Effect of garlic powder on morphological changes of intestinal villi in broiler chickens with Eimeria tenella

Coccidiosis is the most important parasitic diseases in the broilers. This parasite lives in the cells lining the wall of the Lieberkuhn glands in the small intestine. The aim of this study was to investigate the protective effect of garlic powder on the morphology of duodenum, jejunum and ileum villi in the small intestine of broilers with Eimeria tenella. So, 90 one-day-old broiler chickens were purchased and divided into 3 groups (30 pieces in three replicates): Healthy group: Receiving a basic diet throughout the experimental period, Patient control group: Receiving basal diet+0.25 ml of suspension containing 30,000 Eimeria tenella oocytes since fourteen days old (oral inoculation). Treatment group: Receiving a basal diet+0.25 ml of suspension containing 30,000 Eimeria tenella oocytes from fourteen days old (oral inoculation)+garlic powder at dose of 1% in the diet from the beginning of the period. On days 28 and 49, each group (3 chicks from each replicate) was randomly selected, weighted, killed by cervical method and the length of different parts of the small intestine (ileum, jejunum and ileum) were measured. The results showed that garlic powder significantly increased the height, width and area of the duodenum, jejunum and ileum villi as well as the depth of Lieberkohen glands compared to the patient control group in days of 28 and 49. So, garlic powder can affect the morphology of small intestinal villi and improved the size of intestinal villi in broiler chickens with coccidiosis and protect intestinal epithelial cells.