Effect of hydro-methanolic extract of Mangifera indica L. stem bark on body weight, pathological lesions, and hematology in experimental Eimeria tenella-infected broiler chickens

Aim of study: To evaluate the weight gain, pathological lesions, and hematology in broilers treated with hydro-methanol extract of Mangifera indica stem bark (MISB) after experimental exposure to Eimeria tenella infection. Material and methods: This investigation involved 56 three-week-old Ross 308 broilers, divided into 7 groups (A–G) of 8 birds each. Groups A–E were experimentally exposed to 25,000 oocysts of E. tenella orally. Groups A, B, and C were treated orally with graded doses of M. indica (250, 125 and 62.5 mg/kg, respectively), for seven consecutive days. Groups D (0.6 g/L sulfaquinoxaline, reference drug), E (infected non-treated), F (uninfected non-treated), and G (uninfected 125 mg/kg MISB-treated to validate effect of MISB on weight increase). After infection, blood and organs were extracted from each experimental group for hematology and pathology, and measurements of body weight gain and oocyst counts were made.             Main results: M. indica improved (p<0.05) weight gain in MISB-treated broilers (A, B, C, and G). On day 6 post-infection (dpi), lesions of coccidiosis caused by E. tenella were observed in groups A, B, C, D, and E. The reduction in oocyst per gram of feces in the MISB and sulfaquinoxaline-treated groups was similar (p>0.05) after medication. Reduced packed cell volume at 7 dpi in the broilers of groups A (22.5% ± 0.7), B (27.0 % ± 2.83), and C (25.7 % ± 0.71), improved at 14 dpi after medication. Research highlights: M. indica improved weight gain, reduced oocyst shedding, and ameliorated cecal lesions in MISB-treated chickens.