Investigating the protective effect of vitamin C against complications caused by coccidiosis in broilers (Ross-308 strain)

Abstract

Introduction: Coccidiosis is the most important protozoan parasitic disease of the poultry industry, and the fight against coccidiosis is one of the important issues of animal husbandry and veterinary medicine. Different species of Eimeria often affect the intestines of chickens and cause enteritis. Adding vitamin C to the drinking water of broiler chickens affects the intestinal morphology and improves the dimensions of intestinal villi in broiler chickens with ascites. The purpose of this study is to investigate the protective effect of vitamin C on the morphology of the villi of the duodenum, jejunum and ileum of the small intestine in broilers infected with Eimeria tenella.
Materials & methods: For this purpose, 120 pieces of one-day-old broilers were purchased and divided into 3 groups of 30 pieces based on a completely random statistical design: Group 1: recipient of the basic ration during the entire experimental period, group 2: recipient Basic diet + 0.25 ml of suspension containing 30,000 Eimeria tenella oocysts from fourteen days old (oral inoculation), group 3: recipient of basic diet + 0.25 ml of suspension containing 30,000 Eimeria tenella oocysts from fourteen days old (oral inoculation) ) + vitamin C in the amount of 1200 PPM to the water consumed from the beginning of the breeding period. On the 28th and 49th day, 9 chicks from each group (3 chicks from each replicate) were randomly selected. After weighing, the samples were killed by cervical method and the length of different parts of the small intestine (duodenum, jejunum and ileum) were measured.
Results: The morphological examination of the small intestine showed that the height, width, and area of the villi of the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum, as well as the depth of Lieberkohn's gland in the group receiving vitamin C increased significantly compared to the positive control group (P<0.05).
Conclusion: Therefore, vitamin C affected the morphology of small intestinal villi and improved and protected the dimensions of intestinal villi in broiler chickens with coccidiosis.