EPATIC coccidiosis, caused by Eimeria stiedae, poses a significant challenge to the rabbit
production industry, leading to rabbit fatalities and considerable economic losses. This study
compared the effectiveness of diclazuril and bovine lactoferrin, a multifunctional glycoprotein, in
preventing hepatic coccidiosis in New Zealand White rabbits. Therefore, an in-silico study was
conducted to examine the molecular docking interactions of lactoferrin with rabbit tumor necrosis
factor-alpha (TNF-α) as well as the surface antigen (SAG) 4 and 5 proteins of E. stiedae, serving as a
preliminary computational assessment before experimental validation. Subsequently, an in vivo study
was performed using thirty-five one-month old New Zealand White rabbits were randomly allocated
into five groups: negative control group, lactoferrin-treated uninfected group, infected untreated
group, infected lactoferrin-treated group, and infected diclazuril-treated group. The assessed
parameters included growth performance, parasitological infection evaluation, haematological
measures, and liver pathology at 28 days post-infection. Molecular docking results exhibited a strong
affinity between lactoferrin and diclazuril for rabbit TNF-α, which heightened the inflammatory
response and their binding capability to SAG4 and SAG5, thereby regulating E. stiedae pathogenicity.
The invivo study demonstrated that lactoferrin significantly improved body weight gain and feed
conversion ratio compared to the diclazuril and the untreated infected groups. Furthermore, treatment
with lactoferrin delayed and reduced oocyst shedding, minimized liver injury, reduced TNF-α
expression in immunohistochemical laboratory analysis, and decreased the inflammatory markers,
suggesting its potential as an anticoccidial agent. These results underscore the efficacy of lactoferrin
in alleviating E. stiedae infection. |
