Coccidiosis is a major parasitic disease of poultry caused by an Apicomplexan protozoan belonging to the subclass Coccidia, family Eimeriidae, and genus Eimeria 1. The disease has significant economic impact on the poultry industry causing high®® mortality, poor growth, decreased productivity, and high medical cost 2. Anticoccidial drugs at subtherapeutic doses in feed, are commonly used to prevent and treat coccidiosis. However, indiscriminate and long-term use of anticoccidial drugs has led to the emergence of drug resistant parasites and presence of drug residues in chicken products raising concerns about public health and food safety 34. According to Yang et al.5, Coccidiosis vaccines are an alternative means to prevent coccidiosis. However, efficacy, safety, and cost-effectiveness are still challenges for anticoccidial vaccine use in poultry 6. Consumers and poultry farmers around the world have voiced concerns about the use of present anticoccidial agents 5. Therefore, there is an expedient need for an alternative approach to prevent and treat avian coccidiosis. This necessitates an examination of the potential of natural products from plant extracts. In recent time, various researchers have tested several plants for anticoccidial activity in chickens 4578910. Azadirachta indica has been reported to possess anticoccidial properties and has been used to combat avian coccidiosis. This property has been demonstrated by its ability to reduce oocyst count 1112, inhibit inflammation 13, and enhance erythropoiesis 1415. The pathogenesis of coccidiosis is associated with oxidative stress caused by increased generation of reactive oxygen species due to activities of the parasite as well as the host immune system causing a depletion of the indigenous antioxidant enzymes such as glutathione reductase (GSH) level and increased lipid peroxidation of cells in the intestinal linings and surrounding tissues. Azadirachta indica (AI) has free radical scavenging ability as well as cellular immune-modulatory properties in mice 1617 and human colorectal cancer 18. Tipu et al. 19 showed that combinations of herbs used against coccidiosis are effective and an economical alternative for prophylactic anticoccidial medication. Azadirachta indica administered at a dosage of 200, 400, 800, and 1600mg/kg in broiler chickens for 4days showed 800mg/kg to be the most effective dosage 20. The awareness by the consumers to avoid chemotherapeutics, the high development costs and low profits have not encouraged the pharmaceutical industry to develop new anticoccidial products 21. Thus, alternatives are therefore progressively and currently been sought. Reports exist on the use of a variety of herb extracts alone or as combination that have proven to be effective in the war against coccidiosis. A number of natural herbs have been tested as anticoccidial dietary additives such as Artemisinin was isolated from Artemisiaannua, is a naturally occurring endoperoxide with antimalarial properties 22. It has been found effective in reducing oocyst output from both E. acervulinaand E. tenella infections when fed at levels of 8.5 and 17 ppm in starter diets 22. In addition, the use of Mormodicabalsamina fruit extract against E. tenellainfection in broiler Chickens has been reported in the same environment 23 NeemAzal® is a biodegradable product from Azardiractaindica (Neem Tree Seed) and the biosynthesis of azadirachtin which is the major component of NeemAzal®is thought to involve tirucallol, a tetracyclic triterpenoid, and a series of oxidation and rearrangement reactions which produce finally, the tetranortriterpenoid azadirachtin family 24. The in-vivo testing of NeemAzal®asa biopesticide from Trifolio-M Lanau, Germany against ticks which are ectoparasites was carried out by few researchers in Nigeria with some recorded successes 24252627. Till date, no report yet on the use of NeemAzal® to control poultry coccidiosis, hence the motivation to embark on this study.

In this study, the reduction in oocyst count observed in the treated group was compared with amprolium could be attributed to the presence of a bioactive compounds azadiractin A which is known to bind membrane cholesterol, altering the integrity of the parasite membrane, resulting in loss of homeostasis and eventual death of the parasite 29]. Also, limonoids contained in NeemAzal® inhibit protein digestion and uptake of vitamins and minerals by the parasites in the gut 17. This action results in impaired nutrient utilization, reduced growth, and multiplication of the parasite which could contribute to the reduced oocyst count observed. Extracts of neem and mahogany when used individually have been reported to reduce oocyst count in avian coccidiosis 11,12. The observed reduction in oocyst count and the significant increase in weight gain of the birds when treated with NeemAzal®, as compared with the negative control group could probably be due to the inhibition of inflammation in the intestinal mucosa which is suggestive of an increased nutrient absorption across the intestinal wall and enhanced feed conversion ratio compared to the negative control this is in agreement with reports by Nwosu et al.12 and Biu et al.11 who also reported an increased weight gain and feed conversion ratio in birds treated with only Khaya senegalensis extracts and Azardiractaindica, respectively. The observed increase in RBC and haemoglobin concentration is indicative of the erythropoieticability of the NeemAzal®, which is beneficial since the Eimeria parasite in the epithelia of the intestines causes bloody diarrhoea and consequently anaemia (Table 1). This finding is in consonance with 15 who reported an anti-anaemic effect of Khaya Senegalensis on phenyl hydrazine-induced anaemia in rats. Neem has been shown to possess anti-anaemic properties in rats 14. The significant increase in mean weight gain in treated birds when compared to the negative control is possibly due to the inhibition of inflammation in the intestinal mucosa which is suggestive of an increased nutrient absorption across the intestinal wall and enhanced feed conversion ratio compared to the negative control. Nwosu et al.12 and Biu et al.11 reported an increased weight gain and feed conversion ratio in birds treated with only Khaya Senegalensis andAzadiractaindica extracts, respectively. In a similar study, Neem acts like toltrazuril exhibiting anticoccidial. In addition, exposure of broiler chickens to 20000 Oocysts of Eimeria tenellacaused generalized degeneration of the caecal glands with massive Oocysts and gametocyts within the caecal glands with fibrosis (Figure 3, Figure 4 & Figure 5), however, broiler chickens treated with NeemAzal® post exposure to 20000 Oocysts of Eimeria tenella, shows equal numbers of caecal tissues with non-observable histopathological lesions (Figure 4), possibly due to the antioxidant and anti-coccidian effects of NeemAzal®. The exact mechanism of action of neem against coccidian parasites is unknown, but a report by the National Research Council 1992 30, suggested that aqueous neem leaf extract, when taken orally, produces an increase in red cells, white blood cells and lymphocyte counts thus enhancing the cellular immune response, increasing antibody production and so most pathogens can be removed before they cause the symptoms associated with disease this was in agreement with this study as seen in Table a remarkable increase of the RBCs.

In addition, the generalized degeneration of the caecal glands, moderate numbers of gametocytes within the glandular regions with fibrosis which underscores reparative process in response to injury evoked by coccidiosis in the chicks which was perhaps brought about by the antioxidant and chemotherapeutic effect of NeemAzal®. The observed increase in RBC and hemoglobin concentration (Table 1) is indicative of the erythropoieticability of NeemAzal®, which is beneficial since the Eimeria parasite in the epithelia of the intestines causes bloody diarrhea and consequently anaemia. This finding is in consonance with 15 who reported an anti-anaemic effect of Khaya senegalensis on phenyl hydrazine-induced anaemia in rats. If the results of this study are juxtaposed with the results of the previous studies on potent antioxidant, hepatoprotective and mitigative role of methanolic extracts of Azadirachtaindica,in both natural and experimental infection with Eimeria species and can be deduced that, NeemAzal® could be said to be a potent antioxidant, chemotherapeutic and tissue protective agent. This study also answered a question on further study advocated to determine the maximum safe levels of neem supplementation because the higher doses, due to its bitterness, may show adverse effects on feed intake which will change the performance parameters of birds (Figure 6 and Figure 7) . Light microscopic inspection of hematoxylin and eosin-stained sections revealed that the epithelial cells of the Cecum were infected by E. tenella(Figure 3 and Figure 4). The results of the safety study showed that exposure of chickens to NeemAzal® at 200mg/kg body weight did not alter the histoarchitecture of liver and kidney (Figure 6 & Figure 7) which is similar to the work conducted in the same environment by a group of Scientists 34. It is therefore recommended that NeemAzal® could be used as a coccidiostat to replace the expensive anti-coccidiostats in the market.

This study shows for the first time that NeemAzal® could be used possibly as a cheaper alternative in the treatment and control of coccidiosis and as a feed additive in the poultry Industry. Further investigative study is advocated to established its protective potential in layers and other animal species.

Conceptualization, Goni Abraham Dogo and Paul Abdu; Data curation, Bi-Allah Bukar Markus; Formal analysis, Goni Abraham Dogo; Funding acquisition, Goni Abraham Dogo; Investigation, Emmanuel Tizhe Vandi and David Omogbe Oshadu; Methodology, Goni Abraham Dogo, Bi-Allah Bukar Markus and Emmanuel Tizhe Vandi; Project administration, Goni Abraham Dogo; Supervision, Paul Abdu; Visualization, David Omogbe Oshadu; Writing – original draft, Goni Abraham Dogo and Gloria Pisha Karaye. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

This research was fully supported by Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) Award of Institutional Based Research (IBR) Merged Grants 2013-2015 of year 2018.