Anticoccidial Efficacy of a Pomegranate–Curcumin Mixd Extract in Broiler Chickens Experimentally Infected with Eimeria spp.

Ibrahim, Hawkar Khalid; Shnawa, Bushra Hussain

doi:10.21608/ejvs.2025.415935.3063

Anticoccidial Efficacy of a Pomegranate–Curcumin Mixd Extract in Broiler Chickens Experimentally Infected with Eimeria spp.

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Biology Department, Faculty of Science, Soran University, Kurdistan-Iraq

² Scientific Research Centre, Soran University, Kurdistan- Iraq

10.21608/ejvs.2025.415935.3063

Abstract

Coccidiosis caused by Eimeria spp., is a major threat to poultry production, with rising resistance to conventional anticoccidials necessitating alternative control strategies. This study evaluated the efficacy of a combined Punica granatum (pomegranate) peel and Curcuma longa (curcumin) extract in broiler chickens experimentally infected with mixed Eimeria spp. The extracts were prepared with aqueous–ethanolic extraction and characterization done with UV–Visible spectroscopy and FTIR, confirming the presence of phenolic compounds and curcuminoids. Forty broilers were assigned to four groups: uninfected control, infected untreated, infected + plant extract (200 mg/kg), and infected + Toltrazuril® (7 mg/kg). Chickens were infected with 55,000 sporulated oocysts, and oocyst shedding, growth performance, and intestinal pathology were examined. The plant extract lowered the last oocyst quantities down to 37 × 10³ oocysts/g in comparison to 212.67 × 10³ detected in infected control groups, while the Toltrazuril group reached 7 × 10³ oocysts/g. The plant extract showed positive effects on growth, along with feed efficiency. The evaluation through gross examination and histopathology revealed a moderate decrease in lesion severity alongside villous protection and zero presence of oocysts, but some remaining inflammation. The study demonstrates that pomegranate–curcumin extract delivers powerful anticoccidial and gut-protective effects, which can function as an environmentally friendly substitute or enhancer of conventional synthetic drugs used in poultry farming.

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