Therapeutic efficacy of Citrus aurantifolia (lime) juice in experimental Eimeria tenella-infected broiler chickens.

The purpose of the present experiment was to explore the therapeutic effect of the crude fruit juice of Citrus aurantifolia (CAJ) on Eimeria tenella disorder in chickens. One hundred twenty 3-week-old Ross 308 broilers of equal sexes were assigned to six experimental groups of 20 birds each. Groups A, B, C, D, and E were experimentally infected with 20,000 sporulated Eimeria tenella oocysts. Broilers in groups A, B, and C were infected and allocated to three treatment-graded doses of C. aurantifolia fruit juice (20, 10, and 5 mL/kg body weight, respectively) which were administered orally for 7 consecutive days of the trial. Group D was infected and treated with a reference drug, Amprolium 1.5 g/L of drinking water (positive control), group E served as infected-untreated control, and group F was uninfected and non-treated (negative control). Oocysts per gram of feces were counted using the McMaster counting device, weight gain was calculated, and blood samples from each experimental group were collected on days 0, 7, 14, 21, and 28 post-infection for hematological evaluation. Results revealed that medication of broilers with C. aurantifolia fruit juice dose-dependently increased body weight, improved cecal lesion, decreased the E. tenella oocyst production rate, and significantly (P<0.05) increased the PCV of the infected broilers. C. aurantifolia provided valuable therapeutic effects against E. tenella-induced coccidiosis in broiler chickens. The plant fruit juice should be further validated to explore the vital compounds responsible for the anticoccidial efficacy.