Additives
Coccidiostatics
Coccidiostatics are used to prevent the development of coccidia or completely kill them. Coccidia cause an infection disease known as coccidiosis. Coccidia are a subclass of microscopic, spore-forming, single-celled obligate intracellular parasites belonging to the Eimeria genus. There are many species of coccidia that can infect animals, but only some of them are really unsafe. For example, the most pathogenic ones are: Eimeria tenella, E. Necatrix, E. Acervulina, E. maxima and E. Brunetlli. They hit some parts of the digestive tract, mainly large and small intestine.
Coccidia can cause intestinal bleeding, rapid weight loss, diarrhea and mortality. Coccidiostatics can be chemically produced, but they also can be natural antibiotics generated by various microorganisms. Most of coccidiostatics should be excluded from the animal feed a couple of days before slaughter, to avoid residual contamination of meat.