Amprolium and furazolidone as preventive treatment for intestinal coccidiosis of piglets

Abstract

Two coccidiostats, amprolium and furazolidone, were used as preventive treatments for intestinal coccidiosis in three-day-old piglets experimentally infected with 50,000 sporulated oocysts of Isospora suis.All infected piglets, treated or not, displayed clinical signs compatible with coccidiosis. Diarrhea and anorexia appeared around five days postinoculation in the non-treated and in the amprolium-treated groups; these signs were delayed to days 7 and 8 postinoculation in the furazolidone-treated group. The treatments did not prevent growth retardation. Amprolium seemed to reduce oocyst shedding whereas furazolidone had no effect. Villous atrophy was present in all infected piglets.