CIHEAM - Options Mediterraneennes

ETUDE QUALITATIVE DES COCCIDIES DU LAPIN EN REPUBLIQUE DU BENIN

* Centre Cunicole de Recherche et d'Information (CE.CU.R.1.) B.P. : 2009 COTONOU BENIN

t* LaboratoiredePathologie du Lapin INRA-TOURS 37380 HONNAIE FRANCE.

SlJ++-WkRY A- qualitative investigations about

r a b b i t coccidia h a s b e e n led in twenty breeding
s i t e s of A t l a n t i c Department < S o u t hB-E N I N > . E i g h t
coccidia s p e c i e s of t h e g e n u s Eimrria have been
i d e n t i f i e do nt h e n2ne species Z r a d i t i o n n a l l y
found in this animal, Only EZmeria intestinalis
has n o t b e e n met. he a p p a r e n t non--ex-istence of
t h e n i n t h coccidia specfes r e m a i n s t ob e c o n f l r m e d
because Anvestigations s t i l l g o on in o t h e rBENIN
D e p a r t m e n ts

K e y Words : Coccidía - Rabbit - Bénin.

R€SlJWZ -
crne & t u d e q u a l i t a t i v e d e s coccidies d u
l a p i n a &t& m e n e e d a n s v i n g t Uiff&,rents &.leva¿€es
du parteme ment d e l 'Atlantique a u s u d du BGnin-
S u r 3es n e u f espsces d ' E ì m e r i a idrntiLfPe6 d e nos
jours chez X e lapin, huit ont &e& retrouvGes,
seule E, intestìnalis n'a pas .&t& rencontr6e.
Cette ineslstence devra &tre confirmee par les
etudes a u 2 se poursuivent d a n s les cinq autres
DSparternents d u pays.

Mots Clés : Coccidies - Lapin - Bénin.

Coccidiosis is known as one of the major handicaps to

rabbit breeding. This pathology causes important disturbance to
rab bit. However, i t is not often easy to evaluate the meaning of
t h i s infection (CHAPMAN, 1929; LÖLINGER et al. , 1969; DE VOS, 1970;
HOFFMANN et al., 1973; COWIE-WHITNEY, 1977.).

Nowadays, nine species o f coccidia have been identified,

eight of which are located in the intestines and the last one's
area is the liver (CATCHPOLE and NORTON, 1979; COUDERT, ,1979).
BENIN is a rabbit rearing area in full expansion. The tribute paid
to diseases by different rabbit breeding farms in t h i s country i.s
important. Many times, coccidiosis was named in cases of rabbi.t
diarrhea. Today, the only solution often brought is a complete
blind anticoccidial treatment. For a more effectiveand above all

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 CIHEAM - Options Mediterraneennes

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The animals
Twenty different rabbit rearingcenters are concerned by
this study. They areall situated in Atlantic Department dividedu p
into three towns which can be considered to bethe principal rabbit
rearing areas of BENIN. Hygienic conditions are fairly good, the
breeding is done on the ground o r on flat-deck. The animals used
for the present study are local populations or crossed-breed
rabbits of all ages. They are clinically healthy.

Excreta
Several $)lobally representative samples of faeces are
taken on each breeding site without consideration of age, sex o r
total number of rabbits. Each sample of faeces is correctly mixed,
homogenized, thensievedanddiluated in magnesium sulphate
solution (d=1,20). The mixture is then put to sporulate during
three to'five days at laboratory temperature (25 to 30").
The identification of the different coccidia species is real'ized
according to the following criteria admitted by COUDERT et al.,
1988 and COUDERT, 1989.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Eight species of coccidia have been identified with the

following absolute frequences :

* E intestinalis . . . . . . . . . . . . . O %
* E. irresidua . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 %
* E. magna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 %
* E. perforans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 %
* E. flavescens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 %
* E. stiedae . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 %
* E. ~edia ................... -40 %
* E. coe~icola. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . -25 %
* E . piriformis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 %

Large associations including 5 to 7 species of coccidia

have been registered in several rabbit breeding sites. But E -
intestinalis has notbe found. This absence can explain why
coccidiosis is not a SO important epidemiologic problem in Benin;
diarrhea doesn't always mean
intestinalis coccidiosis.
Investigations in fiveother Departments might confirm the
inexistence of E . intestinalis in Benin. In this case it would be
necessary to be careful not to introduce 'this Eimeria in the
country.

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 CIHEAM - Options Mediterraneennes

CATCHPOLE, J., NORTON, C . C . . 1979. The species of Eimeria in

rabbits for meat productionin Britain. Parasitology, 79, 249-257.

CHAPMAN, J.' 1929. A study of coccidiosis in an isolated rabbit

colony. The clinicalsymptoms pathologiy, immunology and attempted
therapy of the disease. Am. J. Hyg. Q , 382-429.
COUDERT, P. 1979.Comparison of pathology of severalrabbit
coccidia species and their controlwith robenidine. Proc. Int. Symp
. on "coccidia and further prospects of their control" Prague,
november 28-30, 1979.

COUDERT P . , LICOIS D., PROVOT F. 1988. Differential diagnosis of

Eimeria species from the rabbit (poster). Proceeding 4 t h Congress
o f the World Rabbit ScienceAssociation, vol. 3, ~ ~ O P DBudapest.
,.

COUDERT P. 1989. Some pecularities of rabbit coccidiosis Plenary .

lecture. Proceedings of the V t h International Coccidiosis
Conference: Coccidia and intestinal coccidiomorphs, Tours, 17
October 1989. -
20 -
COWIE-WHITNEY, J. 1977. Diseaseof the commercial rabbit. Vet.Rec.
1 0 1 . 299-303.

DE VOS, A . J. 1970. Coccidiosis of rabbits at Ondersterpoort. J.S.

Afr. vet. Ass. 41. 189-194.
HOFFMANN, R., HOFFMANN-FREEZER, G . , WEBER, A . 1973. Pathologische-
histologische
Befund bei experimenteller. Dysenterie der
Jungkanninchen. Berl. Münch. Tierärztl. Wschr. 86, 167 -171.

LÖLINGER, H. C. , MATTHES, S. SCHUBERT, H. J., HECKMANN, F. 1969.

Die akuten Dysenteriender jungkaninchen. Dtsch. Tierärztl. Wschr.
76. 16 - 20.

REMERCIEMENT5 - . Le Centre Cunicole de Recherche et d'Infonation, remercie l'Institut National de la

Recherche Agrononique de France et l'Université Catholique de Louvain-la-Neuve de Belgique pour leur franche
collaboration.

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