THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EIMERIA TENELLA AND HETERAKIS GALLINARUM INFECTION IN BROILER CHICKENS

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Animal Health Research Institute – Dokki- Poultry Disease Dept.

2 Animal Health Research Institute – Ismailia -Poultry Disease Dept

Abstract

The present investigation dealt with the effect of concurrent infections of E. tenella and Heterakis gallinarum in broiler chickens. Six groups of 10 chicks (15 day old) coccidia free Hubbard chicken were used in this work. Group I was infected with 50.000 sporulated oocysts of E. tenella per chick and considered as Eimeria positive control. Group 2 was infested with 150 embryonated Heterakis gallinarum and consid-ered as Heterakis gallinarum positive control. The third group of chicken received 150 embryonated Heterakis gallinarum eggs at 6th day before inoculation with 50.000 sporulated oocysts of E. tenella. The4thgroup < /em>received embryonated eggs atthe 6thday after inoculation with sporulated oocysts. Group 5 received both parasites at the same time Heterakis gallinarum followed by E.tenella one hour later. Group 6 was kept without treatment and considered as a negative control.
The results indicated that weight gain of infected chicken with Heter-akis gallinarum and Eimeria tenella was significantly decreased than that of non infested negative control and the chicken inoculated with embryonated Heterakis gallinarum eggs at 6 days before; on the same day and at 6 days after receiving Eimeria sporulated oocysts produced significantlylowerEimeriaoocyst count than positive coccidialcontrol group. Otherwise,chickens receiving oocysts and embryonated eggs on the same day did not have significant variation in the count of Heterakis gallinarum worms. Also, hypoprteinamia, hypoalbuminamia and hypoglobulinamia was noticed in the infected groups comparing with control ones.
 

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