Parasitological and histopathological examination of Cocktail lovebirds infected with Eimeria aratinga (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae)

Alternatives to antibiotics against coccidiosis for poultry production: the relationship between immunity and coccidiosis management – a comprehensive review

Avian coccidiosis is a protozoan infection caused by numerous Eimeria parasitic species and mainly affects the bird’s gastrointestinal tract and results in a reduction of the bird ‘ability to absorb nutrients, slower growth, with a higher mortality rate. According to recent research, immune-based treatments, such as dietary immunomodulating feed additives and recombinant vaccines, can help the hosts protect themselves from intracellular parasites and reduce inflammatory reactions caused by parasites. Coccidiosis control in the post-antiparasitic stage requires thoroughly investigation of the intricate relationships between the parasites, host defense system, enteroendocrine system, and gut microbiome contributing to coccidian infections. To produce a vaccine, it is crucial to explore the defense mechanism of the intestine’s immune machinery and to identify many effector molecules that act against intracellular parasites. Due to the massive usage of chemical anticoccidial drugs, coccidiosis developed resistant against most commonly used anticoccidials; therefore, numerous researches focused on the usage of safe natural anticoccidials such as probiotics, prebiotics, organic acids, and essential oils to counteract such resistance problem. This review describes how host immunity responds to coccidial infection in chickens and the use of some nonantiparasitic safe natural alternative controls to counter the disease. It would throw the light on the possibility of developing effective therapies against Eimeria to alleviate the detrimental effects of avian coccidiosis.

Coinfection of the gut with protozoal and metazoal parasites in broiler and laying chickens

The chicken business faces substantial economic losses due to the risk of parasitic coinfection. Because the current study aimed to investigate enteric parasitic coinfections problems among the suspected examined chicken farms, samples were collected during the field investigation from suspected freshly dead birds, clinically diseased, apparently healthy, and litter samples for further laboratory parasitological, histopathological, and immunological examinations. Variable mortalities with various clinical indicators, such as ruffled feathers, weight loss, diarrhea of various colors, and a decline in egg production, occurred on the farms under investigation. In addition, the treatment protocols of each of the farms that were evaluated were documented and the m-RNA levels of some cytokines and apoptotic genes among the infected poultry have been assessed. The prevalence rate of parasitic coinfection in the current study was found to be 8/120 (6.66%). Parasitological analysis of the samples revealed that they belonged to distinct species of Eimeria, cestodes, and Ascaridia galli. When deposited, A. galli eggs were nonembryonated and ellipsoidal, but cestodes eggs possessed a thin, translucent membrane that was subspherical. Eimeria spp. oocysts in layer chickens were identified as Eimeria acervulina and Eimeria maxima in broiler chickens. Our findings proved that coinfection significantly upregulated the IL-1β, BAX, and Cas-3 genes. Conversely, the IL-10, BCL-2, and AKT mRNA levels were downregulated, indicating that nematode triggered apoptosis. The existence of parasite coinfection was verified by histological investigation of the various intestinal segments obtained from affected flocks. A. galli and cestodes obstructed the intestinal lumen, causing different histological alternations in the intestinal mucosa. Additionally, the lamina propria revealed different developmental stages of Eimeria spp. It was determined that parasite coinfection poses a significant risk to the poultry industry. It was recommended that stringent sanitary measures management methods, together with appropriate treatment and preventative procedures, be employed in order to resolve such issues.

Impact of Eimeria tenella experimental Infection on intestinal and splenic reaction of broiler chickens

This work assesses the cell-mediated immune reaction IL-6, TNF-α, and IFN-γ of experimentally challenged broiler chicken with Eimeria tenella (E. tenella). Therefore, ninety, 2-weeks-old healthy broiler chicks were allocated as eighty chicks infected orally with 2.5 × 104 E. tenella sporulated oocysts, and the other ten birds were kept as control negative birds. Post-challenge, mortality rate, symptoms, oocysts shedding, and lesion score were evaluated. Tissue samples (cecum and spleen) were collected at 0, 4, 8, and 12 days post-infection (dpi). Ten chickens were ethically slaughtered at 0, 4, 8, and 12 days post-infection, as well as two birds from the negative control group; parts from cecal and spleen samples were kept in cryopreservation containers, and other parts were preserved in formaline 10% for further investigation. The evaluated genes (IL-6, TNF-α, and IFN-γ) were normal at 0 days and upregulated at 4 and 8 days, which reached maximum upregulation at eight dpi. The histopathological examination of the ceca and spleen were evaluated before and after challenge. It could be concluded that E. tenella revealed direct severe macroscopic and microscopic changes in cecal tissues and indirectly induced alteration in splenic tissues, resulting in upregulation of different cell mediated immune response in cecum and spleen in relation to the experimental period.

Supplementing broiler diets with bacterial selenium nanoparticles enhancing performance, carcass traits, blood indices, antioxidant status, and caecal microbiota of Eimeria tenella-infected broiler chickens

Nanomedicine is a critical therapeutic approach for treating most poultry illnesses, particularly parasitic infections. Coccidiosis is a severe protozoan infection affecting poultry; the emergence of drug-resistant Eimeria strains demands the development of new, safe therapies. Consequently, the objective of this work was to investigate the efficacy of the biosynthesized selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) by Paenibacillus polymyxa (P. polymyxa) against Eimeria tenella (E. tenella) experimental infection in broiler chickens. The prepared SeNPs absorbed the UV at 270 nm were spherical with a size of 26 nm, and had a surface negative charge of -25 mV. One hundred and fifty, 1-day-old male broiler chicks were randomly allocated into 5 groups (30 birds/group with triplicates each) as follows: T1: negative control (noninfected and nontreated with SeNPs); T2: delivered SeNPs (500 µg/kg diet) for 35 successive days, T3: E. tenella-infected (positive control birds), T4: E. tenella-infected and treated with SeNPs (500 µg/kg diet) and T5: E. tenella-infected chicks and treated with anticoccidial agent (sulfadimidine, 16% solution 8 mL/L of drinking water) for 5 successive days. At 14 d of age, each bird in infected groups was orally treated with 3 × 103 sporulated oocyst of E. tenella. SeNPs considerably decreased the number of oocysts in broiler feces compared to positive control and anticoccidial drug, followed by a substantial reduction of parasite phase count in the cecum (15, 10, and 8 for meronts, gamonts, and developing oocysts) when compared with positive control birds. The Eimeria experimental infection lowered the activity of antioxidant enzymes, superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and reduced glutathione (GSH) while increasing the stress parameters nitric oxide (NO) and malonaldehyde (MDA). Moreover, the production of proinflammatory (TNF-α and IL-6) and apoptotic genes (BcL2 and Cas-3) were significantly elevated. Administrating SeNPs to chicks significantly decreased oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptotic markers in the cecum tissue. Therefore, growth performance, carcass weights, antioxidant enzymes, and blood properties of infected chicks were enhanced. The findings compared the protecting role of Se-nanoparticles against cecum damages in E. tenella-infected broilers.

CircDCLRE1C Regulated Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Inflammatory Response and Apoptosis by Regulating miR-214b-3p/STAT3 Pathway in Macrophages

The immune cell inflammation response is closely related to the occurrence of disease, and much evidence has shown that circular RNAs (circRNAs) play vital roles in the occurrence of disease. However, the biological function and regulatory mechanisms of circRNAs in the immune cell inflammation response remain poorly understood. In this study, we constructed an inflammatory model using lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated chicken macrophage lines (also known as HD11) to verify the function and mechanism of the novel circDCLRE1C (ID: gga_circ_0001674), which was significantly upregulated in spleen tissues infected by coccidia and the macrophage cells exposed to LPS. The results showed that circDCLRE1C aggravated LPS-induced inflammation and apoptosis in HD11 cells. Systemically, circDCLRE1C acted as a sponge for miR-214b-3p binding sites thereby regulating the expression of STAT3. The overexpression of miR-214b-3p rescued the pro-inflammatory effect of circDCLRE1C in HD11 cells stimulated with LPS, and rescued the high expression of STAT3. In conclusion, our study showed that circDCLRE1C could aggravate LPS-induced inflammation and apoptosis through competitive adsorption of miR-214b-3p, thereby increasing the expression of STAT3.

The relationship among avian influenza, gut microbiota and chicken immunity: An updated overview

The alimentary tract in chickens plays a crucial role in immune cell formation and immune challenges, which regulate intestinal flora and sustain extra-intestinal immunity. The interaction between pathogenic microorganisms and the host commensal microbiota as well as the variety and integrity of gut microbiota play a vital role in health and disease conditions. Thus, several studies have highlighted the importance of gut microbiota in developing immunity against viral infections in chickens. The gut microbiota (such as different species of Lactobacillus, Blautia Bifidobacterium, Faecalibacterium, Clostridium XlVa, and members of firmicutes) encounters different pathogens through different mechanisms. The digestive tract is a highly reactive environment, and infectious microorganisms can disturb its homeostasis, resulting in dysbiosis and mucosal infections. Avian influenza viruses (AIV) are highly infectious zoonotic viruses that lead to severe economic losses and pose a threat to the poultry industry worldwide. AIV is a challenging virus that affects gut integrity, disrupts microbial homeostasis and induces inflammatory damage in the intestinal mucosa. H9N2 AIV infection elevates the expression of proinflammatory cytokines, such as interferon (IFN-γ and IFNα) and interleukins (IL-17A and IL-22), and increases the proliferation of members of proteobacteria, particularly Escherichia coli. On the contrary, it decreases the proliferation of certain beneficial bacteria, such as Enterococcus, Lactobacillus and other probiotic microorganisms. In addition, H9N2 AIV decreases the expression of primary gel-forming mucin, endogenous trefoil factor family peptides and tight junction proteins (ZO-1, claudin 3, and occludin), resulting in severe intestinal damage. This review highlights the relationship among AIV, gut microbiota and immunity in chicken.

Incidence of gastrointestinal parasites in pigeons with an assessment of the nematocidal activity of chitosan nanoparticles against Ascaridia columbae

In this investigation, the incidence and intensity of gastrointestinal parasites of domestic pigeons were evaluated, additionally, in vitro and in vivo evaluation of the antiparasitic activity of chitosan nanoparticles against the most predominant gut parasite. Therefore, 240 domestic pigeons (160 adults and 80 squabs) obtained from different localities in Giza governorate, Egypt, from February to July 2021, were subjected to parasitological and postmortem examination. The results revealed that 97% of pigeons were vulnerable to single or mixed gastrointestinal parasites. The detected helminths were identified as Capillaria columbae (C. columbae) with a total incidence of (12.5%), Ascaridia columbae (A. columbae) (83.3.%), Heterakis gallinarum (H. gallinarum) (18.7%), Raillietina cesticillus (R. cesticillus) (7.5%), Raillietina echinobothrida (R. echinobothrida) (29%), Choanotaenia infundibulum (C. infundibulum) (22.9%), Davainea proglottina (D. proglottina) (26.6%), and Cotugnia proglottina (C. proglottina) (14.5%). At the same time, the identified protozoan parasites were Trichomonas gallinae (T. gallinae), and Eimeria columbae (E. columbae), with a total incidence of 25 and 79%, respectively. Helminths and Eimeria infections were higher in adults than squabs, while T. gallinae infection was reported with a higher incidence in squabs (62.5%) than adults (6.2%). From our findings, A. columbae was the most predominant gut parasite in the examined pigeons. Thus, it was subjected to in vitro and in vivo treatment with chitosan nanoparticles. Serum and tissue samples were collected from the birds which have been used in the in vitro study to evaluate the oxidative stress markers as malondialdehyde (MDA), Nitric oxide levels and Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (TNF-α) and Interleukin-1β activity also, chitosan nanoparticles- treated worm ultrastructure were determined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Finally, we recommend periodic monitoring of pigeon's farm to detect the parasitic infestation, and from our results, we recommend chitosan nanoparticles as a potent nematocidal agent.