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Simple Summary: Coccidiosis affects broiler chickens, causing economic losses since infected chickens grow less efficiently than healthy birds. Coccidiosis is caused by a parasite Eimeria that infects the gastrointestinal tract. In the current study, changes in the bacteria of the jejunum and ileum following infection with Eimeria maxima were determined. Samples were taken between 0 and 14 days post-infection. The infection resulted in decreased body weight gain, increased feed conversion ratio, compromised gut morphology, and decreased plasma carotenoid levels. Microbiota composition was determined by sequencing a portion of the 16s rDNA gene. The results indicate that infection affected the diversity within and between bacterial communities, particularly at the height of infection. In samples from infected birds, species of bacteria that can be opportunistic pathogens were more abundant than in healthy birds. In uninfected birds, bacteria that produce short-chain fatty acids and are associated with improved growth were more abundant. Eimeria maxima affects the ecology of the small intestine by disrupting its integrity and changes the types of bacteria present to those that could be opportunistic pathogens. Coccidiosis is a complex gastrointestinal disease, and understanding its effects on the host will help find effective control methods in the future. Coccidiosis in broiler chickens continues to be a major disease of the gastrointestinal tract, causing economic losses to the poultry industry worldwide. The goal of this study was to generate a symptomatic Eimeria maxima (1000 oocysts) infection to determine its effect on the luminal and mucosal microbiota populations (L and M) in the jejunum and ileum (J and IL). Samples were taken from day 0 to 14 post-infection, and sequencing of 16S rRNA was performed using Illumina technology. Infected birds had significantly (p < 0.0001) lower body weight gain (BWG), higher feed conversion ratio (FCR) (p = 0.0015), increased crypt depth, and decreased villus height (p < 0.05). The significant differences in alpha and beta diversity were observed primarily at height of infection (D7). Analysis of taxonomy indicated that J-L and M were dominated by Lactobacillus, and in IL-M, changeover from Candidatus Arthromitus to Lactobacillus as the major taxon was observed, which occurred quicky in infected animals. LEfSe analysis found that in the J-M of infected chickens, Lactobacillus was significantly more abundant in infected (IF) chickens. These findings show that E. maxima infection affects the microbiota of the small intestine in a time-dependent manner, with different effects on the luminal and mucosal populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coccidiosis, an intestinal disease caused by Eimeria parasites, is responsible for major losses in the poultry industry by impacting chicken health. The gut microbiota is associated with health factors, such as nutrient exchange and immune system modulation, requiring understanding on the effects of Eimeria infection on the gut microbiota. This study aimed to determine the effects of Eimeria acervulina infection on the luminal and mucosal microbiota of the cecum (CeL and CeM) and ileum (IlL and IlM) at multiple time points (days 3, 5, 7, 10, and 14) post-infection. E. acervulina infection decreased evenness in CeL microbiota at day 10, increased richness in CeM microbiota at day 3 before decreasing richness at day 14, and decreased richness in IlL microbiota from day 3 to 10. CeL, CeM, and IlL microbiota differed between infected and control birds based on beta diversity at varying time points. Infection reduced relative abundance of bacterial taxa and some predicted metabolic pathways known for short-chain fatty acid production in CeL, CeM, and IlL microbiota, but further understanding of metabolic function is required. Despite E. acervulina primarily targeting the duodenum, our findings demonstrate the infection can impact bacterial diversity and abundance in the cecal and ileal microbiota. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Necrotic enteritis (NE) is a disease of the gastrointestinal tract that is common in broiler chickens and causes substantial economic losses to the poultry industry worldwide. The removal of many antimicrobials in poultry diets has driven the search for alternatives. The purpose of this study was to determine the microbiota changes in the cecal luminal (CE-L) and mucosal (CE-M) populations of broiler chickens undergoing clinical NE (co-infected with Eimeria maxima and Clostridium perfringens) while fed a diet containing a flavonoid rich corn (PennHFD1) or control diet using commercial corns. It was previously shown that chickens fed a diet high in flavonoids had improved performance parameters, lower mortality rate, and lower incidence of intestinal lesions. Flavonoids have been shown to have anti-bacterial, immunomodulatory, and anti-inflammatory activity. The current study included four experimental groups: infected chickens fed commercial corn diet (CTRL-A) or PennHFD1 (CTRL-B) and infected chickens fed commercial corn diet (IF-A) or PennHFD1 (IF-B). We found that most of the microbiota changes were due to infection rather than diet. The alpha diversity in the IF chickens was lower in both CE-L and CE-M. The beta diversity of microbial communities was different between IF and CTRL chickens, as well as between CTRL-A and CTRL-B. The beta diversity of CTRL birds was more homogenous compared to IF samples. Taxonomic analysis showed a decrease in short chain fatty acid producing bacteria in IF birds. An increase in lactic acid producing bacteria, Escherichia coli, and Enterococcus cecorum was also observed in IF birds. It is possible that the effect of the high flavonoid corn on the microbiota was overcome by the effect of NE, or that the positive effects of increased flavonoids in NE-challenged birds are a result of mechanisms which do not involve the microbiota. The effects of high flavonoid corn on NE infections may be further investigated as a possible alternative to antimicrobials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intestinal disease coccidiosis, caused by Eimeria parasites, impacts nutrient absorption in broiler chickens, leading to weight gain depression and major losses in the poultry industry. To develop alternatives to antibiotics for treating infected chickens, the gut microbiota has been researched because of its association with health factors such as nutrient exchange, immune system modulation, digestive system physiology, and pathogen exclusion. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of Eimeria acervulina infection on the luminal and mucosal microbiota of both the duodenum (DuoL and DuoM) and jejunum (JejL and JejM) at multiple time points (days 3, 5, 7, 10, and 14) post-infection. 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing was utilized to characterize the microbiota and analyze differences in alpha and beta diversity between infected (IF) and control (C) birds at each time point. Alpha diversity differed between IF and C birds in DuoM and JejM microbiota. Combined with beta diversity results, DuoM microbiota appeared to be affected by infection in the longer-term, while JejM microbiota were affected in the shorter-term. Relative abundances of bacterial taxa known for short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production, such as Lachnospiraceae, Subdoligranulum, and Peptostreptococcaceae, tended to be lower in IF birds for all four microbiota. Moreover, predicted functional abundances showed MetaCyc pathways related to SCFA production, especially butyrate, may be influenced by these differences in bacterial relative abundance. Our findings expand understanding of how Eimeria infection affects luminal and mucosal microbiota in the duodenum and jejunum, and further research on metagenomic function may provide insights on the degree of influence duodenal and jejunal bacteria have on chicken health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The article discusses a study that examines the use of irradiated oocysts to protect broiler chicks, raised on litter, from infection with multiple species of Eimeria. The study shows that immunization of birds with oocysts receiving 200 Gy was less effective in providing protection from a challenge infection. It concludes that an irradiated oocyst vaccine can effectively protect chicks that are raised on litter from challenge infection with multiple species of Eimeria.

The article presents a study which evaluates the use of dual X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) to assess the impact of coccidiosis on body composition in broiler chicks receiving inoculations with single or mixed species of Eimeria. It notes in the results that the regression analysis showed a high correlation between measured body weight and tissue weight determined by DEXA for both uninfected and infected birds and adds that those uninfected demonstrated a steady increase in weight gain. It also cites the impact of coccidiosis on parameters of body composition as measured by DEXA and mentions that broiler chicks in the production systems can be potentially infected by several species of Eimeria.

Butyrate is a feed additive that has been shown to have antibacterial properties and improve gut health in broilers. Here, we examined the performance and gene expression changes in the ileum of tributyrin–supplemented broilers infected with coccidia. Ninety-six, Ross 708 broilers were fed either a control corn–soybean–based diet (−BE) or a diet supplemented with 0.25% (w/w) tributyrin (+BE). Birds were further divided into groups that were inoculated with Eimeria maxima oocysts (EM) or sham-inoculated (C) on day 21 posthatch. At 7 d postinfection (7 d PI), the peak of pathology in E. maxima infection, tributyrin-supplemented birds had significantly improved feed conversion ratios (FCR , P < 0.05) and body weight gain (BWG , P < 0.05) compared with -BE-infected birds, despite both groups having similar feed intake (FI , P > 0.05). However, at 10 d post-infection (10 d PI) no significant effects of feed type or infection were observed. Gene expression in the ileum was examined for insights into possible effects of infection and tributyrin supplementation on genes encoding proteins related to immunity, digestion, and gut barrier integrity. Among immune-related genes examined, IL-1B and LEAP2 were only significantly affected at 7 d PI. Transcription of genes related to digestion (APN , MCT1 , FABP2 , and MUC2) were primarily influenced by infection at 7 d PI and tributyrin supplementation (FABP2 and MUC2) at 10 d PI. With exception of ZO1, tight junction genes were affected by either infection or feed type at 7 d PI. At 10 d PI, only CLDN1 was not affected by either infection or feed type. Overall tributyrin shows promise as a supplement to improve performance during coccidiosis in broiler chickens; however, its effect on gene expression and mode of action requires further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]