From Understanding the Immune Response against Coccidiosis to the Use of Coccidia Vaccines

Abstract

Avian coccidiosis is the most costly global poultry parasitic disease, which represents a threat to food production and sustainability. Coccidiosis is still ubiquitous even in modern poultry production systems. Protective immunity against coccidia does develop but differs for each Eimeria species and depends on the method of immunization and the immune response (including both early innate immune response by several proteins and professional phagocytes as well as acquired immune response with specialized cells). In addition, GALT is a master tissue in the immune response against coccidiosis because of its crucial functions: acquired immunity in both the cellular and humoral immune responses. Here, we present an extensive review on the immune response against coccidiosis and the use of vaccines as an alternative for consideration in integrated sustained coccidiosis control programs.