scholarly journals Nutrition and Poultry Coccidiosis: Causes, Consequences and Current Strategies to Modulate the Disease

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis-Miguel Gómez-Osorio ◽  
Jenny-Jovana Chaparro-Gutiérrez ◽  
Sara López-Osorio

Eimeria spp. are parasites specialized in invade and replicate in the intestine, causing coccidiosis, an enteric disease of major economic importance worldwide. The disease causes losses in production and high morbidity ranging from bloody enteritis, with high mortality, to being subclinical silent but affecting feed intake and efficiency. However, intestinal lesions of the infection vary, depending on the species of coccidia. The most important Eimeria species in poultry are: E. tenella, E. acervulina, E. maxima, E. necatrix, E. mitis, E. praecox and E. brunetti. All those species affect different anatomic sites of the intestine. Thus, they alter the homeostasis of the host reducing nutrient absorption and utilization. Nutritional factors are key players in several steps of the coccidiosis disease. Firstly, as a susceptibility or protection factor, secondly, during the process of infection and pathogenesis, and thirdly, in the recovery and compensatory growth of the bird. Otherwise, coccidiosis also triggers immune response in the intestine. To counter these complicated effects, there are nutritional strategies (including formulation of key amino acids, vitamins, short and medium chain fatty acids, prebiotics, enzymes, among others) that can be utilized to reduce the infection, alleviate the signs, and boost the compensatory growth after infection. This chapter review the impacts of coccidiosis in nutrition and discuss about of strategies to mitigate these risks.

Author(s):  
Karthika R. ◽  
Karthika R. ◽  
Karthika R. ◽  
Karthika R. ◽  
Karthika R. ◽  
...  

Coccidiosis is one of the most prevalent and economically important parasitic diseases caused by the infection with Eimeria species contributing to major economic losses of poultry industry worldwide. In this study, occurrence of Eimeria spp. in chicken reared under different management systems was studied. A total of 300 faecal samples from chicken were collected from six organised poultry farms and six backyard poultry units in and around Thrissur, Kerala. Out of this, 167 faecal samples were from organised farms and 133 from backyard poultry units. All the samples were artificially sporulated and examined for studying the oocysts morphology and morphometry. Out of 167 samples from organised farms 52 were found to be positive for Eimeria spp. while 61 out of 133 samples from backyard poultry were positive. The overall occurrence of Eimeria spp. in chicken from 12 different areas in and around Thrissur was 37.66 per cent (113/300). The species of Eimeria identified on morphological examination were E. tenella, E. necatrix and E. maxima. The occurrence rate of E. tenella was found to be significantly higher (46.01 %) compared to E. necatrix (39.82 %) and E. maxima (14.15 %). The rate of occurrence of Eimeria spp. infection was significantly higher in backyard poultry (45.86 %) compared to that in organised farms (31.13 %).


Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 2106
Author(s):  
Fernanda Lima de Souza Castro ◽  
Woo K. Kim

Amino acids such as arginine, methionine, and cysteine are the precursors of essential molecules that regulate growth and health, being classified as functional amino acids. This review describes the metabolism of arginine and the sulfur amino acids and how they modulate, directly or indirectly, different tissues. Emphasis is placed on their effects in supporting health during challenging conditions, such as heat stress and Eimeria infection. The use of arginine has been shown to reduce abdominal fat pad in ducks and increase lean tissue and bone mineral density in broilers. Additionally, the sulfur amino acids have been shown to improve bone development and are beneficial during heat stress. The use of L-methionine increased the cortical and trabecular bone mineral densities, in laying hens. Moreover, the dietary inclusion of these amino acids could reduce the damage caused by Eimeria spp. infection by regulating the antioxidant system and cell repair. Understanding how these amino acids can mitigate stressful conditions may provide us novel insights of their use as nutritional strategies to modulate the health status of chickens.


2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (11) ◽  
pp. 871-874
Author(s):  
Natália S. Martins ◽  
Sara P. da Motta ◽  
Carolina C. Santos ◽  
Andrios S. Moreira ◽  
Nara A.R. Farias ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT: Eimeria infections are common in the sheep industry worldwide. Lambs are more susceptible to coccidiosis, especially in stressful conditions, being infected by different species of the parasite. Eimeria crandallis and Eimeria ovinoidalis are considered the most pathogenic, causing reduced growth, dehydration, anorexia, and death. In this study, the frequency of Eimeria species was evaluated in lambs from the southern region of the Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil. Fecal samples from 248 lambs, from 19 farms, were tested for the presence of oocysts. The positive samples were re-examined and the sporulated oocysts analyzed morphometrically to identify the presence of Eimeria species. In 100% of the evaluated farms, there were animals positive for the protozoan. The frequency of Eimeria species was: E. ovinoidalis (94.74%), E. crandallis (89.47%), E. granulosa (78.95%), E. parva (68.42%), E. ahsata (63.13%), E. punctata (42.11%), E. bakuensis (36.84%), E. faurei (10.53%), and E. pallida (5.26%). Mixed infection was found in 94.74% of the samples. This research describes, for the first time, the occurrence of E. crandallis and E. ovinoidalis infecting lambs in the study area. The wide distribution of this protozoan and the high frequency of pathogenic species show the importance and potential damage of sheep coccidiosis in herds from Rio Grande do Sul.


2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 9-18
Author(s):  
Zainab A. Makawi

  Abstract The research was performed in order to investigate the prevalence of  Eimeria spp in buffalo. Coccidiosis, is a common livestock disease include water buffaloes and nothing is known about the most pathogenic species of Eimeria. Since the highest prevalence of oocyst shedding and incidence of disease occurs in buffalo calves less than one year of age. The omnipresent occurrence and negative effects of the infection on health and buffalo growth output are taken into account. Therefore, both farmers and veterinarians should pay greater attention to infections with Eimeria spp. And there is little analysis of data reported in Iraq and the world regarding Eimeria infection in river buffalo spp.


2014 ◽  
Vol 59 (No. 6) ◽  
pp. 271-275 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Heidari ◽  
Z. Sadeghi-Dehkordi ◽  
R. Moayedi ◽  
J. Gharekhani

Information on the occurrence, diversity and economic losses due to Eimeria infection on cattle farms is lacking in Western Iran. The principal aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and diversity of Eimeria species in cattle in Hamedan province, Western Iran. In a cross-sectional study performed from June 2010 to April 2013, 400 faecal samples were collected randomly from animals without clinical signs from different cattle farms of Hamedan province and examined for Eimeria species infection using parasitology methods. The overall infection rate of Eimeria species was 8.25%. Nine species of Eimeria were identified including: E. bovis (23.7%), E. zuernii (19.2%), E. canadensis (12.6%), E. ellipsodalis (11.4%), E. alabamensis (10.4%), E. pellita (9.1%), E. auburnensis (6.8%), E. cylindrica (4.6%) and E. bukidnonensis (2.3%). There were statistically significant differences with respect to Eimeria infection and age group (P < 0.0001, OR = 6), although no statistically significant relationships were found for sex (P = 0.35) or faecal consistency (P = 0.587). In conclusion, this study is the first to report the prevalence and diversity of Eimeria species in cattle in Hamedan province. Infection with pathogenic Eimeria spp. was asymptomatic in all animals; this is the reason for the transmission of infection by carriers in this region. Therefore, integrated strategies should be utilised to prevent and control Eimeria spp. infection on cattle farms.  


2015 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 230-234
Author(s):  
Marcel Teixeira ◽  
Antônio Diego Brandão Melo ◽  
George Rego Albuquerque ◽  
Patrícia Tironi Rocha ◽  
Jomar Patrício Monteiro

Coccidiosis is a disease that limits the production and marketing of gallinaceous birds in North America, especially quails, pheasants and chukar partridges. Virtually no research has been conducted in South America on the causative agents of diseases among these birds, including coccidia. The aim of this work was to make first observations on Eimeria spp. in the chukar partridge Alectoris chukar and the grey quail Coturnix coturnix, which are reared for meat in Brazil. Fecal and tissue samples were collected from commercial farms and were examined for oocysts, gross and microscopic lesions or endogenous stages. From this examination, it was found that partridges raised in Brazil did not have any visible infection. However, grey quails presented mild infection and two Eimeria species that had previously been described in other birds were identified.


2014 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 280-286 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liliana Machado Ribeiro da Silva ◽  
Maria João Martins Vila-Viçosa ◽  
Telmo Nunes ◽  
Anja Taubert ◽  
Carlos Hermosilla ◽  
...  

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.


2018 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-62
Author(s):  
Muhammad Mansoor ◽  
Muhammad Jamil ◽  
Arsalan Khan ◽  
Rizwan Ul Haq ◽  
Fawad Anwar

Avian coccidiosis has great economic impacts on poultry enterprise. Coccidiosis is caused byEimeria species mostly affecting epithelium of the bird’s intestines causing enteric problems. Prominentclinical outcomes are bloody diarrhoea, poor FCR, weight gain and growth rate with high morbidity andmortality rate. For the control of coccidiosis various strategies have been adapted including chemicalagents and feed additives. But due to their repeated use, drug resistance to Eimeria species emerged thusbadly affecting their efficacy. Moreover, these chemical agents have adverse effects on bird’s health andmeat quality. Therefore, alternatives are used nowadays including natural and herbal products having thedesired efficacy without harmful effects. Natural products and their anticoccidial activity have beenreviewed in this study. This group comprises herbal extracts, fatty acids, fungal extracts, probiotics andimmune response immunomodulators with proven anticoccidial activity. Additionally, poultry industryand economic cost of coccidiosis as well as classical strategies used in the control of avian coccidiosis arealso reviewed.


2022 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 229-240
Author(s):  
Natália Soares Martins ◽  
◽  
Sara Patron da Motta ◽  
Carolina Caetano dos Santos ◽  
Andrios da Silva Moreira ◽  
...  

Eimeria infections are common in sheep industry worldwide, however information about their epidemiology is scarce in southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Therefore, a cross-sectional study was carried out to determine the prevalence, species characterization, and associated risk factors between Eimeria species and sheep flocks. Fecal samples from 428 sheep from 21 farms were tested for the presence of oocysts. The overall prevalence of Eimeria spp. was 68.69% and was significantly affected by age of the sheep, with highest prevalence in animals under 18 months of age. Eight Eimeria species were identified. Eimeria ovinoidalis (85.71%) was the most common, followed by Eimeria crandallis (80.95%), Eimeria granulosa (78.95%), Eimeria ahsata (61.90%), Eimeria faurei (42.86%), Eimeria bakuensis (38.10%), Eimeria punctata (14.29%), and Eimeria pallida (9.52%). All herds were positive, with concomitant infections. Among management and husbandry practices; farm size, animal density, farming system, breeding objectives, and pasture system influenced the prevalence of Eimeria species. The infection was more prevalent on small farms with high animal density, in sheep raised for meat, semi-intensive system, and rotational grazing (p < 0.05). The wide distribution of this protozoan and the high frequency of pathogenic species show the importance and potential damage of coccidiosis in sheep flocks in Rio Grande do Sul.


2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 1256-1260
Author(s):  
Penny Humaidah Hamid ◽  
Sigit Prastowo ◽  
Yuli Purwandari Kristianingrum

Background and Aim: The attention to rabbit meat production in Indonesia is comparatively less to other farm animals such as cattle and poultry industries. However, future prospect of rabbit to be seriously industrialized seemed quite promising due to rabbit is highly productive and has short reproduction cycle as well as generation interval. One of the diseases infecting many rabbits is coccidiosis caused by protozoan parasite, Eimeria spp. The infectious stage of Eimeria spp. presents ubiquitously in the environment and increases the risk of parasite transmission. Preventive methods such as vaccination are not yet fully developed, while sporadic treatment is not efficiently reduce the cases. In this study, Eimeria spp. infecting rabbits in Yogyakarta Province, Indonesia, were investigated with the aim for precise diagnosis to determine targeted treatment and as a baseline epidemiological data from rabbit in Indonesia. Materials and Methods: Sample collection was performed randomly for 3 months, from March 2017 to May 2017 and covered areas in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. A total of 750 samples were collected. Eimeria species identification was determined morphologically from the samples after sporulation in 2.5% potassium dichromate by COCCIMORPH. Results: Ten species of Eimeria spp. were identified in this study from the positive samples (527/750; 70.3%). Eimeria flavescens was present in 80% of the positive samples, Eimeria coeciola in 78%, Eimeria perforans in 61%, Eimeria exigua in 37%, Eimeria media in 33%, Eimeria stiedae in 31%, Eimeria irresidua in 12%, Eimeria magna in 11%, Eimeria intestinalis in 10%, and Eimeria piriformis in 10%. Coinfection as noted in 80% of the positive samples with 2-6 species in a specimen. E. flavescens and E. coeciola were the most prevalent among all Eimeria spp. (p=0.0001). Conclusion: Eimeria spp. is detected in high prevalence among rabbit in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, with commonly occurs in mixed infections. In this paper, we describe Eimeria spp. that are circulating in Indonesia and present it as updated information to farmers and veterinarians. To the best of our knowledge, we provided the first information about rabbit coccidiosis in Indonesia. Keywords: coccidiosis, Indonesia, rabbit.


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