EFFECTS OF PHALLANTUS AMARUS IN THE TREATMENTS OF COCCIDIOSIS IN BROILER CHICHEN

Abstract

The development of drug resistance of Eimeria spp. in poultry necessitated chemotherapeutic control alternatives 
from plant extracts as potential solution. This study investigated in-vitro evaluation was studied on the anti-coccidial 
properties from P. amarus leaf extracts and its effects on growth performance and carcass characteristics of broiler 
chicken challenged with Eimeria oocysts. Phytochemical screening of the plant extracts revealed the presence of 
flavonoids, cummarin, glycoside, triterpenes and alkaloids while saponin, tannin, phenolics, steroid, anthocyanins, 
terpenoid, amino acids and phylobatanins were negative. In the In-vitro trial, the effects of P. amarus on the 
inhibition of the sporulation of oocysts of Eimeria spp. were undertaken. The experimental design was complete 
randomized design (CRD) consisting of 2 treatments with 3 replicates each with control. T1 received 5 mL of P. 
amarus extracts, T2 received 10 mL of P. amarus leaf extract, and T0 is control. The chicks of all the groups were 
inoculated orally with sporulated oocysts on day 28 (4th week), 7 days post-infection, the birds were treated with 
different regimens, (5 & 10mL) of P. amarus leaf extracts for 3 consecutive days with the exception of T0. Oocysts 
clearance showed a decrease in the amount of oocysts in the feaces of all the groups treated with P. amarus leaf 
extract. The feed intake, body weight gain and feed conversion ratio were significantly improved in all treatment 
groups in comparison with the infected but not treated broiler chickens. 5 mL of P. amarus extract had sporulation 
inhibition percentage of 58% at 72 hours, 10 mls of P. amarus had sporulation inhibition rate of 73% while 15 mL of 
P. amarus has higher sporulation inhibition of 84% at 72 hours. In conclusion, the study showed that 15mls of 
ethanoic extract of P. amarus was effective in control of coccidiosis caused by Eimeria infection in broiler chicken.