A Survey of Coccidia on 43 Poultry Farms in Argentina

Abstract

Fecal samples from 43 broiler and breeder farms in the Entre Rios and Buenos Aires districts of Argentina were examined for Coccidia. Thirty-eight samples were positive by microscopic examination after salt flotation, with counts of 138 to 415,800 oocysts per gram of feces. Samples were aerated for 2 days and inoculated into 21-day-old chicks for determination of prepatent period. Eimeria praecox was conclusively identified in 56% of the samples by producing typical oocysts (17 x 21 microns) in the feces by 83-90 hr postinoculation (PI). Eimeria mitis was present in 67% of the samples, producing typical oocysts (14 x 15.5 microns) before 95 hr PI. Typical oocysts of Eimeria maxima (20 x 30 microns) and/or typical lesions in the midgut upon necropsy 5-6 days PI were present in 42% of the samples. Eimeria tenella was suspected in 24 of 43 samples on the basis of oocyst size but was confirmed in six samples (14%) at necropsy of infected birds with typical lesions in the ceca (hemorrhage, coagulated blood in the lumen, and thickened cecal mucosa). Characteristic lesions of Eimeria acervulina and ovoid oocysts (14 x 18 microns) were present in all 40 positive samples (93%). Lesions in the lower small intestine of birds inoculated with two of the samples (5%) were typical of Eimeria brunetti. These results confirmed the presence of six species of Coccidia in Argentine poultry (all except Eimeria necatrix, which is known from previous reports) and demonstrated a prevalence and intensity for E. praecox and E. mitis that were previously unreported.

Study on prevalence of poultry coccidiosis in Nekemte town, East Wollega, Ethiopia

“…In the current study, high prevalence of four important species of Emeria such as E. tenella, E. acervulina, E. necatrix and E. maxima were identified. This finding was in agreement with reports from Iran (Hadipour et al, 2013), Ethiopia (Ashenafi et al, 2004), Jordan (Al-Natour et al, 2002), France (Williams et al, 1996), and Argentina (McDougald et al, 1997) suggesting that those species of Eimeria were widespread in most countries. On the other hand, Hadipour et al (2011) reported that at least four species of Eimeria (E. tenella, E. acervulina, E. necatrix and E. maxima) were found in the litter of flock, while the E. tenella was the most rampant species (24%) followed by E. acervulina (18%), E. necatrix (12%) and E. maxima (10%).…”

Eimeria Spp.Infection in Some Broiler Farms in Khartoum State, Sudan

“…These results are in agreement with previously reported by except that E. necatrix was not detected [9]. These results suggesting that those species of Eimeria are widespread in most countries where poultry are produced on a commercial basis [15,16,17,18].The overall prevalence of Eimeria spp. among broiler chickens in Khartoum State was 5.5%, this rate is low compared with previous studies in other countries, in Ethiopia 20.6 %, in Egypt 21.24 %, in Zaria, Nigeria 33.3% and 37.1 %, 78 % in Jordan, 55.9 % in Iran, 71.9 % in Pakistan , 88.4 % in Argentina and 92 % in Romania [15,16,19,20,21,22,23,24].…”

Prevalence of Eimeria species in scavenging native chickens of Shiraz, Iran

“…We found high prevalences of four important species of coccidia: E. tenella, E. acervulina, E. necatrix and E. maxima. These results are in agreement with reports from Ethiopia (Ashenafi et al, 2004), Jordan (Al-Natour et al, 2002), France (Williams et al, 1996), and Argentina (McDougald et al, 1997) suggesting that those species of Eimeria are widespread in most countries. The high prevalence of the infection in studied native chicken farms in the current study, indicates the maintenance of oocysts in the farm environment, improper cleaning and disinfections methods in the native chicken houses and indiscriminate scavenging behaviour.…”