Are anticoccidial vaccines widely used in the control of poultry coccidiosis in Nigeria? Is there any material I can read on this issue? Thanks, in anticipation.
Two types of vaccines are currently used with the aim of controlling coccidiosis in a chemical-free way: unattenuated and attenuated vaccines. Their effectiveness is based on the recycling of what are initially very low doses of oocyst and on the gradual buildup of solid immunity.
The use of live unattenuated vaccines (Coccivac, Advent, Immucox, and Inovocox) is limited due to the risk induced by the live parasites, so their use is accompanied by chemical treatments to control the inherent pathogenicity of the parasites. However, this practice is no longer required due to the improved methods of administration of the oocysts.
The success of live attenuated vaccines (Paracox and HatchPak CocciIII) is based on the fact that there is a lower risk of disease occurring because there is a reduction in the proliferation of the parasites and as a result less damage to the intestine of the bird. Today, attenuation of Eimeria species is based on precociousness. This refers to populations of parasites that complete their life cycle up to 30 h faster than parasites from the same parent strain, resulting in parasites with attenuated virulence and a significant reduction in their reproductive capacity. Today, precocious lines are described for all species of Eimeria.
Although the species-specific nature of immunity induced by exposure to live Eimeria (whether attenuated or un-attenuated) is significant to control coccidiosis, there still is a requirement for the development of a fully effective anticoccidial vaccine, mainly because Eimeria species distribution can vary between poultry farms and specific screenings should be performed before vaccine administration.
Additionally, the anticoccidial drug resistance observed in birds around the world has directed the search for natural products with efficient anticoccidial activity. For more detailed information about vaccines, the follow published reviews are good resources.