Controlling coccidiosis in poultry is a balancing act

While birds need to be exposed to the disease to achieve immunity, producers must minimize the impact of reduced performance.

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Broiler Chicken
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To successfully control coccidiosis, understanding the relationship between the disease and the environment is vital, stated Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine Assistant Professor Maggie Thompson, DVM, MAM, dACPV, during the Cocci 101: Beginners Guide for Broiler Coccidiosis webinar.

“Cocci is ubiquitous. It's everywhere in the environment. We know the birds are going to be exposed to it. We just want to control when and how much. We really want them to get challenged as early as possible with a manageable level.”

However, when birds are exposed to the disease, their performance could be compromised. It normally takes approximately 21-28 days for birds to build an effective level of immunity and increase their performance levels back to normal, she explained.

“You need early exposure to achieve immunity, but you must also minimize the negative impact on nutrient absorption.”

Immune response demands a lot of energy, she added. More energy expended on an immune response means there is less energy for weight gain.

Because there is no effective long-term immunity solution for the disease, continual low-level exposure is needed, Thompson said.

Environmental management, vaccines, balancing exposure

Outside of proper biosecurity protocols, producers should consider environmental management when addressing coccidiosis, as it can impact the bacteria. For example, used litter is more likely to host a load of oocysts, the egg-like stage of the coccidia parasite, compared to fresh litter, she explained.

However, to create a balance of exposure to the disease, some oocysts need to exist in the litter so that birds can build up immunity.

Additionally, producers should be mindful of when birds are exposed to coccidiosis according to bird size. Smaller birds that are processed around 28 days have less time to build back up to peak performance, compared to big birds that are processed around 52 days. Stocking density affects this as well, she added.

“With small birds, we know we tend to have more birds in a house, so we're going to have more oocysts.”

Producers can also utilize vaccines and in-feed anticoccidials to help control cocci, however, balance in exposure is still necessary.

Strains used in vaccines are less severe than field strains and more sensitive to anticoccidials, therefore, they will hopefully promote immunity without severe clinical disease, Thompson explained.

“Anticoccidials work better because vaccine cocci are more sensitive,” she stated. “Just like field strains, vaccine strain cocci must invade the intestinal cell to complete its life cycle and be recognized by the bird’s immune system.”

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