NEW STRATEGIES FOR COCCIDIOSIS MANAGEMENT

NUMBER 3

SUMMER IS THE BEST TIME TO EXPLORE NEWOPTIONS FOR COCCIDIOSIS MANAGEMENT

THINKING GREEN

REMEMBERING JOYCE JOHNSON

DR. CÉSAR CARNICER GARCÍA: USING COCCIDIOSIS VACCINATIONTO OPTIMIZE YOUR NUTRITION PROGRAM

SPAH-PBU-202

Shapingthe FutureShapingthe Future

www.sp-animalhealth.com

Coccidiosis vaccination– a change for the better• Easy hatchery spray application

provides lifelong protection for broilers

• Changes coccidia population frompathogenic and drug resistant to mildand drug sensitive

• Results are improved under varied fieldcoccidia challenge

• And the bottom line is…better

From the coccidiosis experts

© Copyright 2000, Schering-Plough Animal Health Corporation. All rights reserved. SPAH-PBU-185

FEATURES

3

NUMBER 3

4 THE HEAT IS ONSummer is the best time to explore new options for coccidiosis management

6 COCCI FOCUS THINKING GREENBrazil’s Osato Alimentos uses coccidiosis vaccine to ride hot wave in poultry production

8 COCCI PEOPLE JOYCE JOHNSONJoyce Johnson forged new frontiers in coccidiosis control

10 TECHNICALLY SPEAKINGDr. César Carnicer García discusses using coccidiosis vaccination to optimize your nutrition program

13 COCCI FAQsFrequently asked questions about cocci vaccination

14 COCCI NEWSProduct updates and industry events

PAGE 4

‘GOING MAINSTREAM’A few years ago coccidiosis vaccination was prettymuch limited to breeders and layers, as well as afew “radical” broiler companies carving niches inthe value-added natural bird market. But that’s allchanged.

Today coccidiosis vaccination is considered amainstream practice for managing coccidiosis in broilers. Asmy colleague, Dr. Linnea Newman, reports in our cover storypp. 4-5, seven of the top 10 U.S. broiler integrators are using a summer vaccination program for coccidiosis in multiplecomplexes.

In the United States alone, sales of Coccivac-B have jumped147% since the spray cabinet option became available in1997. We expect usage to increase another 50% this year asmore poultry companies appreciate the practicality and valueof vaccination. The product is following a similar path inAsia, Latin America and Egypt, where the spray cabinet is alsobeing used.

The same trend is emerging in Europe and the Middle East,where approval of Paracox-5 has prompted more poultry com-

panies to use vaccination for all or part of their coccidiosis-management programs. Usage is likely to increase even morenow that the product is approved for spray cabinet adminis-tration.

We expect coccidiosis vaccination to grow significantly aspoultry companies across the globe respond to growing con-sumer demand for meat products produced without in-feedmedications. While not directly related to poultry, the BSEand FMD situations in Europe have also made consumersmore concerned about what is being used in livestock andpoultry feeds. We think this trend will fuel even greater interest in coccidiosis vaccination and other alternatives to feed additives.

It is our hope that this latest issue of CocciForum will giveyou the information you need to keep up with these excitingchanges.

Michael Schwartz, DVM

Director, Worldwide Technical Service

PAGE 15

PAGE 6

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THE HEAT IS ONSummer is the best time to explore new options for coccidiosis management

Summertime, and thelivin’ is easy.” So goesthe song from a

Broadway musical. Coinci-dentally, that line sums upperfectly the seasonal signifi-cance of a major poultry pro-tozoan disease.

Summer may be the easi-est time to control coccidio-sis, but astute management isrequired to optimize results.That starts with the mostbasic of chores, spring clean-ing, says Dr. H. DavidChapman, a parasitologist

with the University of Arkansas. What’s next after the annual litter

change? “I recommend that producers use an

effective chemical drug to help cleanup any Eimeria still present in thehouse,” Chapman says. “Diclazuril isparticularly useful because it can beemployed any time of year, but don’tuse it for more than two consecutiveflocks.”

After diclazuril, vaccinate two orthree consecutive flocks with Coccivac-B, he advises. “The vaccine will repop-ulate the house with drug-sensitivestrains and this will help improve sub-sequent efficacy of ionophores,”Chapman explains.

Vaccination PreferableSeasonal management of coccidiosisvaries by company and geographicarea. Since producers vary in theirwarm-weather management schemes,coccidiosis programs involving alterna-tion of a chemical with vaccinationshould be tailored to those manage-ment practices. The overall goal shouldbe to obtain long-term improvements

in performance and production.Another goal is to eliminate drug-resist-ant strains.

“Once the resistant strains are gone,the vaccine will repopulate broilerhouses with drug-sensitive forms, andthen the use of ionophores canresume,” Chapman says.

Since birds are generally releasedfrom the brooding area sooner duringsummer months, they spread oocystsfrom the initial shedding phase over awider area. With a decreased concen-tration of oocysts and a more evenspread, reactions and immunity devel-opment resulting from the coccidialvaccination will, in turn, be more uni-form, adds Dr. Greg Mathis, presidentof Southern Poultry Research, Inc.,Athens, Ga.

“In summer, increased airflow anddry weather reduce litter moisture,”Mathis points out. “Dry litter reducesoocyst sporulation, which directlyrelates to oocyst viability andnumbers. With this reducedcoccidial pressure, theeffects of any errors in acoccidiosis control pro-gram, whether anti-coccidial or vaccina-tion, will be mini-mized.

“That makessummer a goodtime to take advan-tage of nature’shelp in this impor-tant area of littermanagement andcoccidiosis control,”Mathis adds.

Management ofCoccivac-B, a live-oocystvaccine for coccidiosis, is

Chapman: ‘I recommend that producersuse an effective chemical drug to helpclean up any Eimeria still present in thehouse.’

“

5

more difficult in winterbroiler conditions,

adds Dr. LinneaNewman, a con-

sulting veteri-narian forS c h e r i n g -

P l o u g hA n i m a lHealth.

“Bes idesthat, duringwinter pro-ducers can

use many anti-coccidials with

fewer negativereactions,” she

says. “And if you seed the house withsensitive oocysts via vaccine in sum-mer, winter coccidiostats will work bet-ter.”

According to Newman, seven of thetop 10 U.S. broiler integrators are usinga summer vaccination program for coc-cidiosis in multiple complexes.

“Use of the vaccine in summer goeshand in hand with summer broilerhouse management,” Newman empha-sizes. “Summer house conditions areideal for minimal reactions and excel-lent performance, without anyionophore-like depression in feedintake during heat stress.”

Comfort ZoneFogging systems are routinely implemented to keep birdscool during summer months, says Dr. Linnea Newman, aconsulting veterinarian for Schering-Plough AnimalHealth. “Fogging is most common for birds four weeks ofage and older,” she points out.

But frequent fogging wets the litter, and control of littermoisture is an important element of a coccidiosis controlprogram, Newman emphasizes.

“With an ionophore program or if a long withdrawal feed is in use, wet litter condi-tions during the final weeks before processing will encourage late coccidial chal-lenge and performance loss,” Newman warns.

“Proper house management will maximize summer performance,” concurs Dr. CharlieBroussard, a technical service veterinarian with the company.

During summer, it’s best to keep house air moving at 500 feet per minute, Broussardsays, noting that evaporative cooling is becoming an increasingly popular way tokeep broiler houses comfortable during summer months. It generally takes eight to 10fans to properly service a 40’ X 500’ broiler house.

“Pull up the brood curtain as early as possible in the summer,” Broussard advises.“The ideal situation is to implement full-house brooding on day 1. Having more spacewill reduce competition for feed and water, and it will also reduce the birds’ reaction

to vaccination.”

Mathis: ‘Since birds are generallyreleased from the brooding areasooner during summer months,they spread oocysts from the initialshedding phase over a wider area.’

6

THINKING GREENBrazil producer uses coccidiosis vaccine to ride hot wave in poultry production

These days, success in food pro-duction hinges in large part oncreating marketing niches. In

Brazil, one poultry producer is success-fully creating a global niche withGreen Chicken.

The Green Chicken concept washatched in 1998 when a Brazilian poul-try integrator called Osato Alimentosdecided to target the rapidly expandingconsumer segment that purchases “nat-ural chicken,” meaning, birds raisedwithout antibiotics and growth pro-motants.

Based in Atibaia in Brazil’s state ofSão Paulo, the firm faced a major chal-lenge. Since “natural” poultry produc-tion practices weren’t widely imple-mented in Brazil at that time, littlerelated husbandry information wasavailable.

The new project got off to a greatstart when Osato formed an alliancewith Coopers Brazil, a subsidiary ofSchering-Plough Animal HealthCorporation.

“Starting in June 1998, we conduct-ed three trials to determine if the use ofthe Schering-Plough Animal Health’scoccidiosis vaccine was economicallyand technically feasible,” says PedroShingi, a technical assistant for Osato.

“All results were favorable, so wedecided to replace in-feed coccidiostatswith a vaccination program at ourfarms near company headquarters.Logistically, that would make monitor-ing and follow-up management easier.”

With positive trial results in hand,the first chickens bearing Osato’sGreen Chicken trademark were bred.

Coopers personnel helped Osatodevelop a protocol to administerCoccivac-B on day-old chicks with theSpraycox spray cabinet, which showers

up to 100 day-old chicks at a time withthe vaccine. This technology enabledOsato to vaccinate up to 80,000 birdsper hour, dramatically reducing laborcosts.

Anticoccidials, including nicarbazinand monensin, were eliminated fromthe feed, as were growth promotantssuch as zinc bacitracin and virgini-amycin. Prebiotics and probiotics wereadded to the ration to help colonizebeneficial intestinal bacteria and pre-vent the activity of pathogenic bacteriasuch as Salmonella, E. coli, and Camp-ylobacter species.

More Positive ResultsSince implementing this new manage-ment regime, Osato Alimentos hasexperienced a significant reduction inall diseases and mortality rate, accord-ing to Marcos Palotta, Osato’s technicalmanager.

“At 40 days of age, vaccinated birdsnormally start to show a compensatoryweight gain, and at 50 days theirweight surpasses 5.17 lb. (2.35 kg.),”Palotta says, referring to the fast weightgain vaccinated birds show after an ini-tial setback.

Coopers continues to provide tech-nical support for Osato’s GreenChicken production, including monthlycoccidiosis lesion scoring.

In addition to increased productionbenefits with its Green Chicken, Osatois enjoying gains relative to the bottomline. With Coopers also providing mar-keting assistance, sales of GreenChicken have been increasing steadilysince the product first hit the Brazilianmarketplace in November 2000.

Currently, Green Chicken can befound in more than 400 retail outlets inthe state of São Paulo. Butcher shops

According to Paulo Tsuyoshi Osato, president of OsatoAlimentos, the relationship between the poultry integrator and the pharmaceutical firm coincides with global market trends to meet the increasingdemand for natural and healthy foods.

COCCI FOCUS

7

and grocery stores currently accountfor 50% of Osato’s total Green Chickensales. Supermarkets and restaurantsround out the remaining portion, with30% and 20%, respectively.

Osato expects to process 2 millionGreen Chicken broilers this year, whiletotal Brazilian production of the spe-cialty is expected to reach 30 millionbirds. While it costs an average of 3%to 5% more to produce Green Chickencompared to standard chicken, the for-mer brings about 20% more at the retaillevel, according to Vilson Simon, direc-tor of AviSui, the Poultry and SwineDivision at Coopers Brazil.

“We feel these figures reflect prod-uct acceptance in specific consumermarkets,” says Maria Paula Yuko Osato,a marketing consultant for the firm.“Since Green Chicken is readily avail-able in several types of retail venues,consumers can easily include the prod-uct in their daily routine, even whendining out.”

According to Yuko Osato, OsatoAlimentos is marketing Green Chickenas a product that is lower in fat content,more uniform in appearance, morepalatable and emanating a more desir-able aroma, compared to conventional-ly raised birds. Yuko Osato believesthat, relative to the big picture and thelong haul, Green Chicken offers sever-al consumer benefits, including health-ier food, greater quality of life andlongevity.

Global PlayerOsato Alimentos has a 37-year traditionin the global poultry and food markets.The firm processed 18.5 million birds in2000. This year, production is projectedat 24 million birds.

For all of its products, Osato cur-rently has over 3,000 customers world-wide, including restaurants, fast-foodoutlets, grocery stores, hypermarkets(large chain retailers similar to Wal-Mart), supermarkets, hospitals, andcaterers. Total sales reached $30 millionin 2000 and are expected to hit $40 mil-lion this year.

During the1980s, Osato pio-neered the devel-opment of differ-entiated poultryproducts and ini-tially cultivated astrong export mar-ket with Japan.Today, Osato’sexport customersinclude Japan,Hong Kong andEurope. Majorproduct offeringsfor these venuesinclude filets ofthigh, filets ofbreast, wings, anddifferentiated cuts.Osato’s overseassales reached $6million last year.The forecast for 2001 exports is $10million.

In October 2000 Osato satisfied thelicensing requirements of the EuropeanUnion to sell drug-free meat in Europe.

Teamwork Pays OffThe alliance between Osato andCoopers relative to Green Chicken is awin/win work in progress. Osato con-tinues to develop a successful market-ing niche. Coopers continues to buildits database of technical informationrelative to coccidiosis control in a drug-free broiler production model.

According to Paulo Tsuyoshi Osato,president of Osato Alimentos, the rela-tionship between the poultry integratorand the pharmaceutical firm coincideswith global market trends to meet theincreasing demand for natural andhealthy foods.

“We are both committed to provid-ing consumers throughout the worldwith healthy poultry products, so webelieve Green Chicken and our part-nership will continue to be successful,”Tsuyoshi Osato says.

The Green Chicken concept washatched in 1998 Osato Alimentosdecided to target the rapidly-expanding consumer segment that purchases ‘natural chicken,’specifically, birds raised withoutantibiotics and growth promotants.

8

Remember America in 1969?Joe Namath and the upstart

New York Jets shocked the foot-

ball establishment by guaranteeing a

victory in Super Bowl III, Midnight

Cowboy captured the Oscar for Best

Picture, the Fifth Dimension took home

a Grammy for Aquarius/Let the

Sunshine In and the so-called Miracle

Mets won baseball’s World Series. In the same year, astronaut Neil

Armstrong stepped boldly on the moonwhile proclaiming “one small step forman, one giant leap for mankind.” Thatevent changed the world forever.

1969 was also a newsworthy year inthe universe of poultry parasitology.The University of Georgia (UGA)Department of Poultry Science hostedthe first-of-its-kind internationalCoccidiosis Symposium. A UGAresearch technician named JoyceKeener Johnson introduced a little pro-gram she developed for measuringgross intestinal lesions in chickensinfected with this major protozoan dis-ease.

While her protocol was enthusiasti-cally received by the 150-some industryprofessionals who attended the confer-ence, Johnson never dreamed herlesion scoring system would changethe world of coccidiosis managementforever.

Landmark SystemThis landmark lesion scoring scheme,complete with colored slides, came tobe known not only as the Johnson-ReidLesion Score System, named for theinventor and her mentor, W. MalcolmReid, but also as an indispensablebenchmark for all scientists workingwith cocccidia throughout the world.

Lesion scoring had long been a com-monly accepted criterion for determin-ing the pathogenicity of coccidialspecies. However, no previousattempts had been made to standardizeand describe the scoring scale to eval-uate the severi-ty of infectionuntil JoyceJohnson tack-led this chal-lenging mis-sion at Reid’ssuggestion.

“The big-gest benefit ofthe Johnson-Reid LesionScore Systemwas that it pro-vided an easily learned tool to measurethe effects of anticoccidials and vac-cines,” says parasitologist DonalConway, an Asbury, N.J.- based con-sultant in pharmaceutical productdevelopment.

“The system had a notable impact inthe late 1960s and 1970s whenionophores were first being developed.It was still important in 2000 when thenewest synthetic anticoccidial,diclazuril, was approved by the FDA,”Conway asserts.

Coccidiosis lesion scoring accordingto the Johnson-Reid System is now thesuggested methodology for all anticoc-cidial protocols submitted to the FDAfor approval and for vaccine protocolssubmitted to the USDA.

“Even today, everyone who does acoccidiosis paper has to reference thatJohnson and Reid work,” says Dr. GregMathis, president of Southern PoultryResearch, Inc. (SPR), based in Athens,Ga. The historic Johnson and Reid

Joyce Johnson with a group ofpoultry technical specialists fromLatin America and Asia during atraining seminar in 1979.

Johnson examining a chickenintestine and scoring the coccidiallesions.

COCCI PEOPLE

GIANT LEAPSJoyce Johnson forged new frontiers in coccidiosis control

9

paper titled “Anticoccidial Drugs:Lesion Scoring Techniques in Batteryand Floor-Pen Experiments withChickens” was published in 1970 inExperimental Parasitology.

A Wealth of ExperienceAfter Johnson completed her Mastersdegree under Reid’s tutelage in 1963,she remained in the UGA PoultryScience Department for 33 years. As aResearch Technician III, the Alcoa,Tenn., native worked for Reid for 18years, then for Peter L. Long for 12years, and finally for Larry McDougald.Reid’s research focused on chemother-apy, Long’s centered on immunology,while McDougald’s is devoted to bothchemotherapy and cellular immunology.

In 1994, Mathis hired Johnson towork for his firm, which conductsresearch for the poultry and pharma-ceutical industries. Approximately one-third of SPR’s clients, includingSchering-Plough Animal Health, areinvolved with some aspect of coccidio-sis research.

“What’s amazing to me is that somany people having what they thoughtwere new ideas for coccidiosis researchwould contact us, and Joyce wouldalways tell them ‘we’ve already donethat’,” Mathis adds. “Joyce was familiarwith all the facets of coccidiosis andanyone who knew anything about coc-cidiosis knew Joyce.”

According to Conway, Johnson con-tinually challenged her colleagues tohone in on the key questions associat-ed with evaluating coccidiosis, anticoc-cidials and vaccines: • How severe is the infection?• To what extent is the coccidial infec-tion affecting feed consumption, feedconversion and weight gain?• Is the product working? If so, howeffective is the anticoccidial program? • What is the cost to treat or vaccinatethe flock?

‘Walking Repository’Besides lesion scoring, Johnson wasinvolved with other poultry healthissues, including UGA gnotiobioticresearch emphasizing Histomonas andnematodes of chickens. While workingwith Long, she helped to developchicken coccidia for use in broiler vac-cines. Johnson also attenuated strainsof coccidia that lose some of their

continued on page 15

Celebrating the Contributionsof a Cherished ColleagueTragically, Joyce Johnson was killed in anautomobile accident on the morning of January25 of this year, en route to her job at SouthernPoultry Research, Inc. (SPR), Athens, Ga.

Everyone who knew Johnson had a great dealof respect for her, says UGA poultry scientistLarry McDougald.

“She was always the mainstay of the UGAPoultry Science laboratory, and made a tremendous positive impact on all ofour graduate students,” McDougald says. “I will always remember Joycestanding over lab tables, cutting up chicken guts and conducting coccidiosislesion scoring.”

Greg Mathis, SPR president, is quick to point out that Johnson’s professionalreputation spanned the globe. During her enviable, exemplary career, shetraveled to many countries, including Canada, Mexico, Venezuela, Peru,Brazil, England and France, to teach international colleagues her fine art oflesion scoring.

“In 1999 I visited a commercial poultry operation in Venezuela,” Mathisrelates. “In the company’s dissecting room, I saw a photograph of Joycehanging on the wall. She had been there about 15 years before that, teach-ing employees how to score lesions. After all those years, she was still intheir minds and they were still under her influence.”

“Joyce was a patient, persevering person and very low key in herapproach,” adds consulting parasitologist Donal Conway, Asbury, N.J. “Shewas an excellent teacher and a real leader. Those qualities were the out-standing part of her popularity and mystique. She always welcomed new-comers to her lab and took them under her wing, no pun intended.”

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Across the globe, vaccinatingbroilers for coccidiosis hasbecome a more safe, sensible

and cost-effective means of controllingthis costly disease in poultry — and it’seasy to understand why.

Not only does vaccination eliminatethe need for residue-causing and resist-ance-prone in-feed coccidiostats, it pro-vides life-long protection without thehassle or worry of withdrawal times.Vaccination has also proved to be anexcellent way to minimize or eveneliminate drugs from poultry disease-management programs — a benefit thatbrings added value to meat producedby vaccinated birds.

Perhaps the biggest benefit to coc-cidiosis vaccination still hasn’t beenrealized, however. By eliminating theneed for in-feed coccidiostats — prod-ucts that must be fed for specific dura-tions to be effective — vaccination alsoprovides more flexibility in the feedingprogram and, as a result, enhances per-formance and profitability for poultryproducers.

Conflicting Goals The goal of every poultry feed programis to obtain optimal bird performance,meat quality and processability for thecheapest cost per pound (or kilogram)of produced meat. The primary objec-tive of an anticoccidial program is toprevent both acute and subclinical coc-cidiosis while preserving the gut’sintegrity, reducing secondary diseaseand obtaining good growth and per-formance.

Unfortunately, while it is convenientto administer coccidiostats through thefeed, it is not always easy to meet bothgoals at the same time. This is because

the rigid protocol for using the in-feedanticoccidial might prevent producersfrom making changes in their ration tooptimize nutrition.

An ideal coccidiosis-managementprogram is therefore one that is free ofside effects, allows optimum feed for-mulation for the type and weight of thebirds, permits acceptable feed-millmanagement, and ensures the produc-tion of residue-free chicken meat.

How nutrition programs are formu-lated will vary from country to countryand farm to farm, but there are a fewstandard practices that most operationstend to follow in their management ofcoccidiosis. For example: • Starter: 0 to 21 days with a chemical

anticoccidial• Grower: 21 to 5 or 7 days before

slaughter with an ionophore • Finisher/withdrawal: Until the end of

cycle with no anticoccidial. For most anticoccidial drugs, the

dosage range is a compromise betweeneffectiveness and safety, especially withionophores. To avoid toxicity, the drugssometimes have to be recommended atsub-optimal dose. In addition, anticoc-cidial drugs are not equally effectiveagainst all Eimeria species, and coc-cidia can develop resistance to all anti-coccidials.

For these reasons, nutritionists andveterinarians have to devise and imple-ment complex shuttle and rotation pro-grams to try and achieve optimal effica-cy with minimal side effects. Thedesign, implementation and monitoringof successful shuttle and rotation pro-grams, however, has become quitecomplicated and fraught with obstaclesand risks.

USING COCCIDIOSIS VACCINATION TOOPTIMIZE YOUR NUTRITION PROGRAM

Dr. César Carnicer García

Poultry Business Unit Manager

Schering-Plough AnimalHealth, Spain

TECHNICALLY SPEAKING

Adapted and reprinted fromthe proceedings of Paracox-5:New Live Coccidiosis Vaccine,a seminar in Rhodes, Greece,October 2000. Paracox-5 isavailable in Europe and theMiddle East. Its sister product,Coccivac-B, is available inNorth America, Latin America,Asia and part of the MiddleEast.

For instance, flocks cannot be treat-ed with nicarbazin during early autumnor spring because sudden heat wavescan result in high mortality, even inyoung birds. While valuable to theindustry, ionophores can also presentsome problems. In northern Ireland, forexample, detectable residual levels ofthe coccidiostat lasalocid were found intable eggs. The contaminated eggswere traced back to a feed mill that alsoproduced broiler feed.

A problem that is relatively commonand devastating in its consequences isthe accidental feeding of rations con-taining coccidiostats to non-target ani-mals. For example, turkeys fed salino-mycin-containing feed will experienceincreased mortality. Broiler breedersfed nicarbazin can experience a dropin egg production and fertility.

Last but not least, producers need toconsider the extra time and moneyspent by the feed mill for flushing sys-tems of coccidiostat residues, planningand mixing batches of medicated feed,and avoiding cross contamination ofdrug-free withdrawal rations.

Nutritional TrialTo obtain a better understanding ofhow in-feed coccidiostats can under-mine a nutritional program, we per-formed a floor pen trial comparing

three anticoccidial programs (drugs,vaccination with Paracox-5 and a nega-tive control), and two different feedingprograms. See Ttable 1 to better under-stand the design.

While the trial was conducted inSpain, the results are applicable to vir-tually all major poultry markets.

Diet 1, or the “conventional diet,” isa standard in the Spanish market and isillustrated in Table 1. Withdrawal feedwas fed for 7 days and the age ofslaughter was 49 days, which is alsocommon in the Spanish market forheavy birds.

Diet 2 differs from the conventionaldiet in the starter phase; the pre-starter(0-10) is designed to have betterdigestibility and higher essential aminoacid levels with “less aggressive” ingre-dients. The feed from 10 to 21 days hadlower energy and protein levels thanthe standard starter, so we expectedbird growth to be somewhat slower.

ResultsLive weight results are presented inTable 2, page 12.

There were no differences in bodyweights at the end of the fattening peri-od (49 days) among medicated andvaccinated birds. Diet 2 gave signifi-cantly higher weight than Diet 1.

It is remarkable that control birds

11

Table 1. Feed Program Comparison

AnticoccidialDays

Feeding Program Regime 0-10 10-21 21-42 42-49

Diet 1 C+ Starter 1 Grower

Conventional V Starter 1 Grower

C- Starter 1 Grower

Diet 2 C+ Pre-starter Starter 2 Grower

Non-conventional V Pre-starter Starter 2 Grower

C- Pre-starter Starter 2 Grower

Withdrawal

C+ = nicarbazin-monensin, V = vaccination (Paracox-5), C- = control (no medication or vaccination forcoccidiosis.)

12

had similar weight under any of theanticoccidial treatments, which rein-forces the idea that no coccidiosis chal-lenge occurred at the experimentalfarm, as expected. Despite that, thebaseline performance of vaccinatedbirds did not differ from birds treatedwith anticoccidials. It was, in fact,numerically better if not significantlybetter.

Period 0-10 daysThere appears to be an interaction

between anticoccidial treatment anddiet. With Diet 2, control birds are inline with vaccinated birds (no coccidialchallenge).

Vaccinated birds performed muchbetter than birds receiving an anticoc-cidial under Diet 2 (enriched starter)but do worse with Diet 1 (standard).This is consistent with the speculationthat a specially tailored diet can be abig advantage when birds are vaccinat-ed for coccidiosis.

In practice, assuming that untreatedbirds are not feasible in field condi-tions, the larger growth rate is obtainedwith vaccinated birds and Diet 2, wherethere is no growth depressor effectfrom nicarbazin and there is a good gutfunction due to the diet.

Period 0-21 daysThe trend is maintained despite the

fact that Diet 2 was lower in energy(6%) and protein (3%) than the con-ventional diet. This reinforces the ideathat a starter is not really neededthrough 21 days.

Other results There were no significant differ-

ences seen in the feed conversion ratio,final body weight, daily weight gain ormortality at 49 days among anticoccidi-al treatments.

Based on the literature and theexperience of several nutritional con-sultants, it is fair to say that coccidiosisvaccination can do more than just pro-tect birds from coccidiosis. The aim isto fit the typical curve of nutritionalrequirements under nutritional andeconomic criteria, without worryingabout controlling coccidiosis via in-feed treatment.

ConclusionsCoccidiosis vaccination is the newesttool available for coccidiosis control.

Since it provides solid, life-lastingprotection, it helps eliminate resistanceand the need for complicated in-feedanticoccidial programs. It also elimi-nates the risks associated with anticoc-cidial drugs.

Coccidiosis vaccination allows feedmills to optimize their diets and pro-vides for more flexible feeding pro-grams. Moreover, birds can be removedat any time from the house, whether anantibiotic growth promotant has beenused or not, since there is no worryabout chemical residues. Birds can besent at any time to the slaughterhouseafter fasting just a few hours, which fos-ters more flexible planning and farmmanagement.

Last but not least, coccidiosis vacci-nation represents a major new steptoward more natural meat, which isincreasingly in public demand.

Body Weight (Kg)Days

Treatment 10 21 49

Treatment C+1 217c 682d 3049bcC+2 237b 756b 3098abC-1 210cd 705c 3037cC-2 254a 826a 3095abcV1 204d 694cd 3049bcV2 251a 821a 3132a

Table 2. Floor Pen Trial Results

C+ = nicarbazin-monensin, V = vaccination (Paracox-5), C- = control (nomedication or vaccination for coccidiosis.) Different letters within the same column represent statistical significance (P>0.0001)

13

COCCI FAQs

Q. ARE POST-VACCINAL REACTIONS A CONCERN WITH COCCIDIOSIS VACCI-NATION?

A. Post-vaccinal reaction withCoccivac vaccines have not been aproblem since the development ofspray cabinet technology, whichreplaces application of the vaccine byother routes such as spraying it on feedor into the eyes.

Uniform coverage is important. Ifsome birds are missed by initial vacci-nation, then other, unexposed birdsreceive an uncontrolled shedding doseof oocysts, which can result in insuffi-cient protection for some birds or strongpost-vaccinal reactions for others.

In the past, it was necessary toadminister amprolium after vaccinationto prevent excessive oocyst sheddingand post-vaccinal reactions that mightoccur as a result of uneven coverage.In addition, birds that did not receive afull dose of the vaccine were exposedto sporulated oocysts from the litterand didn’t always achieve their fullweight or performance.

The spray cabinet has changed allthat by providing more uniform vac-cine coverage, which has led to betterprotection. With the spray cabinet, 100chicks at a time are placed in a box andmisted with vaccine solution. It isbelieved that after spraying, the chickspreen and ingest the vaccine orally,which results in more uniform adminis-tration throughout a flock.

With uniform application, completeprotection is achieved within 28 daysand there is no need to use amproliumafter vaccination. Studies have shown

that weight gain and feed conversion inbirds vaccinated against coccidiosis viaspray cabinet administration is compa-rable to that among birds receivingconventional, in-feed ionophores.

Q. ARE BROILER CHICKS VACCINATEDFOR COCCIDIOSIS MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TOCOLONIZATION OF SALMONELLA ENTER-ITIDIS?

A. No. A recent study in Brazil byInstituto de Biociências – UNESP with120 broiler chicks showed that vaccina-tion with Coccivac-B has no bearing onthe colonization or longevity ofSalmonella enteritidis (Se) in the gut.

The birds were divided into sixgroups: Group 1 received the probioticACM (anaerobic cecal microflora) byspraying after vaccination against coc-cidiosis and challenge with Se; Group 2received ACM by intra-esophagealinoculation after vaccination againstcoccidiosis and challenge with Se;Group 3 received ACM in drinkingwater after vaccination against coc-cidiosis and challenge with Se; Group 4was not treated with ACM but vaccinat-ed against coccidiosis and challengedwith Se; Group 5 was not treated withACM or vaccinated, but challengedwith Se; and Group 6 was not treated orvaccinated and not challenged (nega-tive control). The colonization of thedigestive tract, the presence of Se infeces, and body weight were deter-mined 2, 7 and 12 days after challenge.

Se count in feces and cecal colo-nization were reduced in the ACM-treated groups (1-3), mainly thosereceiving ACM by spraying and intra-esophageal inoculation. This indicates

ANSWERS TO THE MOST FREQUENTLY ASKEDQUESTIONS ABOUT COCCIDIOSIS VACCINATIONPrepared in cooperation with Schering-Plough Animal Health’s Technical Service Team

The spray cabinet provides moreuniform administration, leading to better protection.

Have more questions about coccidiosis vaccination? Sendyours to the editor atprworks@netstep.net or by fax to 845-758-2926. You’ll get a personal reply from a Schering-Plough Animal Health represen-tative and we may include it inour next issue of CocciForum.Name withheld from the printedversion upon request.

continued on page 15

14

SYNALAF — the official asso-ciation and ruling board thatregulates production of LabelRouge birds in France — hasjust released new guidelinesbanning the use of coc-cidiostats from production.

Label Rouge — so namedbecause of the special redlabel that appears on allbrands that meet this pro-gram’s rigid criteria — areraised free range and receivediets that are rich in naturalingredients, whole grains and100% vegetable proteins. Theymust also be fed to reach mar-ket weight over a specific peri-

od. Label Rouge birds accountfor 82 million of the country’s958 million broilers, or about8%.

The availability of Paracox-5has made vaccination of LabelRouge chickens more econom-ical and appealing to Frenchpoultry producers.

Dr. Yannick Frémont, a vet-erinarian with Schering-PloughAnimal Health’s French sub-sidiary, thinks a new claim forspray cabinet administration,which has recently been grant-ed, will make the producteven more appealing.

Label Rouge Group Bans Coccidiostats

COCCI NEWS

Schering-Plough AnimalHealth has received govern-ment approval in China tobegin marketing Coccivac®-B.

The licensing is a majormilestone in coccidiosis vac-cination usage becauseChina is the biggest growthopportunity in the world forCoccivac-B after the UnitedStates and Brazil.

Vaccination for coccidiosisis expected to become moreprevalent as Chinese poultryproducers become “increas-ingly dissatisfied” with tradi-tional coccidiostats due toparasitic resistance, with-drawal periods, negative sideeffects and other drug-relat-ed problems, says Dr. ZhangYuankui of the company’sChina subsidiary.

The Chinese character HO,or harmony, represents therelationship between theworld of nature and theworld of man.

Coccivac-B Launched in China

Australia to Host International Cocci ConferenceThe VIII International Coccidiosis Conference will be heldJuly 9-13 in Cairns, Australia, which is in the country’s tropi-cal North Queensland region.

“The International Coccidiosis Conference has evolvedfrom a meeting focused on the control of Eimeria in poultryto a major international conference that encompasses allaspects of the biology of a wide range of coccidian para-sites,” says Nick Smith, chair of the organizing committee.

The meeting, sponsored by the Australian Society ofParasitology and held in conjunction with the group’s annualmeeting, will feature lectures and roundtables on genomics,immunology, cell biology, drug resistance, vaccination, envi-ronment and other related factors.

For more information, go towww.science.uts.edu.au/depts/cmb/mpu/conference.html.

Editor’s note: The fall issue of CocciForum will include coverage of this conference.

Schering-Plough AnimalHealth Corporation hasobtained approval fromEuropean regulatory authori-ties for hatchery sprayadministration for Paracox-5,an attenuated vaccine thatprotects against the mosteconomically significantspecies of Eimeria causingcoccidiosis in broiler chick-ens.

“The hatchery sprayapplication lets poultry oper-ations vaccinate up to 100day-old chicks for coccidio-sis in about two seconds,while providing uniformcoverage and developmentof immunity against coc-cidiosis,” says Dr. CharlieBroussard, a technical serv-ice veterinarian with thecompany. “It’s an excitingdevelopment for the prod-uct.”

Paracox-5 also can besprayed on feed of day-oldchicks or added to drinkingwater at 3 days old.

When used in the hatch-ery, Paracox-5 should beadministered with Schering-

Plough Animal Health’sSpraycox® spray cabinet orother company-approvedsystem that is capable ofdelivering the appropriatedose to all the chicks in eachhatchery crate. The compa-ny also recommends addingthe red food coloring agentcochineal E120 to the dilut-ed vaccine to mark immu-nized birds and enhanceuptake.

“The chicks, which areattracted to the red color,ingest the vaccine orallywhen preening,” Broussardexplains. “A significantreduction in efficacy may beobserved if the food color-ing is not added to the dilut-ed vaccine before adminis-tration by hatchery spray.”

Paracox-5 contains live,attenuated sporulatedoocysts derived fromEimeria acervulina, E. max-ima CP, E maxima MFP, E.mitis HP and E. tenella HP.Immunity begins to developwithin 14 days of vaccina-tion and is complete by 28days after vaccination.

Dr. Yannick Frémont examining a healthy bird with LabelRouge customer Hervé LaFitte.

Paracox-5 Gets Hatchery Spray Claim

More than 30 of Schering-Plough Animal Health’s world-

wide staff and consulting vet-erinarians from around the

world gathered in Georgiarecently for a hands-on lookat coccidiosis lesions and theirimpact on the chicken.

The event, which includedlecture and post-mortem diag-nostic work, was held at thePoultry Diagnostic andResearch Center of theUniversity of Georgia, Athens.

“The seminar was part ofour continuing effort to beworld leaders in coccidiosismanagement and to makesure our veterinarians are themost knowledgeable in the

industry,” says Dr. MichaelSchwartz, director of poultrytechnical services.

“Our vets need to be ableto recognize and differentiatebetween the harmless lesionscaused by our vaccine whilestimulating immunity and thelesions caused by naturallyoccurring disease,” Schwartzsays. “We need to help ourcustomers see and understandthe difference so they can bet-ter address the problems inthe field.”

Back to School on Coccidiosis

15

Drs. Charlie Broussard (center) and John McCarty (right)provide lab instruction to international poultry veterinarians.

Joyce Johnson continued from page 9

CocciForum is published by the Worldwide Poultry Business Unit of Schering-Plough

Animal Health Corporation, Union, N.J. The editors welcome your ideas and suggestions

for news articles concerning coccidiosis management. Send correspondence to

CocciForum, Feeks Communications, 1 West Bard Avenue, Red Hook, NY 12571-1109,

USA. Fax 845-758-2926, e-mail PRWorks@netstep.net.

© Copyright 2001, Schering-Plough Animal Health Corporation. Articles may bereprinted for educational purposes with written permission from the publisher.

Editors: Joseph Feeks, Marcelo Lang

Design & Production: Deborah Sottile

Contributing Writers: Diana DelmarLinda Leake

that the actions of ACMagainst cecal colonizationand fecal excretion of Se arenot affected by the use of avaccine against coccidiosis inbroiler chicks. Furthermore,it suggests that ACM andcoccidosis vaccine can be

used together without reduc-ing the effectiveness of ACM.

An increase in cecal colo-nization and fecal excretionof Se was observed in thegroups not receiving ACM,regardless of whether theyreceived coccidiosis vaccine.

Q&A continued from page 13

Growing worldwidedemand for the Coccivacvaccines has promptedSchering-Plough AnimalHealth to expand its produc-tion facility in Millsboro, Del.

The $2.2 million expan-sion project is expected toincrease production about35%, according to site man-ager Larry Manogue.

Construction is expectedto be completed within thenext few weeks and productfrom the expanded facilityshould be available by latesummer or early fall.

This latest capitalimprovement project comesless than 18 months after thecompany invested $17 mil-lion to consolidate andexpand the poultry biologi-cals plants in Millsboro and

two plants in the UnitedKingdom.

“With this level of invest-ment, it’s clear that Schering-Plough Animal Health iscommitted to the worldpoultry industry,” says SteveCollins, vice president–worldwide poultry.

He notes that worldwidesales of Coccivac, marketedin the United States, LatinAmerica, Middle East andAsia, and its sister product,Paracox, available in Europeand the Middle East, contin-ue to set new records asmore and more commercialpoultry operations reducetheir dependence on tradi-tional in-feed anticoccidialsand seek other methods forcontrolling this costly para-sitic disease.

Coccivac-B Plant Expanding — Again pathogenicity when propa-gated in chicken eggs.

“She was a walkingrepository of all of the infor-mation on coccidiosis,”McDougald emphasizes, not-ing that Johnson co-authored44 research papers and fourbook chapters.

At SPR, Johnson helpeddesign a number of impor-tant research protocols, including immunity studiesthat in 1997 led to the com-mercial introduction of

Coccivac-B via the hatcheryspray method.

“So many advances inpoultry epidemiology andthe processing of new scien-tific ideas were dependenton the quality of work JoyceJohnson was able to sustainthroughout her entirecareer,” Conway empha-sizes. “Her contributions tothe poultry industry wereimmeasureable.”

Coccivac is a registered trademark of Schering-Plough Animal Health Corporation. Paracox is a trademark of Schering-Plough Animal Health Corporation.

© Copyright 2000, Schering-Plough Animal Health Corporation All rights reserved. SPAH-PBU-153

If you want to start your future now, talk to us.

We are Schering-Plough Animal Health,

the makers of Paracox™ and Coccivac®

brands of coccidiosis vaccines.

1095 Morris Ave. P.O. Box 3182 Union, NJ 07083-1982 U.S.A. Fax: 1-908-629-3206