Dietary Cinnamon Bark Affects Growth Performance, Carcass Characteristics, and Breast Meat Quality in Broiler Infected with Eimeria tenella Oocysts

A total of 150 broiler chicks were used to determine the impact of dietary cinnamon bark powder (CBP; Cinnamomum verum) on breast meat quality, growth performance, and carcass characteristics of birds under coccidiosis, as one of the protozoan parasitic diseases. A total of 5 replicates of birds received 1 of the following 6 groups for 34 days: control groups (1 and 2) received a basal diet without the addition of CBP or salinomycin; group 3 received a basal diet with 0.066 g salinomycin; groups 4–6 were given a basal diet supplemented with 2, 4, and 6 g CBP/kg feed, respectively. On day 21, 4 × 104/100 µL of Eimeria tenella oocysts/bird were challenged, except for the negative control (NC). At the end of the experimental trial, five birds/group were sampled for carcass characteristics and breast attributes. Overall, emeriosis negatively affects slaughter body mass, carcass yield, and the majority of carcass characteristics in birds, and cinnamon can mitigate these effects. Cinnamon groups, particularly at the 2 g level, alleviated the negative effect on performance caused by coccidia infestation to the same or greater extent as the negative control and salinomycin treatment groups. Furthermore, when compared with the other experimental groups, the addition of cinnamon improved some physicochemical properties with some affecting meat quality, such as decreasing MFI and increasing toughness in cinnamon-treated groups. In summary, it can be concluded that CBP can enhance the shelf life, carcass, and quality of birds’ meat by maximizing the productive performance efficiency and breast meat productivity of birds under coccidiosis infestation. Further research is required to investigate the use of cinnamon to optimize the quality of meat and the productivity of both healthy and diseased broilers.

Effect of Probiotics on the Performance and Intestinal Health of Broiler Chickens Infected with Eimeria tenella

Coccidiosis is an important parasitic disease of poultry with great economic importance. Due to drug resistance issues, the study was conducted to investigate how probiotics (Lactobacillus plantarum or L. plantarum) affected oocysts per gram of feces (OPG), fecal scores, feed conversion ratio (FCR), immunomodulatory effect in terms of the cell-mediated and humoral immune response. Serum chemistry (ALT, AST, LDH, and creatinine) was measured in different treated chicken groups. mRNA expression levels of antioxidant enzymes (SOD 1 and CAT), peptide transporter 1 (PepT 1), and tight junction proteins (ZO and CLDN 1) were also examined in chicken groups infected with Eimeria tenella (E. tenella). Chickens supplemented with L. plantarum 1 × 108 CFU (colony-forming unit) showed an improved cell-mediated and humoral immune response, compared with the control group (p < 0.05). Probiotics also enhanced the performance of antioxidant enzymes, PepT 1, and tight junction proteins, and improved serum chemistry (AST, ALT, and LDH), compared with control-infected, non-medicated chickens. However, no significant difference (p > 0.05) was observed in CLDN 1 expression level and creatinine in all treated chicken groups. These findings demonstrated that probiotics supplementation in the feed can protect the birds against E. tenella infection.

S-Methylcysteine Ameliorates the Intestinal Damage Induced by Eimeria tenella Infection via Targeting Oxidative Stress and Inflammatory Modulators

Avian coccidiosis is one of the major parasitic diseases in the poultry industry. The infection is caused by Eimeria species, and its treatment relies mainly on the administration of anticoccidial drugs, which can result in drug resistance and side effects. The recent trends in avian coccidiosis treatment is directed to the development of a new therapy using herbal compounds. S-Methylcysteine (SMC) is considered one of the organosulfur compounds in garlic that showed promising activity in the treatment of different pathological conditions via a wide range of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant mechanisms. In this study, the anticoccidial activity of SMC was investigated in Eimeria tenella-infected chickens compared to diclazuril as a widely used anticoccidial drug. In this regard, 14-day-old broilers were divided into six groups (n = 18). The first group (G1) was the healthy control group, while the second group (G2) was the non-infected SMC group treated at a dose of 50 mg/kg b.w. (high dose). Moreover, the third group (G3) was the positive control group (infected and non-treated). The fourth group (G4) was the infected group treated with SMC of 25 mg/kg b.w. (low dose), while the fifth group (G5) was the infected group treated with SMC of 50 mg/kg b.w. (high dose). Conversely, the sixth group (G6) was the diclazuril-treated group. The anticoccidial effects of SMC and diclazuril were evaluated by counting oocysts and recording the body weight gain, feed conversion ratio, clinical signs, lesions, and mortality rate. Interestingly, SMC showed potent anticoccidial activity, which was exemplified by reduction of oocyst count. Furthermore, the biochemical, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory parameters in the cecal tissues were restored toward their control levels in G4, G5, and G6. Histopathological observation of cecal tissues was consistent with the aforementioned results revealing the ameliorative effect of SMC against E. tenella infection. This study concluded novel findings in relation to the anticoccidial role of SMC as a plant-based compound against the E. tenella-induced coccidiosis in broiler chickens combined with its antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties. Further studies for exploring the mechanistic pathways involved in this activity and the potential benefits from its use in association with conventional anticoccidial drugs are warranted.

Effects of host vimentin on Eimeria tenella sporozoite invasion

Background Chicken coccidiosis is a parasitic disease caused by Eimeria of Apicomplexa, which has caused great economic loss to the poultry breeding industry. Host vimentin is a key protein in the process of infection of many pathogens. In an earlier phosphorylation proteomics study, we found that the phosphorylation level of host vimentin was significantly regulated after Eimeria tenella sporozoite infection. Therefore, we explored the role of host vimentin in the invasion of host cells by sporozoites. Methods Chicken vimentin protein was cloned and expressed. We used qPCR, western blotting, and indirect immunofluorescence to detect levels of mRNA transcription, translation, and phosphorylation, and changes in the distribution of vimentin after E. tenella sporozoite infection. The sporozoite invasion rate in DF-1 cells treated with vimentin polyclonal antibody or with small interfering RNA (siRNA), which downregulated vimentin expression, was assessed by an in vitro invasion test. Results The results showed that vimentin transcription and translation levels increased continually at 6–72 h after E. tenella sporozoite infection, and the total phosphorylation levels of vimentin also changed. About 24 h after sporozoite infection, vimentin accumulated around sporozoites in DF-1 cells. Treating DF-1 cells with vimentin polyclonal antibody or downregulating vimentin expression by siRNA significantly improved the invasion efficiency of sporozoites. Conclusion In this study, we showed that vimentin played an inhibitory role during the invasion of sporozoites. These data provided a foundation for clarifying the relationship between Eimeria and the host. Graphical Abstract

Biochemical and Haematological Effect of Kaempferol in Stress Induced By Experimental Eimeria Tenella Infection in Two Weeks Old Broiler Chickens

In this study, biochemical and haematological effects of kaempferol in stress induced by experimental Eimeria tenella infection in two weeks old broiler chickens was investigated. Sixty-day old broilers were randomly allotted into six groups (I-VI) of ten broilers each and brooded for two weeks with commercial broiler feed (vital feed®) and provided water ad libitum. At two weeks of age broilers in group I served as non-infected control. Broilers in groups II- VI were infected with Eimeria tenella sporulated oocyst (104/ml) via oral inoculation. After infection was established, broilers in groups II-IV were treated per os with 1 mg/kg, 1.5 mg/kg and 2 mg/kg of kaempferol respectively. Broilers in group V were treated for five days with amprolium, 1.25 g/L in drinking water. Broilers in group VI served as infected untreated control. Five days post infection; all broilers were sacrificed by severing their jugular veins. Blood sample was collected from each broiler in a plane sample container devoid of anticoagulant so as to harvest serum for serology while Ethylenediamine tetra-acetic acid (EDTA) bottles were used to collect 1 ml of blood from each bird for haematology. Concentrations of antioxidant (GPx, CAT and SOD) and liver enzymes (ALT, AST and ALP) were determined. Data obtained was analyzed using pad prism version 5.0. There were statistically significant (P<0.05) reductions in the mean values of liver enzymes (ALT, AST, ALP) in groups II, III and IV in a dose dependent manner when compared to group VI. Similarly, the mean values of antioxidant (GPx, CAT and SOD) enzymes increased significantly significant (P<0.05) in groups II, III and IV in a dose dependent manner when compared to group VI. No significant (P>0.05) difference in the mean values of antioxidants and liver enzymes were recorded between groups II, III and IV and when compared to group V. Mean Packed Cell Volume (PCV), haemoglobin (Hb) concentration and Red Blood Cell (RBC) count significantly (P<0.05) increased in groups II, III, and IV in a dose dependent manner. Similarly, PCV, Hb concentration and RBC count were significantly (P<0.05) increased in groups II, III, and IV when compared with VI. No significant (P>0.05) difference in the mean values of PCV, Hb and RBC were recorded in groups treated with kaempferol and group treated with amprolium. It was observed in this study that kaempferol improved the serum level of antioxidants and liver enzymes as well as and haematological parameters and also reduced the level of pathology in the caecum of broilers infected with Eimeria tenella in this study.

Phosphoproteomic Comparison of Four Eimeria tenella Life Cycle Stages

Protein phosphorylation is an important post-translational modification (PTM) involved in diverse cellular functions. It is the most prevalent PTM in both Toxoplasma gondii and Plasmodium falciparum, but its status in Eimeria tenella has not been reported. Herein, we performed a comprehensive, quantitative phosphoproteomic profile analysis of four stages of the E. tenella life cycle: unsporulated oocysts (USO), partially sporulated (7 h) oocysts (SO7h), sporulated oocysts (SO), and sporozoites (S). A total of 15,247 phosphorylation sites on 9514 phosphopeptides corresponding to 2897 phosphoproteins were identified across the four stages. In addition, 456, 479, and 198 differentially expressed phosphoproteins (DEPPs) were identified in the comparisons SO7h vs. USO, SO vs. SO7h, and S vs. SO, respectively. Gene Ontology (GO) term and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses of DEPPs suggested that they were involved in diverse functions. For SO7h vs. USO, DEPPs were mainly involved in cell division, actin cytoskeleton organization, positive regulation of transport, and pyruvate metabolism. For SO vs. SO7h, they were related to the peptide metabolic process, translation, and RNA transport. DEPPs in the S vs. SO comparison were associated with the tricarboxylic acid metabolic process, positive regulation of ATPase activity, and calcium ion binding. Time course sequencing data analysis (TCseq) identified six clusters with similar expression change characteristics related to carbohydrate metabolism, cytoskeleton organization, and calcium ion transport, demonstrating different regulatory profiles across the life cycle of E. tenella. The results revealed significant changes in the abundance of phosphoproteins during E. tenella development. The findings shed light on the key roles of protein phosphorylation and dephosphorylation in the E. tenella life cycle.