Serum biochemical and hematological responses of broiler chickens to herbal-origin anticoccidial supplementation during experimental Eimeria infection.
5 affiliations
- 1Institute of Animal Rearing Technologies, Veterinary Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania.
- 2Department of Animal Welfare and Research, Faculty of Animal Bioengineering, University of Warmia and Mazury, Olsztyn, Poland.
- 3Department of Pathological Anatomy, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Warmia and Mazury, Olsztyn, Poland.
- 4Department of Animal Nutrition, Veterinary Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania.
- 5Large Animal Clinic, Veterinary Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania.
Abstract
Coccidiosis is one of the most economically important diseases in poultry production, prompting increasing interest in natural alternatives to conventional anticoccidial drugs. The aim of this study was to evaluate the biochemical and hematological response of broiler chicken serum to an herbal anticoccidial supplement during experimental Eimeria infection. A total of 1,200 Ross 308 broilers were assigned to four groups (n = 300): non-infected (-) and infected (+) birds receiving either conventional chemical anticoccidials (UC) or the herbal-origin anticoccidial additive (HA). Blood samples were collected on days 10 and 35 to assess serum biochemical parameters, differential leukocyte profiles and lymphocyte morphology. Age significantly affected total protein, albumin, AST, GGT, calcium and iron concentrations (p < 0.05). A significant group effect was observed for ALT activity (p = 0.036) and magnesium concentration (p = 0.013), while a significant G x A interaction was found for urea concentration (p = 0.040). Significant differences between the groups were also identified band and segmented heterophils, lymphocytes and monocytes, while lymphocyte morphology differed significantly among groups and sampling periods (p < 0.05). The study results indicate that the use of a herbal anticoccidial additive was associated with changes in certain serum biochemical and hematological parameters during experimental Eimeria infection, without causing adverse changes in the physiological condition of the broilers. These results suggest that herbal anticoccidial supplements may be a promising natural strategy to support the immune response during coccidiosis.
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BibTeX
@article{vilienė2026serum,
title = {{Serum biochemical and hematological responses of broiler chickens to herbal-origin anticoccidial supplementation during experimental Eimeria infection.}},
author = {Vilma Vilienė and Asta Racevičiūtė-Stupelienė and Daria Murawska and Michal Gesek and Paulius Matusevičius and Zoja Miknienė and Monika Nutautaitė},
journal = {Frontiers in veterinary science},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fvets.2026.1961791},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42953021},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Serum biochemical and hematological responses of broiler chickens to herbal-origin anticoccidial supplementation during experimental Eimeria infection.
AU - Vilma Vilienė
AU - Asta Racevičiūtė-Stupelienė
AU - Daria Murawska
AU - Michal Gesek
AU - Paulius Matusevičius
AU - Zoja Miknienė
AU - Monika Nutautaitė
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/14
JO - Frontiers in veterinary science
DO - 10.3389/fvets.2026.1961791
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42953021
AB - Coccidiosis is one of the most economically important diseases in poultry production, prompting increasing interest in natural alternatives to conventional anticoccidial drugs. The aim of this study was to evaluate the biochemical and hematological response of broiler chicken serum to an herbal anticoccidial supplement during experimental Eimeria infection. A total of 1,200 Ross 308 broilers were assigned to four groups (n = 300): non-infected (-) and infected (+) birds receiving either conventional chemical anticoccidials (UC) or the herbal-origin anticoccidial additive (HA). Blood samples were collected on days 10 and 35 to assess serum biochemical parameters, differential leukocyte profiles and lymphocyte morphology. Age significantly affected total protein, albumin, AST, GGT, calcium and iron concentrations (p < 0.05). A significant group effect was observed for ALT activity (p = 0.036) and magnesium concentration (p = 0.013), while a significant G x A interaction was found for urea concentration (p = 0.040). Significant differences between the groups were also identified band and segmented heterophils, lymphocytes and monocytes, while lymphocyte morphology differed significantly among groups and sampling periods (p < 0.05). The study results indicate that the use of a herbal anticoccidial additive was associated with changes in certain serum biochemical and hematological parameters during experimental Eimeria infection, without causing adverse changes in the physiological condition of the broilers. These results suggest that herbal anticoccidial supplements may be a promising natural strategy to support the immune response during coccidiosis.
SN - 2297-1769
ER -