INVESTIGATION OF ANTICOCCIDIAL ACTIVITY OF METHANOLIC STEM BARK EXTRACT OF TERMINALIA MACROPTERA FULL AND PEER AGAINST AVIAN COCCIDIOSIS IN BROILER CHICKEN

Ajayi Joseph, *Ibikunle G. J., Akintola A. O., Garba M. H., Olatunbosun R. O.

ABSTRACT

Avian coccidiosis remains a major challenge in poultry production, often leading to economic losses and reduced productivity. The emergence of drug-resistant strains of Eimeria spp. necessitates alternative therapeutic approaches. This study evaluates the phytochemical composition, GC-MS profile, and anti-coccidial efficacy of Terminalia macroptera stem bark extract in broiler chickens. Methanol extraction and chromatographic fractionation yielded three distinct fractions, which were subjected to phytochemical screening and GC-MS analysis. In vivo studies were carried out using broiler chickens infected with Eimeria tenella. The birds were divided into four pens. Pens I–III contained four treatments each as follows, 50mg/Kbw,100mg/Kbw,150mg/Kbw, and 200mg/Kbw, and treated with Fractions 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Pen IV served as the control with three treatments: (1) infected but untreated, (2) infected and treated with a standard drug, and (3) uninfected and untreated. Oocyst counts, prophylactic activity, and acute toxicity studies were conducted to evaluate efficacy and safety. The phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of diverse secondary metabolites such as alkaloid, phenolics, tannins, terpenoids and flavonoids, which are known to possess antimicrobial and antiparasitic activities. GC-MS profiling confirmed the presence of bioactive compounds with potential anticoccidial properties such as 2,4-Di-tert-butylphenol, palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoleic with their methyl/ethyl esters and unsaturated aldehydes/ketones which reported to have antimicrobial/antioxidant properties and could act synergistically with fatty acids or alter parasite oxidative stress response. Fraction 2 demonstrated significant reduction in oocyst count (0.6 × 10³/g), comparable to the standard anticoccidial drug (0.7 × 10³/g). The presence of bioactive compounds such as fatty acids, esters, and phenolics suggests a multifaceted mechanism of action. These findings support the potential of T. macroptera as a natural alternative in coccidiosis management.

Keywords: Pytochemical, Avian-coccidiosis, Terminalia macroptera, anticoccidia, Broiller chicken.