INTRODUCTION

Poultry meat occupies a distinguished position as an important meat source around the world, with a total production of approximately 120 billion tons annually, which represents more than one-third of the humans’ protein food and is expected to double by 2050 (Alexandratos and Bruinsma, 2012). However, avian coccidiosis, caused by the parasite Eimeria protozoan, is considered one of the main endemic threats to birds’ production, causing annual economic losses exceed US$ 3 billion (Noack et al., 2019). Therefore, avian coccidiosis must be controlled if poultry meat is to be relied upon to fulfill the growing global demand for protein. Economic losses of infected birds are associated with poor performance and increased mortality caused by numerous disturbances in the physiological and metabolic homeostasis of these birds (Abd El‐Hack et al., 2020; Abd El-Hack et al., 2021). Coccidiosis alters digestion and absorption of nutrients (Major Jr and Ruff, 1978; Adams et al., 1996; Su et al., 2015), expression of genes encoding transport proteins and digestive enzymes in the small intestine (Su et al., 2015; Miska and Fetterer, 2018), as well as intestinal morphology (Morris et al., 2004; Gottardo et al., 2016; Abdelhady et al., 2020). The antioxidant (Bun et al., 2011) and immune systems (Lillehoj and Trout, 1996) are also activated during the infection because of the increase in the reactive oxygen (ROS) and nitrogen species formation (Allen, 1997), the reduction in non-enzymatic antioxidants concentrations (Allen and Fetterer, 2002) and the alterations in activities of antioxidant enzymes (Georgieva et al., 2006; Bun et al., 2011). In addition, coccidial infections compromise animal welfare and food safety as well (Kadykalo et al., 2018). Thereby, to achieve sustainable poultry production, control of the infection using anticoccidial drugs is indispensable.

Prophylaxis method to constrain avian coccidiosis using anticoccidial chemicals, coccidiostats, coccidiocides, ionophores and live attenuated or non-attenuated vaccines is the current successful and cost-effective approach in modern poultry production since once clinical signs appear, treatments are often too late to prohibit the infection’s pathological consequences (Chapman, 2009; Muthamilselvan et al., 2016). In general, anticoccidial drugs belong to one of 2 classes: ionophores (polyether antibiotics) and synthetic chemicals (Chapman, 1997). Fermentation of Actinomadura spp. or Streptomyces spp. are used to produce ionophores which consist of 3 types. These types are monovalent glycosidic ionophores (semduramicin, maduramicin), monovalent ionophores (salinomycin, monensin, narasin), and divalent ionophore (lasalocid) (Noack et al., 2019). These drugs able to disrupt the ion gradients across the parasite cell membrane while synthetic chemicals eliminate coccidiosis with one or more of the following specific mode of action: 1) suppression of the folic acid pathway (sulfonamides), 2) inhibition of thiamine uptake competitively (amprolium), 3) inhibition of mitochondrial respiration of the parasite (decoquinate, clopidol), or 4) unknown mode of action (e.g., nicarbazin, diclazuril, robenidine, halofuginone) (Noack et al., 2019). Due to the chemoprophylactic control of coccidiosis using these synthetic anticoccidials and ionophores, the resistance for these drugs, which have been permitted for use in poultry, has been noticed (Chapman, 1997). Hence, discovering new drugs has became inevitable, but efforts have been undertaken in this area are very limited and no novel chemical drugs have been introduced for decades (Chapman et al., 2013). Fortunately, the emergence of coccidiosis resistance can be slacken using different ionophores and/or chemicals in rotation programs (Chapman et al., 2013). Additionally, it has been reported that avian coccidiosis may not be treated or controlled using only one compound but it requires the combination of synthetic chemicals and ionophores that can interfere with Eimeria life cycle or destroy its oocysts (Quiroz-Castañeda, 2018). Therefore, the present study evaluated the single effect of monensin (Atomonsin) and the impact of a new combination consisting of maduramicin (Madramycin) and diclazuril (Atozuril) in comparison to the well known product Maxiban72 which consisted of narasin and nicarbazin as treatments for broiler chickens infected with mixed Eimeria species.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The present experiment was conducted at Poultry Production Farm, Applied Feed Research House (AFRH), Orabi Community, Qalyobia Governorate, Egypt. Animal protocols were approved by Animal Care and Welfare Committee at Faculty of Agriculture, Ain Shams University, Egypt.