of anticoccidials, or in other words the

strongly related to the intensity with which these products have been used in the integration over the past few years.

included in the feed, and for how long it was rested Sometimes a sensitivity test can be of help. With a sensitivity test, the performance

of a whole range of products can be evaluated at the same time and comparisons can be made. These so-called ‘anticoccidiograms’ will once again tell which

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602, Vasundhra CGHS, Plot no. 16, Sector 6, Dwarka, New Delhi 110075

9871203111 Email: [email protected]

Planning your attack against coccidiosis Authored by: Dr. Sekhar Basak, Innovista Consulting, New Delhi

The battle against coccidiosis requires careful step-by-step planning. The first thing to do is to define precisely

Having used lesion scoring counting to determine that coccidiosis is

the most probable cause of your broiler performance, there are still many questions that

Is the primary cause of the problem a coccidiosis

challenge which is simply too high for the birds to

Or is the outbreak caused by inter-current (immuno-

compromising) diseases? Is the level of anticoccidial in the feed too low?

Are poor management standards a factor? Is the problem localized or is it wide-spread? Is there a ‘real’ problem or are you looking at ‘normal’ seasonal fluctuations?


implement best possible solutions.

However, the problem often lies in the area of product selection. A good place to

start is to evaluate the available products and ensure the best ones for your particular requirements are used in the most effective way.

Studying the historical surveys of programmes and products used in the integration will teach a lot. It will give a very good indication of which products

need to be rested for a while, and which products can be used again. The efficacy of s, or in other words the sensitivity of the parasite to the drugs, is very

strongly related to the intensity with which these products have been used in the integration over the past few years. Find out how long a specific product was

included in the feed, and for how long it was rested each time.

Sometimes a sensitivity test can be of help. With a sensitivity test, the performance

of a whole range of products can be evaluated at the same time and comparisons called ‘anticoccidiograms’ will once again tell which

602, Vasundhra CGHS, Plot no. 16, Sector 6, Dwarka, New Delhi 110075

.com

Is there a ‘real’ problem or are you looking at ‘normal’ seasonal fluctuations?


However, the problem often lies in the area of product selection. A good place to

start is to evaluate the available products and ensure the best ones for your

Studying the historical surveys of programmes and products used in the broiler integration will teach a lot. It will give a very good indication of which products

need to be rested for a while, and which products can be used again. The efficacy of vity of the parasite to the drugs, is very

strongly related to the intensity with which these products have been used in the a specific product was

Sometimes a sensitivity test can be of help. With a sensitivity test, the performance

of a whole range of products can be evaluated at the same time and comparisons called ‘anticoccidiograms’ will once again tell which



Phone: +91-9871203111 Email: [email protected]

products to use and which ones to rest, as long as you keep in mind that they only indicate what is going on in lab conditions. They don’t reflect the dynamic changes

in coccidial populations, nor the interactions with many other influencing field factors. Indeed, anticoccidiograms on their own are unsuitable for predicting specific

anticoccidial performances in the medium and longer term.

Ionophores The main group of poultry feed additives is the polyether antibiotics – commonly

called ionophores. These products are obtained through fermentation and, so far, six compounds have become available:

Monensin, lasalocid, salinomycin, narasin, maduramycin and semduramicin.

The mechanism of action of all ionophores is very similar, since they mediate transport of mono-and divalent cations through the membrane of the parasite,

resulting in disturbance of its osmotic balance. According to the precise method of action and the chemical structure of the product, ionophores can be divided into three groups: monovalent (monensin, narasin, salinomycin), monovalent glycoside

(maduramycin, semduramicin) and divalent (lasalocid). Each ionophore has its specific strengths and weaknesses with regard to its action spectrum and potency.

Monensin, narasin and salinomycin are intrinsically more efficacious against Eimeria acervulina.

Synthetic products

The second group is the synthetic anticoccidials. These are synthesized drugs which include various groups of completely different chemical classes. DOT, Clopidol, Diclazuril and Robenidine have been very useful for shuttle programs.

Each synthetic product must be evaluated in order to determine its specific

strengths and weaknesses with regard to the control of coccidiosis, particularly strains of Eimeria and the potential development of resistance.

Nicarbazine marketed in combination with ionophore maduramycin, the brand name MEGACOX by Innovista Consulting is a potent, broad-spectrum anticoccidial

effective in all Eimeria species causing coccidiosis with a low potential for resistance development. Megacox can be ideally used during summers and monsoons during high coccidial challenges. The Brand Megacox has been recently launched by

Innovista Consulting in the Indian market.




Amprolium is a good anticoccidial for the control of cecal coccidiosis, but is not very

effective against intestinal species. The product has been on the market for about 35 years and is now mainly used as a therapeutic.

ROBIDON (Robenidine 10%) is yet another synthetic compound launched by

Innovista Consulting in India. ROBIDON is a safe, broad-spectrum anticoccidial, very useful during high coccidial challenges and an ideal product for starter programs.

Diclazuril, which has been used for long, has potent broad spectrum activity against all Eimeria spp. Specific resistance induction tests have shown that resistance

against E. acervulina strains developed faster than resistance against E. tenella or E. maxima.

Choose the right program

Having gained an understanding of the products available, the next step is to combine the selected and preferred products into the right anticoccidial program. To do this effectively, one must have enough information about the efficacy profile of

the various anticoccidials used in his integration/company.

In general, it can be said that a more balanced use of ionophores and synthetic products is needed for your future anticoccidial programs. These programs should not be built on just a few products. All the available anticoccidials are useful in the

control of coccidiosis. You simply have to know which product to use and when to use it. The first rule is to reserve the strongest product for the periods of highest

risk of coccidiosis. The sheer number of available products allows broiler producers to achieve best

results from the use of product combinations and shuttle programs. The wide choice of chemical entities also allows you to rest certain anticoccidials while still using

other products. Plan periods of rest

The secret here is to plan a long rest period for each product used. Management of

anticoccidial resistance development means that the use of each product is controlled and that, at the same time, sufficiently long rest periods are respected for all products. The objectives of such planning exercise are to obtain a certain dilution




of the resistant Eimeria strain into a more sensitive population, and to enable each product to regain at least part of its overall efficacy.

Remember that anticoccidial shuttle programs are almost always targeted at the

‘average’ farm within a particular integration. For some farms they will work extremely well, but for a few they may be less effective. A rational shuttle program

should be based on the following: � Low challenge

� Early infection � Early immunity stimulation

� Optional protection � Compensatory growth � No damage

Battle and wars

Coccidiosis will never be eradicated, but important progress has been made in controlling the damage resulting from coccidiosis infection in poultry. The strength

of the anticoccidial program and the speed and level of protective immunity seem to be the most important ones, but the quality of broiler management on the farm

should not be underestimated.

Please send your queries to:

Dr. Sekhar Basak, Managing Director,

Innovista Consulting Email: [email protected]

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Planning your attack against coccidiosis