Currently, antibiotics are commonly used to treat coccidiosis, a severe protozoal disease in chickens. However, due to growing concerns about the antibiotic residue in meat and eggs, phytogenic formulations are becoming an attractive approach to manage this disease. In this study, we investigated the anti-coccidial function and mechanism of phytogenic formulations composed of Bidens pilosa, Artemisia indica, and both used in combination. We found that these formulations increased the survival rate and reduced body weight loss, the feed conversion ratio, oocyst excretion, bloody stools, and gut lesions of chickens. Mechanistic studies showed that A. indica, but not B. pilosa, reduced the survival of Eimeria oocysts. Accordingly, they both inhibited oocyst sporulation and sporozoite invasion into Madin-Darby bovine kidney (MDBK) cells. Overall, we demonstrate that these formulations protect chickens against coccidiosis. Moreover, a combination of B. pilosa and A. indica has an additive effect on coccidiosis control and growth performance in chickens compared to either one used alone.

中文翻译：

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两种抗球虫药草本草和青蒿的功能和作用机制研究

目前，抗生素通常用于治疗球虫病，这是一种严重的鸡原生动物疾病。然而，由于对肉类和鸡蛋中抗生素残留的担忧日益增加，植物性制剂正成为控制这种疾病的一种有吸引力的方法。在这项研究中，我们研究了由黑鬼草、籼稻组成的植物制剂的抗球虫功能和机制，并结合使用。我们发现这些配方提高了成活率并减少了鸡的体重减轻、饲料转化率、卵囊排泄、血便和肠道病变。机理研究表明，A. indica，而不是 B. pilosa，降低了艾美球虫卵囊的存活率。因此，它们都抑制了卵囊孢子形成和子孢子侵入 Madin-Darby 牛肾 (MDBK) 细胞。全面的，我们证明这些配方可以保护鸡免受球虫病的侵害。此外，与单独使用任何一种相比，B. pilosa 和 A. indica 的组合对鸡的球虫病控制和生长性能具有累加作用。