Anticoccidial efficacy and safety of Fytevo®PT alone or in association with Fytevo®AM in naturally infected beef cattle

Introduction - Several studies have proved that maslinic acid, a natural pentacyclic triterpene, and Fytevo®PT a natural additive that contains steroidal saponins, exert antiprotozoal activity. Aim - To investigate the efficacy of metaphylactic treatments with Fytevo®PT alone or in association with maslinic acid (Fytevo®AM) against natural infections with Eimeria spp. in beef calves. Materials and methods - A 80-day field study was carried out in an intensive farm in Northern Western Italy with a history of clinical coccidiosis. Four groups of four calves each were fed ad libitum and supplemented with Fytevo®PT 500 ppm (Group A), Fytevo®PT 1000 ppm (B), Fytevo®PT 500 ppm + Fytevo®AM 125 ppm (C), Fytevo®PT 1000 ppm in addition to Fytevo®AM 250 ppm (D), respectively. The last group (CTRL) was maintained as untreated control. Individual faecal samples were collected once a week for 8 weeks and examined for consistency score, pH, number of oocysts per gram (OPG) and dry matter (%). At study day 80 (SD80) the gross chemical composition of faeces was determined in each group. The efficacy of treatments was assessed evaluating the reduction of mean oocyst excretion at each sampling. At SD0 and SD80 individual body weight (BW) was measured. Results and discussion - From SD7, oocysts reduction (%) in CTRLs was significantly lower compared to other groups; from SD14 to SD80 the four treated groups showed no statistical differences, ranging from 64-74% (SD14) to 95-97% (SD80). Up to SD21, both faecal pH values and faecal scores did not significantly differ in the five groups; from SD29 to SD80 the group D was significantly lower compared to other groups. Group C showed a higher average daily weight gain, although BW showed no statistically differences between the groups. Conclusion - The study suggests that Fytevo®PT, alone or in association with Fytevo®AM, shows anticoccidial activity. Further studies on a larger sample size are needed to confirm the obtained advantage in weight performance of these compounds.