Immunomodulatory effects of levamisole hydrochloride and Nigella sativa against infectious bursal disease (IBD) in chicks

Abstract

Infectious bursal disease (IBD, Gumboro) is a viral disease of poultry well known all over the world. Failure of IBD vaccine after vaccination as well as the immunosuppressant effect represented a major risk for poultry producers. The effects of two immunomodulatory agents namely levamisole hydrochloride and Nigella sativa grinded seeds were in vivo assessed in broiler and layer chicks through two different experiments. Each experiment has 100 chicks that was divided into four subgroups each with 25 chicks and treated as follows: Group I received N. sativa ground seeds in the recommended dose as 1.5 g/L of drinking water; Group II received a mixture of Levamisole hydrochloride N. sativa ground seeds (1.5 g/L) each; Group (III) received Levamisole hydrochloride and Group (IV) serve as controls. Broiler chicks showed significant effect of treatments during the 4th week (P < 0.01) and 5th week (< 0.05). N. sativa reported a significantly high mean of titer (6146.78). Body weight of broiler chicks of N. sativa treatment obtained a significantly higher mean of body weight. For layer chicks, the result of both levamisole and N. sativa during the 2nd week. had a significant higher mean titer (7033.56 and 7746.89, respectively). It was observed that the total leukocyte count of all groups were higher after treatment than before (46.63 and average of 52.77, respectively). The biochemical measurements for layer chicks showed that N. sativa group had a higher level of serum globulin. Histopathological examinations after challenging the chicks revealed a partial shedding of the epithelial layers, inflammatory cells in connective tissue and depletion of lymphocytes in lymphoid follicles. In conclusion, levamisole hydrochloride and N. sativa have an immunomodulatory effect through improvement of the immune system hence supporting the birds against pathogens that causing immune suppression such as IBD.

Keywords: Nigella sativa, levamisole hydrochloride, immune system, Infectious bursal disease.