Figure 8

Histopathological changes in ceca tissues from chickens in each group. No obvious histopathological changes were observed in the ceca tissues of the TBS group. In the infection and Alg control groups, some intestinal villi were damaged, featuring infiltration of inflammatory cells in the lamina propria, oedema in the submucosa, and a marked thickening of the muscle layer. Intestinal gland epithelial cells in the lamina propria were invaded by a substantial number of Eimeria parasites at various developmental stages, including macrogametes, microgametes, and oocysts. In the phageY + Alg group, the structure of the intestinal villi appeared relatively normal, and the number of parasites was lower than in the E. tenella infection group. In the phageG + Alg, phageY, and phageG groups, the structure of the intestinal villi was partially damaged but the infiltration of inflammatory cells and the number of parasites were less compared to the E. tenella infection and Alg control groups. In both the phageV + Alg and phageV groups, the histopathological changes were similar to those observed in the E. tenella infection group.