AVIAN COCCIDIOSIS: RECENT ADVANCES IN ALTERNATIVE CONTROL STRATEGIES AND VACCINE DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

Coccidiosis induces huge economic losses to poultry production. Its control through anticoccidial live vaccines and drugs has been very successful with some limitations because of the cost of production of live vaccines, drug resistance, and residues representing public health concerns. Consequently, there is a crucial need for drug-free production of foods. Useful strategies include environmental, immunological, and genetic approaches; feed additives are recent attitudes involving probiotics, synbiotics, organic acids, phytobiotics as essential oils, antioxidants, and nanobiotics (nanoparticles). A combination of such additives is a recent useful trend. Transgenic Eimeria parasite could fill in the gap in the control of chicken coccidiosis as an efficient anticoccidial vaccine with improved protective efficacy using multiple vaccine antigens. Alternatives justify further studies as therapeutic or prophylactic anticoccidial agents. Full biological and toxicology profiles are crucial for the promising materials which deserve to be applied on a larger scale.