Journal for Veterinary Medicine, Biotechnology and Biosafety

Volume 12, Issue 2, May 2026, Pages 3–8

ISSN 2411-3174 (print version) ISSN 2411-0388 (online version)

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF CURRENT TREATMENT METHODS FOR COCCIDIOSIS IN PIGS

Kolchyk O. V., Hadzevych O. V., Аkimov O. V., Paliy A. P., Vovk D. V.

National Scientific Center ‘Institute of Experimental and Clinical Veterinary Medicine’, Kharkiv, Ukraine, e-mail: kolchyk-elena@ukr.net

Download PDF (print version)

Citation for print version: Kolchyk, O. V., Hadzevych, O. V., Аkimov, O. V., Paliy, A. P. and Vovk, D. V. (2026) ‘The effectiveness of current treatment methods for Coccidiosis in pigs’, Journal for Veterinary Medicine, Biotechnology and Biosafety, 12(2), pp. 3–8.

Download PDF (online version)

Citation for online version: Kolchyk, O. V., Hadzevych, O. V., Аkimov, O. V., Paliy, A. P. and Vovk, D. V. (2026) ‘The effectiveness of current treatment methods for Coccidiosis in pigs’, Journal for Veterinary Medicine, Biotechnology and Biosafety, 12(2), pp. 3–8. DOI: 10.36016/JVMBBS-2026-12-2-1.

Summary. Intestinal dysbiosis and coccidiosis are common conditions in piglets, characterized by disturbances to the microbial community and reduced productivity in animals. Consequently, there is an urgent need to identify effective treatment regimens that eliminate pathogens, restore the intestinal microbiota, and enhance the body’s resistance. This study aimed to develop and compare a comprehensive treatment regimen involving sulfadimethoxine and a Bacillus spore-forming probiotic for suckling piglets with coccidiosis. Piglets suffering from coccidiosis in the first experimental group were administered sulfadimethoxine orally at a dose of 25 mg/kg once daily for five days. Animals in the second experimental group were administered sulfadimethoxine at the same dose and a Bacillus spore-forming probiotic at a dose of two milliliters per animal for 21 days. The results demonstrate that including the Bacillus spore-forming probiotic in the treatment regimen normalizes the intestinal microbiota, as evidenced by a reduction in opportunistic microflora and a significant increase in obligate anaerobe populations. Complete clearance of coccidia and elimination of Candida albicans was achieved in the second experimental group (sulfadimethoxine + Bacillus), confirming a pronounced therapeutic effect compared to monotherapy (sulfadimethoxine)

Keywords: piglets, gut microbiota, sulfadimethoxine, Bacillus spore-forming probiotic

References:

Bogach, M., Paliy, A. and Bogach, O. (2022) ‘Protozooses of Vietnamese potbellied pigs in Southern Ukraine’ [‘Protozoozy vietnamskykh vyslobriukhykh svynei na pivdni Ukrainy’], Bulletin of Agricultural Science [Visnyk ahrarnoi nauky], 100(5), pp. 47–51. doi: 10.31073/agrovisnyk202205-07. [in Ukrainian].

Bohach, О. М., Kovalenko, L. V., Paliy, A. P. and Bogach, М. V. (2023) ‘Morphological and biochemical changes in the blood of piglets suffering from Eimeriosis and Balantidiosis’ [Morfolohichni ta biokhimichni zminy v krovi porosiat, khvorykh na eimerioz i balantydioz], Veterinary Medicine [Veterynarna medytsyna], 109, pp. 95–100. doi: 10.36016/vm-2023-109-17. [in Ukrainian].

Bohach, О. М., Paliy, A. P. and Bogach, M. V. (2024) ‘Risk factors and spread of Cystoisospora suis and Cryptosporidium suis in farms of Odesa Region’, Journal for Veterinary Medicine, Biotechnology and Biosafety, 10(2), pp. 3–6. doi: 10.36016/jvmbbs-2024-10-2-1.

Buffoni, M., Kerkvliet, J. J., Enting, H., Kers, J. G., Rogers, M., Visser, J. A. G. M., Paganelli, F. L., Willems, R. J. L. and Schürch, A. C. (2026) ‘Coccidiosis prevention strategies shape the microbiome, resistome and mobilome composition in the broiler gut’, Animal Microbiome, 8(1), p. 3. doi: 10.1186/s42523-025-00497-7.

CE (The Council of Europe). (1986) European Convention for the Protection of Vertebrate Animals Used for Experimental and Other Scientific Purposes. (European Treaty Series, No. 123). Strasbourg: The Council of Europe. Available at: https://conventions.coe.int/treaty/en/treaties/html/123.htm.

CEC (The Council of the European Communities) (2010) ‘Directive 2010/63/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 September 2010 on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes’, The Official Journal of the European Communities, L 276, pp. 33–79. Available at: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2010/63/oj.

Chaudhary, B., Parajuli, R. P. and Dhakal, P. (2023) ‘Survey of intestinal parasites in swine farms raised in Western Nepal’, Veterinary Medicine and Science, 9, pp. 2107–2117. doi: 10.1002/vms3.1206.

Cui, N., Wang, X., Wang, Q., Li, H., Wang, F. and Zhao, X. (2017) ‘Effect of dual infection with Eimeria tenella and subgroup J avian leukosis virus on the cecal microbiome in specific-pathogen-free chicks’, Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 4, p. 177. doi: 10.1002/vms3.1206.

De Alencar Rezende, V., Paula, N. F. A., Santos, A. G. D. S., Lisboa, A. R., Roriz, F. D. M., de Oliveira, M. M. S., Anjos, L. A., da Silva Filardi, R. and da Silva, D. T. (2026) ‘Risk factors associated with enteric parasite infection in pigs raised in different production systems’, Veterinary Parasitology: Regional Studies and Reports, 69, 101458. doi: 10.1016/j.vprsr.2026.101458.

DSSU (State Committee for Technical Regulation and Consumer Policy) (2009) DSTU 5079:2008. Veterinary Medicine. Methods of Laboratory Diagnostic of Eimerioses [Veterynarna medytsyna. Metody laboratornoi diahnostyky eimerioziv]. Kyiv: Derzhspozhyvstandart Ukrainy. [in Ukrainian].

Elisashvili, V., Kachlishvili, E. and Chikindas, M. L. (2019) ‘Recent advances in the physiology of spore formation for Bacillus probiotic production’, Probiotics Antimicrob Proteins, 11, pp. 731–747. doi: 10.1007/s12602-018-9492-x.

Gong, Q. L., Zhao, W. X., Wang, Y. C., Zong, Y., Wang, Q., Yang, Y., Yang, Y., Shi, K., Li, J. M., Leng, X., Du, R. and Zhao, Q. (2021) ‘Prevalence of coccidia in domestic pigs in China between 1980 and 2019: A systematic review and meta-analysis’, Parasites & Vectors, 14(1), p. 248. doi: 10.1186/s13071-021-04611-x.

Gujvinska, S. O. and Paliy, A. P. (2018) ‘Determination of antagonistic and adhesive properties of lactobacterium and bifidobacterium’ [Vyznachennia antahonistychnykh ta adhezyvnykh vlastyvostei laktobakterii ta bifidobakterii], Microbiological Journal [Mikrobiolohichnyi zhurnal], 80(1), pp. 36–44. doi: 10.15407/microbiolj80.01.036. [in Ukrainian].

Han, H., Dong, H., Zhao, Q., Zhu, S. and Huang, B. (2024) ‘Coccidia species and geographical distribution in genus Sus: A scoping review’, Microorganisms, 13(1), p. 14. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms13010014.

Hinney, B., Cvjetković, V., Espigares, D., Vanhara, J., Waehner, C., Ruttkowski, B., Selista, R., Sperling, D. and Joachim, A. (2020) ‘Cystoisospora suis control in Europe is not always effective’, Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 7, p. 113. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2020.00113.

Hinney, B., Sperling, D., Kars-Hendriksen, S., Monnikhof, M. O., Van Colen, S., van der Wolf, P., De Jonghe, E., Libbrecht, E., De-Backer, P. and Joachim, A. (2021) ‘Piglet coccidiosis in Belgium and the Netherlands: Prevalence, management and potential risk factors’, Veterinary Parasitology: Regional Studies and Reports, 24, p. 100581. doi: 10.1016/j.vprsr.2021.100581.

Hu, Y., Dun, Y., Li, S., Zhao, S., Peng, N. and Liang, Y. (2014) ‘Effects of Bacillus subtilis KN‑42 on growth performance, diarrhea and faecal bacterial flora of weaned piglets’, Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences, 27(8), pp. 1131–1140. doi: 10.5713/ajas.2013.13737.

Jankowska-Makosa, A., Knecht, D., Wyrembak, S. and Zwyrzykowska-Wodzinska, A. (2023) ‘Evaluation of the level of parasites infection in pigs as an element of sustainable pig production’, Sustainability, 15(4), p. 3671. doi: 10.3390/su15043671.

Jiang, Z., Su, W., Li, W., Wen, C., Du, S., He, H., Zhang, Y., Gong, T., Wang, X., Wang, Y., Jin, M. and Lu, Z. (2022) ‘Bacillus amyloliquefaciens 40 regulates piglet performance, antioxidant capacity, immune status and gut microbiota’, Animal Nutrition, 12, pp. 116–127. doi: 10.1016/j.aninu.2022.09.006.

Joachim, A. and Mundt, H.-C. (2011) ‘Efficacy of sulfonamides and Baycox® against Isospora suis in experimental infections of suckling piglets’, Parasitology Research, 109(6), pp. 1653–1659. doi: 10.1007/s00436-011-2438-9.

Khalid, F., Khalid, A., Fu, Y., Hu, Q., Zheng, Y., Khan, S. and Wang, Z. (2021) ‘Potential of Bacillus velezensis as a probiotic in animal feed: A review’, Journal of Microbiology, 59(7), pp. 627–633. doi: 10.1007/s12275-021-1161-1.

Kim, G., Seong, H., Han, S. H., Kim, H. R., Kim, S. H., Ku, H. J., Han, H. J., Kim, C. H. and Han, N. S. (2025) ‘Gastrointestinal tolerance and gut microbiota modulation of encapsulated and free forms of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis’, Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology, 35, p. e2506028. doi: 10.4014/jmb.2506.06028.

Liu, J., Ma, X., Zhuo, Y., Xu, S., Hua, L., Li, J., Feng, B., Fang, Z., Jiang, X., Che, L., Zhu, Z., Lin, Y. and Wu, D. (2023) ‘The effects of Bacillus subtilis QST713 and β‑mannanase on growth performance, intestinal barrier function, and the gut microbiota in weaned piglets’, Journal of Animal Science, 101, p. skad 257. doi: 10.1093/jas/skad257.

Lu, C., Yan, Y., Jian, F. and Ning, C. (2021) ‘Coccidia-microbiota interactions and their effects on the host’, Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, 11, p. 751481. doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.751481.

Mazur-Kuśnirek, M., Lipiński, K., Jørgensen, J. N., Hansen, L. H. B., Antoszkiewicz, Z., Zabielski, R. and Konieczka, P. (2023) ‘The effect of a Bacillus-based probiotic on sow and piglet performance in two production cycles’, Animals, 13(20), p. 3163. doi: 10.3390/ani13203163.

Sanders, M. E., Merenstein, D. J., Reid, G. Gibson, G. R. and Rastall, R. A. (2019) ‘Probiotics and prebiotics in intestinal health and disease: from biology to the clinic’, Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology, 16(10), pp. 605–616. doi: 10.1038/s41575-019-0173-3.

SE ‘UkrNDNC’ (State Enterprise ‘Ukrainian Research and Training Center of Standardization, Certification and Quality Problems’) (2018) DSTU 8703-2:2017. Veterinary Medicine. Diagnostic for Infectious Disease. Part 2. The Requirement for a Safety [Veterynarna medytsyna. Diahnostuvannia infektsiinykh khvorob. Chastyna 2. Vymohy shchodo bezpeky]. Kyiv: SE ‘UkrNDNC’. [in Ukrainian].

Simmonds, R. C. (2017) ‘Chapter 4. Bioethics and animal use in programs of research, teaching, and testing’, in Weichbrod, R. H., Thompson, G. A. and Norton, J. N. (eds.) Management of Animal Care and Use Programs in Research, Education, and Testing. 2nd ed. Boca Raton: CRC Press, pp. 35–62. doi: 10.1201/9781315152189-4.

Sudan, S., Zhan, X. and Li, J. (2022) ‘A novel probiotic Bacillus subtilis strain confers cytoprotection to host pig intestinal epithelial cells during enterotoxic Escherichia coli infection’, Microbiology Spectrum, 10(4), pp. е01257–21. doi: 10.1128/spectrum.01257-21.

Tang, X., Zeng, Y., Xiong, K. and Zhong, J. (2024) ‘Bacillus spp. as potential probiotics: promoting piglet growth by improving intestinal health’, Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 11, р. 1429233. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1429233.

Tojo, R., Suárez, A., Clemente, M. G., de los Reyes-Gavilán, C. G., Margolles, A., Gueimonde, M. and Ruas-Madiedo, P. (2014) ‘Intestinal microbiota in health and disease: role of bifidobacteria in gut homeostasis’, World Journal of Gastroenterology, 20(41), pp. 15163‒15176. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i41.15163.

Van Emden, H. F. (2019) Statistics for Terrified Biologists. 2nd ed. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 9781119563679.

Vieira, A. M., Sessin, A. P., Soratto, T. A. T., Pires, P. G. D. S., Cardinal, K. M., Wagner, G., Hauptli, L., Lima, A. L. F., Dahlke, F., Netto, D. P. and Moraes, P. O. (2021) ‘Effect of functional oils or probiotics on performance and microbiota profile of newly weaned piglets’, Scientific Reports, 11, р. 19457. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-98549-w.

VRU (Verkhovna Rada Ukrainy) (2006) ‘Law of Ukraine No. 3447-IV of 21.02.2006 ‘About protection of animals from cruel treatment’ [Zakon Ukrainy № 3447-IV vid 21.02.2006 ‘Pro zakhyst tvaryn vid zhorstokoho povodzhennia’], News of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine [Vidomosti Verkhovnoi Rady Ukrainy], 27, art. 230. Available at: https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/3447-15. [in Ukrainian].

Wang, X., Tian, Z., Azad, M. A. K., Zhang, W., Blachier, F., Wang, Z. and Kong, X. (2021) ‘Dietary supplementation with Bacillus mixture modifies the intestinal ecosystem of weaned piglets in an overall beneficial way’, Journal of Applied Microbiology, 130(1), pp. 233–246. doi: 10.1111/jam.14782.

Zhao, M., Chen, B., Peng, S., Mei, G., Li, M., Lin, F., Sun, T. and Li, Z. (2025) ‘Swine-derived probiotics and their metabolites as an alternative to veterinary antibiotics’, Veterinary Sciences, 12(11), p. 1100. doi: 10.3390/vetsci12111100.