Eimeria infections in goats in Southern Portugal

Abstract

Coccidiosis caused by Eimeria species is a major form of intestinal infection affecting intensively and semi-intensively reared goats. The province of Alentejo is the main goat-producing area in Portugal. Therefore, all 15 Serpentina goat farms in Alentejo were analyzed regarding the occurrence and diversity of Eimeria species. Fecal samples obtained from 144 animals (52.1% dairy goats, 47.9% pre-pubertal goats) were examined using the modified McMaster technique to determine the number of oocysts per gram of feces. Eimeria spp. oocysts were present in 98.61% of the fecal samples and, overall, nine different Eimeria species were identified. The most prevalent species were E. ninakohlyakimovae (88%) and E. arloingi (85%), followed by E. alijevi (63%) and E. caprovina (63%). The average number of oocysts shed was significantly lower in dairy goats than in pre-adult animals. Astonishingly, no clinical signs of coccidiosis were observed in any of the animals examined, even though they were shedding high numbers of oocysts and were infected with highly pathogenic species. Thus, implementation of routine diagnostic investigation of the occurrence and diversity of caprine Eimeria species may be a useful tool for determination and better understanding of their potential economic impact on goat herds in southern Portugal.Keywords: Eimeria, coccidiosis, goats, infection, Portugal. ResumoA coccidiose causada por espécies de Eimeria é a maior infecção intestinal que afeta regimes intensivos e semiintensivos de caprinos. A região do Alentejo é a mais importante na indústria caprina em Portugal. Assim, todas as 15 explorações de caprinos da raça Serpentina do Alentejo foram analisadas para determinar a frequência e diversidade de espécies de Eimeria presentes. Amostras fecais de 144 animais (52,1% adultas, 47,9% jovens) foram examinadas com a técnica de McMaster modificada para determinar o número de oocistos por grama de fezes. Oocistos de Eimeria spp. estavam presentes em 98,61% das amostras fecais e nove espécies distintas foram identificadas. As espécies mais frequentes foram E. ninakohlyakimovae (88%) e E. arloingi (85%), seguidas por E. alijevi (63%) e E. caprovina (63%). A média do número de oocistos excretados foi significativamente menor em adultas do que em jovens. Surpreendentemente, não foram observados quaisquer sinais clínicos em nenhum dos animais examinados, apesar de eliminarem elevados números de oocistos e de estarem infectados com espécies altamente patogénicas. A prática de diagnósticos de rotina para identificação de espécies de Eimeria caprinas pode ser um importante instrumento para o melhor entendimento do nefasto impacto da doença em explorações de caprinos no Sul de Portugal.

Causes of death in goats in Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil: analysis of 322 cases (2000-2016)

“…These cause a morbidity that varies from 38% to 100% (Smith & Sherman 2009), which is distinct from the observed in this study, in which goats were affected individually in the herds, and this may be directly influenced by the environmental and handling conditions of the species. The necropsy findings consisted of elevated white nodular lesions in the mucosa of the small intestine and large intestine, besides the histopathological lesions, which were similar to the described in the literature (Silva et al 2014, Uzal et al 2016.…”

Far beyond Phagocytosis: Phagocyte-Derived Extracellular Traps Act Efficiently against Protozoan ParasitesIn VitroandIn Vivo

“…Parasites of the genus Eimeria are worldwide of high veterinary and economic importance in livestock, especially in chicken [ 94 ], cattle and small ruminants [ 95 – 100 ]. Coccidiosis is a disease with high morbidity in animals of all ages, nonetheless inducing pathogenicity especially in young animals [ 101 ] and occasionally causing death of heavily infected animals [ 99 , 102 , 103 ].…”

“…Several studies showed that PMN infiltrate intestinal mucosa in response to Eimeria infections and are occasionally found in close contact to the parasitic stages in vivo [ 102 , 104 – 107 ]. PMN have also been shown to directly interact with E. bovis stages and antigens in vitro , resulting in release of proinflammatory cytokines, chemokines, and iNOS [ 13 ].…”

Afyonkarahisar'da Bir Keçide Sekonder Enfeksiyonlarla Birlikte Seyreden Koksidiosis Olgusu

“…Eimeria soyuna bağlı apicomplexan protozoonların neden olduğu coccidiosis, bütün dünyada keçilerde sıkça rastlanan paraziter hastalıklardan biridir (Dinçer ve Vatansever 2001;Silva et al 2014;Yukarı 2016). Hastalık enfekte oğlaklarda yüksek oranda ölüme yol açması ve ağırlık kazancında azalmaya sebep olması nedeniyle ekonomik kayıplara yol açmaktadır (Lima, 2004).…”