Effect of NuxaSan 500™ on Performance and Intestinal Health in Broilers Challenged with Eimeria spp.
Coccidiosis caused by Eimeria spp. remains one of the most economically important intestinal diseases in poultry production. The infection damages intestinal tissues, reduces nutrient absorption, impairs feed efficiency, and negatively affects growth performance and flock profitability.
As concerns regarding antimicrobial resistance and synthetic additives continue increasing, phytogenic feed additives are gaining attention as sustainable alternatives to support gut health and bird resilience during enteric challenges.
Take-home message:
Improving eimeria broiler intestinal health through phytogenic supplementation helps reduce intestinal damage, improve performance, lower oocyst shedding, and strengthen gut integrity during coccidial challenge.
Study Objective
The study evaluated the effects of NuxaSan 500™, a polyherbal product based on Acacia concinna and other plants, on broiler performance, intestinal health, and Eimeria infection severity under experimental challenge conditions.
Researchers aimed to determine whether phytogenic supplementation could mitigate the negative effects associated with Eimeria infection while supporting productive performance and gut health.
Main focus:
The trial investigated whether phytogenic supplementation could improve intestinal resilience during coccidial challenge.
Experimental Design
A total of 288 one-day-old Cobb 500 male broilers were distributed into three experimental groups:
- Negative Control (NC): basal diet, unchallenged
- Positive Control (PC): basal diet challenged with Eimeria spp.
- NS Group: challenged birds receiving 500 ppm NuxaSan 500™
Birds in the challenged groups received oral inoculation on day 14 with:
- E. acervulina
- E. maxima
- E. tenella
The trial lasted 28 days and included performance evaluation, lesion scoring, oocyst shedding analysis, and gene expression measurements.
The study combined productive, pathological, and molecular evaluations to assess intestinal health comprehensively.
Performance Improvements
Broilers supplemented with NuxaSan 500™ showed significant improvements in productive performance by day 28.
Compared to the challenged positive control group, the NS group demonstrated:
- Higher body weight: 1704 g vs. 1495 g
- Better feed conversion ratio: 1.39 vs. 1.45
- Zero mortality: compared to 2.08% in PC birds
These results suggest that phytogenic supplementation effectively reduced the productive losses associated with coccidial challenge.
NuxaSan 500™ improved growth performance and feed efficiency while completely eliminating mortality during the challenge period.
Reduction in Oocyst Shedding
The supplemented group also showed significant reductions in oocyst shedding, indicating lower parasite replication and infection pressure.
Reduced shedding was observed for:
- E. tenella at 6–9 days post-inoculation
- E. maxima at 7 and 9 DPI
- E. acervulina at 6 DPI
Lower oocyst output suggests improved intestinal resistance and reduced environmental contamination risk within production systems.
Parasitological benefit:
Reducing oocyst shedding helps decrease both infection severity and parasite spread inside poultry houses.
Improved Intestinal Lesion Scores
Intestinal lesion scoring demonstrated significant reductions in tissue damage among birds receiving NuxaSan 500™ supplementation.
Compared with the challenged control group, supplemented birds showed lower lesion severity in:
- Duodenum
- Ceca
These findings indicate improved intestinal protection and reduced pathological damage associated with Eimeria infection.
Lower lesion scores reflect stronger intestinal integrity and reduced tissue destruction during coccidial challenge.
Effects on Inflammation and Gut Health
Gene expression analysis showed that Eimeria challenge increased the expression of inflammatory cytokines and tight-junction-related genes in the positive control group.
The NS group demonstrated reduced expression of:
- IL-1β
- TNF-α
- CLDN-1
Additionally, supplemented birds showed numerically higher levels of the antioxidant enzyme glutathione peroxidase (GPX), suggesting improved antioxidant defense mechanisms.
Phytogenic supplementation helped reduce inflammatory responses while supporting antioxidant protection in the intestinal tract.
Why Phytogenics Matter
Growing restrictions on antibiotic growth promoters and increasing antimicrobial resistance concerns are accelerating the adoption of phytogenic solutions in poultry nutrition.
Polyherbal additives may offer several advantages:
- Improved intestinal resilience
- Reduced pathogen pressure
- Lower inflammatory responses
- Enhanced antioxidant capacity
- Better productive efficiency
These strategies are becoming increasingly important for sustainable poultry production systems.
Industry trend:
Phytogenic additives are gaining relevance as sustainable tools to support gut health and reduce dependence on synthetic compounds.
Conclusion
Supplementation with 500 ppm of NuxaSan 500™ successfully mitigated the negative effects associated with Eimeria spp. challenge in broiler chickens.
The phytogenic product improved growth performance, feed efficiency, lesion severity, inflammatory response, and intestinal health markers while reducing oocyst shedding and mortality.
Final conclusion:
Phytogenic supplementation represents a promising nutritional strategy to improve intestinal resilience, reduce coccidial damage, and support sustainable broiler production under enteric disease challenges.
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