Effects of ethanamizuril, sulfachlorpyridazine or their combination on cecum microbial community and metabolomics in chickens infected with Eimeria tenella

Coccidiostat and antibiotics are widely used in poultry industry, but their effects on cecum microbial community and metabolomics in chickens infected with coccidia have been rarely studied. In this study, we analyzed the changes of microbiota and metabolomic which associated with Eimeria tenella infection in 8 days of age chickens in the presence or absence of ethanamizuril, sulfachlorpyridazine or their combinations treatment for 3 consecutive days. 16S rRNA gene sequencing and LC-MS/MS analyses were used to profile the cecal microbiome and metabolome in each group of chickens on 7 days post-infection. The results showed that coccidial infection induced significant perturbations in the distribution of microbial taxonomy and the metabolism of physiological functional molecules in cecal contents. Ethanamizuril treatment seemed to transform microbiota into a steady state conducive to animal health, and sulfachlorpyridazine treatment alleviated the growth of potentially harmful bacteria such as Escherichia-Shigella. The change trends of metabolites such as n-carbamoylglutamic acid were consistent with the anticoccidial effect of ethanamizuril. The combinations of ethanamizuril and sulfachlorpyridazine at low-dose had little effect on gut microbiota, metabolism and anticoccidial effect. These data indicate that the cecal microbiota and metabolic status of chickens infected with E. tenella following ethanamizuril treatment could be used to monitor the response to drug efficacy. This study provides a new system approach to elucidate the microbiota, metabolic and therapeutic effects of the combination of coccidiostat and antibiotics in the context of avian coccidiosis.