In the whole, 487 samples have been collected from two farms in the Kladno region during the time periods as following: Autumn 2004, Winter 2005, Spring 2005,Autumn 2005, Winter 2006 and Spring 2006. For the investigation of the parasite presence in the dung the flotation-concentration method (Sheather sugar solution) and specific aniline {--} carbolic - methylviolet colouring according to Miláček and Vítovec (1985) with followed microscopy investigation at 200 - 400× magnification have been used. The infections caused by Cryptosporidium spp., Eimeria spp., Isospora suis, Giardia intestinalis, Trichuris suis, Ascaris suum and Strongyloides ransomi have been found in the samples. For the most part, the infection caused by Cryptosporidium spp. (19.1 %), Eimeria spp. and Isospora suis (5.2 %) have occurred in the breeds. Prevalence of the Giardia intestinalis flagellates have reached to 2.9 % and 5.4 % for nematodes Majority of the positive samples had solid consistency of the dung. The smallest occurrence of the parasites have been diagnosed in the winter 2005. On the contrary the greatest occurrence have been diagnosed in autumn 2005.

Coccidiosis is a costly parasitic disease to the poultry industry with multiple prevention methods being explored to control its impact. One approach under development is the use of -glucans, which are carbohydrates from cell walls of various plant species. The first study evaluated the feeding effects of algae- derived -glucans on performance and responses of broilers during a coccidiosis challenge. Cobb 500 broilers (n=1280) were fed a control diet, control supplemented with 150 g/MT Algamune (BG), 100 g/MT Algamune ZPC (BGZn), or 0.01% Salinomycin (Sal). On d 15, challenged birds received mixed Eimeria inoculum. Measurements were taken on d 7, 14, 21, and 28, and lesion scores assessed on d 21. The challenge resulted in reduced BW, and higher feed conversion ratio (FCR) was observed in the challenged birds with Sal and BGZn. Escherichia coli (E. coli) is normally commensal to the gastrointestinal tract, but certain serotypes cause disease in domestic poultry. A subsequent study was conducted to evaluate the feeding effects of algae-derived glucan (1,3 -glucan) on performance of broiler chickens during an E. coli challenge. Cobb 500 broilers (n=900) were fed a control diet, control + 25 mg/kg of -glucan, or control + 100 mg/kg of -glucan. On d 0, litter was sprayed with E. coli inoculum. Measurements were taken on d 7, 14, 21, and 28. -glucan supplementation increased BW gain andlowered FCR. The results from these studies offer some insight to the effects of -glucans on poultry and their potential to offset negative effects caused by infectious challenges. / Master of Science

Two experiments were conducted to determine the effects of various alternatives to antibiotics in broilers grown on used litter on performance, intestinal lesion scores, body composition, and cecal volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentrations. The first experiment used a corn-soybean meal based basal diet to generate a negative control (NC) diet (without treatment), a Bacillus licheniformis probiotic containing diet (NC + 0.10% DFM1), and four diets that contained various concentrations of a Bacillus subtilis probiotic (NC + 0.05% DFM2, NC + 0.10% DFM2, NC + 0.20% DFM2, and NC + 0.40% DFM2). Experimental diets were fed to broilers over a 42-day period. Body weight gain (BWG) was depressed from d 0-28 and d 0-42 with supplementation of 0.10% DFM1 and 0.05% DFM2 compared to NC fed birds (P ≤ 0.05), with no differences among the remaining treatments and the NC fed birds (P > 0.05). Feed intake (FI) and mortality corrected feed efficiency (FEm) were not different over the 0-42 day period. No differences in oocyst shedding, lesion scores, body composition or cecal VFA production were observed (P > 0.05). Consistently low lesion scores were indicative of a mild coccidial challenge. The second experiment utilized a corn-soybean meal basal diet to generate experimental treatment diets. The basal diet without additional supplements was fed to two groups of control birds, one on clean pine shaving litter (PC) and a second on used litter (NC). Treatment groups were fed the same diet, supplemented with butyrate for the first 14 days (NC + But 0-14), botanicals from d 15-43 (NC + Bot 15-43), butyrate from d 0-14 and botanicals from d 15-43 (NC + But 1-14/Bot 15-43), and butyrate from d 0-43 (NC + But 1-43). Butyrate supplementation reduced BWG from d 0-14 (P ≤ 0.05), but there were no differences in BWG from 0-43 d (P > 0.05). Feed intake was reduced for the NC + But 0-14 group from d 0-43 in comparison to both PC and NC. Lesion scores in the jejunum were reduced with supplementation of butyrate alone, fed for either d 0-14 or d 0-43 (P ≤ 0.05) and is an indication of a mild coccidial infection due to the used litter. Although there were no significant differences among treatments, overall performance was above industry expectations, likely due to the mild fall weather. These two experiments indicate that there are numerous factors involved in the efficacy of antibiotic alternatives, at least partially explaining the inconsistent results observed in the published literature. / Master of Science / Recently, increased regulations and customer demand have restricted and reduced the use of antibiotics in the poultry industry. Historically, antibiotics were used in poultry feed at sub-therapeutic levels to improve performance and prevent the incidence of clinical and subclinical disease. Since the reduction of antibiotic use, many producers have experienced reduced performance resulting in reduced profits. The limited use of antibiotics can also present an animal welfare issue associated with increased sub-clinical and clinical disease. Many researchers are investigating alternative feed additives that will both improve performance and prevent disease, including probiotics, organic acids, and botanical products. Previous research has demonstrated the ability of these alternative to positively, if inconsistently, influence the performance and health of broiler chickens. Therefore, the objective of this thesis is to investigate the effects of two probiotic bacteria fed at various concentrations and the effects of butyric acid and botanicals, fed alone, or in combination, on the performance, intestinal lesion scores, body composition, and cecal volatile fatty acid concentrations of broiler chickens raised on used litter. In these experiments, the used litter is representative of a mild disease challenge that would likely be present in a commercial poultry setting. Overall, there were few differences with the treatment of broilers with probiotic bacteria, but the lowest inclusions slightly reduced body weight gain compared to the control fed broilers. Butyric acid supplementation reduced body weight gain over the first 14 days, but these differences were no longer observed over the 0 to 42 day period. Although performance was not improved, butyrate did result in reduced intestinal lesion scores from the middle section of the small intestine, indicating potential health benefits with butyrate treatment. Overall, the data presented in this thesis suggest that there are a variety of factors that can alter the effectiveness of these alternatives in broiler production and care should be used in selection of antibiotic replacement tools.

Effects of the in ovo injection of Inovocox EM1 vaccine (EM1 vaccine) suspended in commercial diluent on developing broiler embryos were investigated in 3 trials. Effects of the EM1vaccine administered by in ovo injection on broiler embryogenesis and posthatch performance was determined by evaluating site of injection (SOI), embryo staging (ES), hatchability, and chick quality parameters. Oocyst output, microscopic lesion scores, and grow-out performance were further examined through day 35 posthatch. In these studies, it was shown that oocyst output began at day 3 posthatch (6 days post-injection), and peaked at day 7 posthatch (10 days post-injection). The EM1 vaccine had no effects on hatchability, various and chick quality parameters that were examined in the study. Similarly, grow-out performance through day 35 posthatch was not affected by the EM1 vaccine. SOI and ES provided information on the accuracy of in ovo vaccine delivery to the embryos, and were found to be significantly influenced by embryo age. In conclusion, in ovo injection of the EM1 vaccine has no detrimental effect on broiler embryogenesis, hatching chick quality, or the performance characteristics of Ross × Ross 708 broilers.

The effects of dietary antimicrobial removal and Bacillus subtilis supplementation on the growth and intestinal health of male broilers were investigated. Birds were fed either a control, antimicrobial, or a B. subtilis probiotic diet at different feeding phases. Birds were challenged with a 10 × dose of a coccidiosis vaccine. Supplementation of B. subtilis in for antimicrobials in the late grower and early finisher phases improved growth similar to birds fed antimicrobials until withdrawal, while antimicrobial removal without B. subtilis supplementation in those periods hindered growth. The improved growth suggests that the probiotic was able to alleviate the stress of the challenge compared to antimicrobial removal. Processing yields were improved with antimicrobial removal and B. subtilis supplementation in late grower and early finisher phase. Intestinal health was improved with lower intestinal lesions when antimicrobial were removed and B. subtilis supplemented suggesting the reduction of Eimeria species from colonizing the intestine.

No description available.

No description available.

A study was made of the effects of temperatures and chemicals on the unsporulated and sporulated oocysts of Eimeria stiedae. In general, oocysts were affected by temperatures lower than -10 C and above +39 C, while normal development occurred between these temperatures. Unsporulated oocysts were more tolerant to temperature extremes, as they survived up to 8 days at 39 C and 12 days at -28 C. Sporulated oocysts were killed after 24 hours storage at 39 C and 4 days at -28 C. Oocyst resistance to low temperatures was not improved if unsporulated and sporulated oocysts were conditioned before and after storage at a low temperature. Presumably, the conditioning period only increased the time oocysts were exposed to cold temperatures and, therefore, reduced their development. Most chemicals and bactericidal agents had little effect on the oocysts. Only ethyl alcohol (95%), ammonium hydroxide (1 M), phenol (.1 M), and mercuric chloride (10-5 M) of those tested prevented sporulation of unsporulated oocysts. With the exception of ammonium hydroxide (1 M), sporulated oocysts developed after treatment with these chemicals.

The role of nutrition in providing optimal broiler growth and intestinal health is essential, especially during stress or disease challenge. Feed enzymes are useful for improving performance of poultry, particularly when nutrition, management, or health status is not favorable. The objective of the following experiments was to evaluate the effect of dietary phytic acid (PA) and phytase on the performance and intestinal health of birds that were vaccinated with a live coccidial oocyst vaccine. For each experiment, half of the chicks were spray-vaccinated at day-of-hatch with Coccivac®-B and grown out in floor pens with ad libitum access to diets formulated to meet Cobb nutrient recommendations. In the first experiment, birds were given one of three diets that included different levels of a PA solution to obtain dietary PA levels of 0.74, 0.87, and 1.12% for low, medium, and high PA diets, respectively. In the second experiment, two levels of PA were included to obtain dietary PA levels of 0.75 and 1.05% for low and high PA diets, respectively. In addition, phytase was added over the top to half of the diets at 1000 FTU/kg, resulting in four diets: low PA without phytase, low PA with phytase, high PA without phytase, and high PA with phytase. Live performance parameters including body weight, body weight gain, feed intake, feed conversion, and mortality were measured as well as tibia ash (experiment 2) and indicators of small intestinal health including morphology, apparent ileal amino acid digestibility (IAAD), and pH (experiment 2). The results presented here indicated that giving broilers vaccinated against coccidiosis a medium level of PA was detrimental to feed intake, body weight gain, and it induced necrotic enteritis (P ≤ 0.05). Adding phytase on top of nutritionally adequate diets did not improve performance (P ≥ 0.05), but did improve (P ≤ 0.05) apparent IAAD and morphology of the small intestine, especially in younger birds. In addition, it has been determined that important considerations in diet formulation also can include the phytate: protein as well as calcium: total phosphorus ratios, as these may critically affect how phytate impacts bird health and performance. / Ph. D.

La coccidiosis es una enfermedad entérica de aves causada por protozoarios del genero Eimeria. A pesar del uso de los anticoccidiales, se ha comprobado que es imposible eliminar estos organismos de los galpones (Chapman, 1998), afectando mayormente la producción y teniendo como consecuencia una baja de peso e incremento de la conversión. Las drogas anticoccidiales usadas se dividen en dos grupos: a. Compuestos sintéticos conocidos como "coccidiostatos químicos" como nicarbacina, halofuginona y diclazuril, b. antibióticos ionòforos que son producidos por fermentación, que son más ampliamente utilizados en la avicultura. Algunas mezclas de drogas, de un compuesto sintético y un ionoforo (Ej. Maxiban que es una mezcla de narasina y nicarbacina)o dos drogas sintéticas (ej. Lerbek una mezcla de metil benzocuato de clopidol) también son usados. En la industria avícola usualmente se administra al ave varios tipos de raciones, se empieza con un iniciador (suministrado durante dos a tres semanas de vida) seguido de una ración de engorde (desde la tercera hasta la sexta semana de vida). La importancia de incorporar una droga efectiva tanto al iniciador como al engorde es para reducir las infecciones y proteger a las aves de coccidiosis clínica (Chapman, 1998). La aparición de cepas multirresistentes ha repercutido negativamente en el control de la coccidiosis y se genera por el uso continuo de estos productos preventivos en la ración. Por otro lado, las cepas presentes en el medio ambiente, por la acción parcial del coccidiostato del programa anticoccidial y por la ausencia de una desinfección especifica. aumenta la presión de infección inicial de los galpones generando la aparición de cepas resistentes. Por tanto la disminución de la contaminación ambiental por ooquistes sería de gran importancia para el éxito de un programa de control de la coccidiosis en planteles avícolas disminuyendo la presión de infección inicial y prolongando la eficiencia de los programas anticoccidianos (Di Fabio, 1994).En el campo se observa que el programa más efectivo depende de la sensibilidad de las cepas locales de Eimeria a las drogas en cuestión. Los coccidiostatos han tenido gran éxito y realmente han permitido que la industria avícola tenga un crecimiento constante, sin embargo se han observado cepas resistentes de coccidias; por lo cual se sigue investigando otros métodos para controlar la coccidosis (Allen y Augustine 1996). Una de las características más importantes de las cepas eimerias es la capacidad de producir una respuesta inmune en el pollo y después de una exposición repetida a ooquistes infectivos, las aves adquieren inmunidad y protección contra reinfecciones posteriores. Algunas especies (E. acervulina y E. máxima) son más inmunogenicas que otras (E. tenella y E. necatrix). El desarrollo de la inmunidad dependerá de varios factores; siendo el más importante la frecuencia de la magnitud de la exposición a los parásitos (Chapman, 1998). Muchas drogas anticoccidiales han sido suspendidas porque no eran efectivas o carecían de la eficacia adecuada contra algunas especies de eimeria. En otros casos las drogas eran retiradas por la posible transmisión de resistencia antibacterial (sulfonamidas). La razón más importante de las fallas de los anticoccidiales, ha sido el desarrollo de la resistencia de la droga. La medicación preventiva asegura que algunos parásitos escapen a los efectos de la medicación. Esto resulta en una selección continua de parásitos que son capaces de sobrevivir a Concentraciones letales de drogas y llevar al desarrollo de poblaciones de organismo resistente. (Chapman, 1998) El manejo de la resistencia requiere información sobre la sensibilidad de la coccidia al rango de drogas, incluyendo las de uso actual. Esto se puede obtener por medio de estudios de sensibilidad con parásitos obtenidos de las granjas afectadas donde las drogas han sido utilizadas durante largo tiempo. Los resultados de las cepas obtenidas de una o dos granjas pueden aplicarse a todo el complejo de pollos; sin embargo si las drogas han sido utilizadas con poca frecuencia, se deben de examinar cepas de por lo menos cinco granjas. Estos estudios son tediosos y caros, y generalmente se hace necesario cambiar de droga en el campo antes de que los resultados sean disponibles (McCarter 1999). Debido que el desarrollo de la inmunidad contribuye a la eficacia de los programas tradicionales se puede debatir el efecto de la vacunación (utilizando organismo vivos, virulentos o atenuados) como importante en el control de la coccidiosis. (Danford y Ruff 1999) La vacunación contra coccidiosis no es un concepto nuevo, pero métodos nuevos de administración y la tendencia de criar una ave más grande, la han convertido en un medio practico, confiable y económico de prevención de la coccidiosis (McCarthy1999). La vacunación introduce oocistos de las diferentes especies a las aves y a través de ciclos repetidos del organismo, se desarrolla la inmunidad, que se incrementa a través del tiempo. El impacto de la vacunación en el desarrollo del ave es ligeramente negativo 2-3 semanas más tarde, cuando él número de parásitos llega al máximo. Los efectos productivos entonces se recuperan cuando él número de occistos declina(Bafundo, 1996). La búsqueda de nuevos productos, hace que las empresas gasten enormes cantidades de dinero en desarrollar nuevas drogas anticoccidiales las cuales demoran entre 15 a 20 años en producirse y a la vez muy rápidamente se produce la resistencia. Las demandas crecientes para criar aves con dietas libres de drogas está promoviendo la investigación de nuevas alternativas de prevención que eviten el uso de productos químicos. El objetivo del presente estudio es evaluar la eficacia productiva de un programa anticoccidial usando una vacuna que contiene cepas no atenuadas de eimerias, sobre el peso, índice de conversión y uniformidad del lote.