Coccidiosis prevention measures

Coccidiosis is an important and common disease in chicken production. Parasitic protozoa of the genus Eimeria multiply in the intestines, causing intestinal damage, leading to symptoms such as feeding, digestion and nutrient absorption, dehydration, blood loss, decreased skin pigmentation, and increased susceptibility to other pathogens.
After the body is exposed to pathogens, immunity will quickly develop and resistance to re-infection. Therefore, coccidiosis is mainly a disease of young chickens. Unfortunately, there are many species of Eimeria, and there is no one among them. Cross immunity, so coccidiosis may be caused by different species
Coccidia exist in almost any place where chickens are raised. Due to the strict host specificity of coccidia, the possibility of being a source of infection can be ruled out. The most common mode of transmission of coccidia is mechanical transmission caused by staff passing through chicken coops, chicken houses and feedlots. . Coccidia infection is self-limiting and depends mainly on the number of oocysts ingested and the immune status of the chicken itself. When broilers are 3-5 weeks old, the number of oocysts in litter or feces tends to be the highest. The number usually decreases thereafter.
The morbidity and mortality of this disease are high. Chicks within 11 days of age rarely occur, and adult chickens are mostly insect carriers. This disease occurs frequently in warm and humid environments in spring and summer. The main manifestations are that sick chickens are afraid of cold, often crowded together, have messy wings, close their eyes and doze, often have diarrhea and discharge bloody feces or blood, anemia, pale crests, crests are full of fluid, later dyskinesia, down The ground convulsed and died. Young chickens over 3 months of age are mostly chronic, and bloody feces are not necessarily present, but they are progressively thin, stand still, become paralyzed, and die of exhaustion.
Prevention plan
1. Keep the pens ventilated, dry, and proper stocking density, timely removal of feces, regular disinfection, etc., can effectively prevent the occurrence of this disease.
2. In the age with high incidence of coccidia, alternate or combined use of sensitive anticoccidial drugs is still an important preventive method for this disease.
3. At present, coccidia attenuated vaccines have been used clinically and have certain effects, but they are limited to large-scale intensive farms.
Regarding disinfection and hygiene in the past, it was often recommended to improve environmental hygiene and disinfection to prevent the outbreak of coccidiosis in the control of coccidiosis in the past, but now it is no longer considered to be effective. The main reasons are:
1. Oocysts have strong resistance to common disinfectants,
2. Complete indoor disinfection is impossible
3. The oocyst-free environment cannot establish immunity earlier for flat-raised chickens, causing the outbreak of coccidia in the later stage
4. Now there are special disinfectants for killing coccidia oocysts containing ammonium salt and sodium hydroxide