Effects of Pediococcus- and Saccharomyces-based probiotic (MitoMax) on coccidiosis in broiler chickens

Comp Immunol Microbiol Infect Dis. 2007 Jul;30(4):261-8. doi: 10.1016/j.cimid.2007.02.002. Epub 2007 Apr 16.

Abstract

Coccidiosis is the major parasitic disease of poultry. In this study, the role of the commercial probiotic MitoMax which contains Pediococcus acidilactici and Saccharomyces boulardii was evaluated by measuring body weight gain, fecal oocyst shedding, and serum antibody responses as an alternative control method of prophylactic drug against coccidiosis. Day-old broiler chicks were fed regular or probiotic diets supplemented with MitoMax at 0.01%, 0.1%, or 1.0% of diet, and challenged 2 weeks later with 5000 oocysts of either Eimeria acervulina (EA) or Eimeria tenella (ET). Birds fed 1.0% or 0.1% MitoMax-supplemented diets in EA- or ET-infected groups shed less (P<0.05) oocysts than control-infected chickens. Also, chickens fed 0.1% MitoMax-supplemented diet and infected with EA exhibited higher (P<0.001) serum Eimeria-specific antibodies than other groups. These results demonstrate that MitoMax may enhance the resistance of birds against coccidiosis by enhancing humoral immunity when included at > or = 0.1% of the broiler diet.

Publication types

  • Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antibodies, Protozoan / blood
  • Body Weight / drug effects
  • Chickens*
  • Coccidiosis / immunology
  • Coccidiosis / parasitology
  • Coccidiosis / prevention & control
  • Coccidiosis / veterinary*
  • Eimeria / growth & development*
  • Eimeria / immunology
  • Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / veterinary
  • Feces / parasitology
  • Parasite Egg Count / veterinary
  • Pediococcus*
  • Poultry Diseases / immunology
  • Poultry Diseases / parasitology
  • Poultry Diseases / prevention & control*
  • Probiotics / administration & dosage*
  • Saccharomyces*

Substances

  • Antibodies, Protozoan