Immuno-haematological impact of Eimeria tenella infection on broilers vaccinated with infectious bursal disease and Newcastle disease vaccines

Abstract Background Eimeria infection of poultry species is one of the famous parasitic diseases, Eimeria tenella is the most prevalent one in the field. This article aims to know the immune-haematological effect of E. tenella as a stress factor in birds vaccinated with Newcastle disease and IBD vaccine. For this study, fifty one-day-old broilers were used and divided into five groups: group A is control (non-vaccinated non-infected birds), group B was infected with E. tenella and vaccinated with Lasota vaccine, group C was infected with E. tenella parasite and vaccinated with IBD intermediate plus vaccine, group D was non-infected and vaccinated with Lasota vaccine, and group E was non-infected and vaccinated with IBD intermediate plus vaccine. Different parameters like oocyst count, body weight (BW), and vaccinal titer were estimated and in addition, erythrogram, leukogram, protein carbonyl (PC), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and interleukin 1β (IL1β) levels were also evaluated. Results The infected groups were characterized by a remarkable alteration in oocysts count and a noticeable reduction in BW, vaccinal titers, SOD, and IL1β. In addition, high PC, with marked anemia, leukocytopenia, and lymphocytosis were seen in infected groups. While, normal BW, increasable SOD, and IL1β levels along with, leukocytosis and lymphocytosis were prominent changes in vaccinated groups only. Conclusion The coccidian infection has adverse effects on healthy performance parameters including body weight, haematological, immune profiles, and ND and IBD vaccination.