Background: Coccidiosis is one of the most economically significant poultry diseases worldwide, caused by
the pathogenic Eimeria species, and is characterized by decreased weight gain (WG) and failure to grow due to
malabsorption, low feed conversion rate, bloody diarrhea, and dehydration.
Aim: This study investigated the effectiveness of licorice root extract (LRE) in controlling cecal coccidiosis to determine
whether its combination with maduramicin could help alleviate the pathological, biochemical, and histopathological
effects of cecal coccidiosis in Sasso broiler chicks.
Methods: A total of 125 one-day-old Sasso broiler chicks were categorized into five equal groups (n = 25), each
consisting of five replicates (n = 5 per replicate). G1-LE received a basal diet supplemented with LRE (3 g/kg);
G2-ME received a basal diet containing maduramycin (0.5 g/kg); and G3-LME received a basal diet containing LRE
and maduramicin together with the same rates. G4-E (positive control) and G5-N (negative control) received no
additives in their feed. Birds in groups (G1-4) were challenged on day 14 of the experiment by orally intercropping a
1 ml suspension of Eimeria tenella sporulated oocysts.
Results: Groups of birds fed on LRE and maduramicin separately or together appeared to be in good condition where
no deaths or clinical abnormalities were observed, based on the analysis of clinicopathological examination. Compared
with the G4-E positive control, the dropping scoring and oocyst shedding of groups G1-LE, G2-ME, and G3-LME
along the 10th-day post-challenge (dpc), as well as macroscopic and microscopic lesions scoring at the 7th dpc, was
considerably lower. The dual supplementation use of LRE and maduramicin in G3-LME's reduced the harmful effects
of coccidian, which appeared only as a mononuclear cellular infiltration and a small number of oocysts invading the
intestinal glands. Molecular docking revealed that LRE and maduramicin interacted with E. tenella DNA polymerase,
E. tenella apical membrane antigen 1, and microneme protein binding sites resulting in reduced E. tenella replication
and invasion.
Conclusion: The inclusion of LRE and maduramicin, individually or in combination, in the diet might effectively
mitigate the detrimental effects of coccidiosis