Herba99 - Coccidiosis Support

Coccidiosis Support

Avian Coccidiosis (Eimeria spp. Infection) in Poultry

Coccidiosis Support Scientific Report (RO)

Disease Overview

Coccidiosis is a parasitic disease of the intestinal tract caused by protozoa of the genus Eimeria, of which seven species infect chickens at distinct intestinal sites; Eimeria acervulina, E. maxima and E. tenella are the most prevalent in intensively managed broiler flocks. The disease represents a major economic burden for the poultry industry, driving morbidity, mortality, and substantial treatment/prophylaxis costs - global losses attributable to coccidiosis have been estimated at roughly three billion USD per year. In-feed anticoccidial drugs (coccidiostats) have been the mainstay of control for decades, but Eimeria field strains have now developed resistance to essentially all licensed coccidiostats, and the development of new synthetic anticoccidials is constrained by strict feed-additive regulation and growing consumer concern about chemical residues in poultry meat and eggs. This regulatory and resistance pressure, combined with rising consumer demand for organic and "natural" poultry production, has driven strong research interest in plant-based anticoccidial alternatives - garlic, oregano, Artemisia annua, neem, Aloe species, green tea, sugarcane and turmeric extracts, among others, have all been investigated, and commercial multi-herb blends are already used for coccidiosis control in some markets.

Mechanism of Action

Plant-derived anticoccidial products are generally understood to act through two complementary routes rather than a single specific drug-target mechanism. First, many plant extracts have a direct effect on the parasite - altering oocyst wall formation, inhibiting sporulation, or damaging sporozoites - reducing the number of infective oocysts shed and re-ingested by the flock. Second, and often more prominently, herbal extracts act indirectly on the host through immunomodulatory, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects that help the intestinal mucosa resist and recover from parasite invasion, rather than killing the parasite outright. Flavonoids and other polyphenols are considered largely responsible for these biological effects.

The nine-herb formula evaluated in the peer-reviewed study below (nettle, elecampane, licorice, garlic, rosemary, greater celandine, wild thyme, tansy and coriander; internally coded "H3" in the publication) was analyzed by LC-MS/MS and found to be dominated by chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid, with smaller amounts of luteolin, quercitrin, quercetin, apigenin and kaempferol. Chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid are established antioxidants capable of neutralizing reactive oxygen species (ROS); since Eimeria infection generates substantial oxidative stress in the gut mucosa, the study's authors propose that this antioxidant activity limits ROS-mediated cytotoxicity to intestinal epithelial cells, which would explain the reduced lesion scores observed in animals treated with this formula. Several of the individual herbs in the blend (garlic, wild thyme, oregano) have documented direct or immunomodulatory anticoccidial activity in the independent literature cited by the authors, and the study's authors propose that the combination of herbs acts synergistically.

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Research Studies

Study 1 - Controlled Experimental Battery Trial (Peer-Reviewed, In Vivo)

Title: Efficacy of a commercial herbal formula in chicken experimental coccidiosis

Authors: Loredana Maria Pop, Erzsébet Varga, Mircea Coroian, Maria E. Nedișan, Viorica Mircean, Mirabela Oana Dumitrache, Lénárd Farczádi, Ibolya Fülöp, Mircea Dumitru Croitoru, Mihaly Fazakas, Adriana Györke

Institutions: Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine (USAMV) Cluj-Napoca · Department of Pharmacognosy and Phytotherapy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Sciences and Technology (UMFST) of Târgu Mureș · Center for Advanced Medical and Pharmaceutical Research, LC/MS Chromatography Laboratory, UMFST Târgu Mureș · Department of Toxicology and Biopharmacy, UMFST Târgu Mureș

Product sponsor: SC Promedivet SRL (Sovata, Mureș, Romania), which supplied the herbal formula as an oral liquid preparation

Funding: USAMV Cluj-Napoca (grant no. 6142/10.04.2017); UMFST Târgu Mureș (grant no. 17972/07.12.2016); SC Promedivet SRL; Romanian Ministry of Research and Innovation (Contract no. 37PFE/06.11.2018)

Ethics approval: Animal Ethics Committee of USAMV Cluj-Napoca, approval no. 30314/2018

Publication: Parasites & Vectors (2019) 12:343, published online 12 July 2019, Open Access (CC BY 4.0)

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Study 2 - Farm Clinical Trial (In Vivo, Field Validation)

Title: Testing and evaluation of the prophylactic efficacy of the HERBA-TOP product in broiler chicken coccidiosis - clinical farm study (internal title: "Testarea și evaluarea eficacității profilactice a produsului HERBA-TOP în coccidioza puilor broiler – studiu clinic în fermă")‍

Report reference: CTR. No. 6142/10.04.2017 // 195/13.04.2017 (Report 5)

Author: Șef lucrări (Senior Lecturer) Dr. Adriana Györke

Institution: USAMV Cluj-Napoca

Study period: two on-farm experiments - Experiment 1 in February 2018 (broilers aged 30 days at treatment); Experiment 2 from 28 March – 5 April 2018 (broilers aged 14–21 days)

Report date: Cluj-Napoca, 12 May 2018

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Study Summary Table

Study / Arm	Target Species	Dose Tested	Study Type	Sample Size	Key Result	Source
1a. Battery Experiment 1 (BE1) — formulas H1 & H2	ROSS 308 broiler chicken, experimentally infected (5×10³ sporulated Eimeria oocysts/bird: E. acervulina, E. tenella, E. maxima)	H1 (garlic + wild thyme, 1:1) and H2 (oregano 40% + summer savory 30% + greater celandine 30%), each 10 ml/L drinking water, days 14–24	In vivo, controlled experimental infection (battery cages)	100 day-old chicks; at day 14 split into 5 groups × 3 replicates × 5 birds/cage (n=15/group); lesion scoring on 8 birds/group at day 7 p.i.	H1 and H2 increased OPG and feed conversion ratio and reduced weight gain vs. controls; anticoccidial index (ACI) indicated no anticoccidial efficacy for either formula (values below the 120 cut-off)	Pop et al. (2019), Parasites & Vectors 12:343
1b. Battery Experiment 2 (BE2) — formula H3	ROSS 308 broiler chicken, experimentally infected (5×10⁴ sporulated Eimeria oocysts/bird, same 3 species)	H3 (9-herb blend, see Mechanism section), 5 ml/L (ITH3-5) or 10 ml/L (ITH3-10) drinking water, days 14–24	In vivo, controlled experimental infection (battery cages)	100 day-old chicks; 5 groups × 3 replicates × 5 birds/cage (n=15/group); lesion scoring on 8 birds/group at day 7 p.i.	H3 significantly reduced OPG by day 10 p.i., reduced total lesion score (10 ml/L dose reduced it by ~50%; caecal lesions significantly reduced at 10 ml/L, Z=2.162, P=0.031), and improved weight gain/FCR vs. the untreated positive control. ACI indicated good-to-marked anticoccidial effect (>160), not dose-dependent	Pop et al. (2019), Parasites & Vectors 12:343
2. On-farm clinical trial (HerbaTop 3C)	Broiler chicken, farm-raised, natural (non-experimental) field exposure	HerbaTop 3C, 5 ml/L drinking water, 3 days (Exp. 1, age 30 d) or 7 days (Exp. 2, age 14 d)	In vivo, clinical/field trial (no controlled challenge dose)	Exp. 1: 2 farm halls (1 treated, 1 untreated control); Exp. 2: 3 farm halls (2 treated, 1 untreated control); necropsy/lesion scoring on 4–8 birds/group	No statistically significant differences between treated and control halls in OPG (P=0.12–0.14, Exp. 1), lesion score, feed/water intake, weight gain, or mortality; product showed no adverse effect on flock health at the field dose. (Note: in Exp. 2, OPG in one treated hall, Lot Exp 3, was numerically higher than in the control hall — see caveat below)	Internal Report CTR. No. 6142/10.04.2017//195/13.04.2017, USAMV Cluj-Napoca (2018)

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References

Pop, L.M., Varga, E., Coroian, M., Nedișan, M.E., Mircean, V., Dumitrache, M.O., Farczádi, L., Fülöp, I., Croitoru, M.D., Fazakas, M., Györke, A. (2019). Efficacy of a commercial herbal formula in chicken experimental coccidiosis. Parasites & Vectors, 12, 343. DOI: 10.1186/s13071-019-3595-4. PubMed: PMID 31300024. Open Access (CC BY 4.0).
Johnson, J., Reid, W.M. (1970). Anticoccidial drugs: lesion scoring techniques in battery and floor-pen experiments with chickens. Experimental Parasitology, 28(1), 30–36. DOI: 10.1016/0014-4894(70)90063-9. PubMed: PMID 5459870. (Lesion-scoring method used in both source documents.)
De Pablos, L.M., dos Santos, M.F.B., Montero, E., Garcia-Granados, A., Parra, A., Osuna, A. (2010). Anticoccidial activity of maslinic acid against infection with Eimeria tenella in chickens. Parasitology Research, 107, 601–604. DOI: 10.1007/s00436-010-1901-3. PubMed: PMID 20499099. (Source of the anticoccidial index, ACI, formula used to interpret both studies.)
Internal Scientific Report, CTR. No. 6142/10.04.2017//195/13.04.2017 (Report 5), "Testing and evaluation of the prophylactic efficacy of the HERBA-TOP product in broiler chicken coccidiosis – clinical farm study," USAMV Cluj-Napoca, 2018 (Dr. Adriana Györke). (Not independently published/peer-reviewed; internal document only.)

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Raw Material and Supplier Transparency

Manufacturer / sponsor: SC Promedivet SRL, Sovata, Mureș, Romania

Formula composition (H3 / believed to correspond to HerbaTop 3C):

nine herbs — nettle root (Urtica dioica) 10%, elecampane root (Inula helenium) 15%, licorice root (Glycyrrhiza glabra) 10%, garlic bulb (Allium sativum) 10%, rosemary leaf (Rosmarinus officinalis) 10%, greater celandine (Chelidonium majus) 10%, wild thyme leaf (Thymus serpyllum) 15%, tansy flower (Tanacetum vulgare) 10%, coriander seed (Coriandrum sativum) 10%.

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Extraction method:

maceration of ground, dried plant material in propylene glycol (20 kg dried plant per 120 L propylene glycol) for 14 days, followed by cold pressing.

Chickens used for the experimental infection studies were sourced from S.C. VIS AVIS S.A. (Vadu Crișului, Bihor, Romania) - this is the day-old-chick supplier for the research trial, not a raw-material/herb supplier, and should not be conflated with the herbal ingredient supply chain.

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Animal ethics & research compliance:

The experimental infection study (Study 1) was conducted under a specific animal-ethics approval (USAMV Cluj-Napoca Animal Ethics Committee, approval no. 30314/2018), and the underlying research was co-funded by Romania's Ministry of Research and Innovation (Contract no. 37PFE/06.11.2018) in addition to the manufacturer. This level of institutional and ethical oversight, plus independent peer review and open-access publication, is a meaningful trust indicator distinct from - and complementary to - regulatory/quality certifications, and can be cited alongside them.

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Statistical rigor:‍

Both studies used pre-specified significance thresholds (P ≤ 0.05) and named statistical tests (ANOVA/repeated-measures ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis, Mann-Whitney U, Student's t-test/chi-square, depending on the document), which supports the credibility of the "no significant difference" and "no adverse effect" claims made in the farm trial specifically - these are not merely qualitative impressions.