The financial cost of coccidiosis in Algerian chicken production: a major challenge for the poultry sector.

Coccidiosis, caused by parasites of the genus Eimeria, is a significant economic burden to the poultry industry. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive analysis to evaluate the financial losses associated with Eimeria infection in chickens in Algeria, relying on data provided by key stakeholders in the Algerian poultry industry to assess sub-clinical as well as clinical impact. We employed the updated 2020 version of a model established to estimate the cost of coccidiosis in chickens, taking into consideration specific cultural and technical aspects of poultry farming in Algeria. The findings predict economic losses due to coccidiosis in chickens of approximately £86.7 million in Algeria for the year 2022, representing £0.30 per chicken raised. The majority of the cost was attributed to morbidity (74.9%), emphasizing the substantial economic impact of reduced productivity including decreased bodyweight gain and increased feed conversion ratio. Costs associated with control measures made up 20.5% of the total calculated cost, with 4.6% of the cost related to mortality. These figures provide a clear indication of the scope and economic impact of Eimeria infection of chickens in Algeria, illustrating the impact of practices common across North Africa. They underscore the ongoing requirement for effective preventive and control measures to reduce these financial losses while improving productivity and welfare, ensuring the economic sustainability of the Algerian poultry industry.

A Simple Spectrophotometric Method for Coccidian Oocysts Counting in Broiler Feces.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to develop a rapid spectrophotometric method for counting coccidian oocysts in broilers feces, based on a standard count method "Malassez cell". METHODS: Therefore, a raw suspension containing purified oocysts of Eimeria known to parasitize broiler chicken was used. Five concentrations of oocyst suspensions were prepared, and three series of counts using the proposed method were compared with the conventional protocol using Malassez cell to quantify oocysts. Calibration curves were drawn to correlate the specific absorbance measurement at 550 nm and the number of coccidian oocysts quantified using Malassez cell counting (oocysts mL-1). RESULTS: The obtained results allowed to establish a formula for an easy estimation of the cell count based on their respective absorbance. The developed method can be used not only for the in vitro evaluation of the anticoccidian activity of natural or synthetic substances, but also for assessing oocysts production and the level of coccidian infection in broilers. CONCLUSION: The estimation formula has been found to be satisfactory and useful for a wide range of Eimeria oocyst suspension, offering a methodology with high potential for automation in anticoccidian tests in vivo and in vitro.

Assessment of artemisinin and antioxidant activities of three wild Artemisia species of Algeria.

Artemisinin, a natural product, has received considerable attention in the last few years as a potent antimalarial drug.This study reports the presence of Artemisinin in three Algerian wild Artemisia species assessed by HPLC method: A. herba-alba (AH), A. campestris subsp. glutinosa (AC), and A. judaica subsp sahariensis (AJ).The HPLC analysis of the hexane extracts, showed a difference in artemisinin content in studied species with a yield of 0.64%, 0.34% and 0.04% for AC, AH and AJ, respectively. Moreover, the level of artemisinin obtained in A. campestris was better than those found in A. sieberi and A. annua. This rate has been reported for the first time.Furthermore, the antiradical activities of methanolic extracts of plants were also tested. There was a remarkable antioxidant capacity found in all Artemisia methanolic extracts analysed.

Effect of Pistacia lentiscus L. Vegetable Oil on Growth Performance and Coccidiosis in Broiler Chickens: In vitro and In vivo Assessment.

This study aims to assess the ability of vegetable oil of Pistacia lentiscus L. (lentiscus oil) in stimulating growth performance of broiler chickens and protecting them against coccidiosis. For this purpose, an in vitro test was first carried out to evaluate the destructive effect of this oil on Eimeria spp oocysts. On the other hand, an in vivo study was carried out to evaluate, once again, the capacity of the vegetable oil of Pistacia lentiscus L. in stimulating broilers growth performance and reducing the coccidiosis clinical signs. Thus, day old chicks were randomly divided into four equal groups: (1) uninfected and not-supplemented control (NI NS); (2) uninfected and supplemented (NI S); (3) infected and not supplemented (I NS); (4) infected and supplemented (IS). Each group was divided into three replicates containing each of them two subjects. The experimental groups (2 and 4) are supplemented with lentiscus oil by force-feeding at the rate of 1 mL per day from the 18th day until the end of the experiment. The chicks of the third and the fourth group are inoculated orally with sporulated oocysts (6.5 × 105 oocysts of Eimeria spp) on the day 20 of age. The results showed that lentiscus oil has an anticoccidial dose-dependent effect as shown by oocysts counting and released substances measurement at 273 nm. The growth performance of the (NI S) group was found better with an improvement percentage of 9.14% compared to the control (p < 0.05). Likewise, the weight gain of the (I S) group seems slightly higher than that of the control one (1316 g and 1235 g, respectively) (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the vegetable oil of Pistacia lentiscus L. has shown, not only, a promising growth effect in broiler chickens, but also, it seems to have a protective effect against coccidiosis sequels caused by Eimeria acervulina infection.