Comparative Effects of Dietary Saponin and Probiotic Supplementation on Performance, Carcass Traits and Intestinal Histomorphology of Broilers Challenged with Eimeria tenella

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation of saponin and probiotic on performance, carcass traits and intestinal histomorphology of broiler chickens experimentally infected with Eimeria tenella at 14 days of age. A total of 255 chicks were divided into five groups, each with three replicates. Two groups, one infected with sporulated oocysts of E. tenella and the other not, were given basal diets without any anticoccidials and served as controls. The other three groups also infected with E. tenella were provided diets supplemented with anticoccidial salinomycin, saponin and probiotic. The experiment lasted for 42 days. Supplementation of salinomycin, saponin and probiotic resulted in body weight gains and feed conversion rates not differing from the non infected group, but higher than the infected control. Bloody diarrhea and oocysts excretion in saponin and salinomycin groups were similar, and lower than the infected control. The lesion score was reduced significantly in salinomycin and saponin, and numerically in probiotic compared to the infected control. The survival rate was the highest in salinomycin, followed by non-infected control, saponin, probiotic, and then the infected control. Propiotic and saponin supplementation increased the villus height of small intestine. The findings of intestinal histopathology were confirmative and accord with macroscopic lesion score. There was no effect of dietary treatments on carcass traits of broilers. These results indicate that saponin exerted an anticoccidial effect against E. tenella, which was, however, lower than that exhibited by salinomycin. The probiotic had a minimal effect against E. tenella, but it had the ability to stimulate the performance recovery of infected birds.