Effect of methanol extract of <i>Parkia biglobosa</i> root bark on organ and carcass weight and histopathological changes in <i>Eimeria tenella</i> infected broiler chickens

Abstract

The study evaluated the effect of methanol extract of Parkia biglobosa root in Eimeria tenella infected broilers. One hundred and fifty broilers   grouped into six treatment groups were used for the study as follows: uninfected treated with Sulfaquinoxaline (A), uninfected treated with extract (B), uninfected untreated; (control) (C), infected untreated (D), infected treated with Sulfaquinoxaline (E), infected treated with extract (F). Each broiler was infected at 28 days of age with 20,000 infective E. tenella oocysts and treated at day 7 post infection at a dose rate of 250 mg/ml in  drinking water for 7 days. Carcass and organ weights were recorded at 35 days of age. There was significant difference (p<0.05) between the treated and untreated groups. In groups E and F, the gross findings showed a thickened and hemorrhagic caecae in 3 and 4 broilers each while in group D, 2 broilers had their caecae ballooned and filled with blood and tissue debris. Gross lesions were not observed in groups A, B and C. In group F  histopathology showed that the lymphoid tissues of the Bursa of fabricius were highly reduced and the liver in groups D, E and F showed slight lymphocytic infiltration. No mortality was recorded. This study proved that the root bark of P. biglobosa has no harmful effects on organs of treated broilers, because P. biglobosa extract appeared to have improved carcass weight and significantly reduced clinical signs of coccidiosis such as blood  stained droppings consistent with E. tenella infection in broilers.

Keywords: Broilers, Carcass, Coccidiosis, Eimeria tenella, Organs, Parkia biglobosa, Weight