One of the biggest causes of

economic losses in poultry

 Introduction

• Disease characterised by bloody diarrhoea

and high mortality
• Coccidia grow in intestinal tract and
causes
– Defective digestion and absorption
– Dehydration
– Blood loss
– Increase susceptibility to diseases
 Nature of disease

• Subclinical
• Clinical
– Subclinical infection cause defective feed
conversion
– Clinical outbreaks common between 3-6
weeks of age and rarely in flocks < 3 weeks
– Disease mild or severe depending on the no.
of oocysts ingested
– Overcrowding predisposes to disease
 Etiology

• Eimeria spp.
• No cross immunity between species
• Affects mainly broilers, growers on deep
litter
• Rarely affects layers and breeders
• Short direct life cycle and high
reproductive ability
• Prepatent period 4-5 days
 Different species of Eimeria
• Seven disease producing species
• E. tenella , E. necatrix and E. brunetti most harmful
• E. acervulina and E. maxima moderately harmful
• E. mitis and E. praecox least harmful found in
duodenum
• E. tenella affects caeca
• E. necatrix and E. maxima affect middle portion of
intestine
• E. brunetti lower portion of intestine
• E. acervulina upper portion of intestine
 Sporulation

• Sporulated oocyst - infective

• Non sporulated oocyst - non infective
• Sporulation is conversion of non-
infective form of oocyst to infective form
• Requires warmth (25-30oC),moisture
and oxygen
 Sporulated Oocyst

• Protected by thick oocyst wall

• Survive for months or years in
environment
• Killed by temperature above 56oC, drying
• Tolerate most disinfectant
• Killed by ammonia and methyl bromide but
these are harmful gases
 Source Of Infection
• Millions of oocysts are formed from single
ingested oocysts
• As few as 10,000 ingested oocysts
produce coccidiosis on ingestion
• Faecal material (teaspoonful), has millions
of oocysts
• Other sources are shoes , feed trucks,
crates ,pets, rodents, equipments
 Immunity
• Day old chicks do not get maternal
antibodies
• Birds acquire active immunity by
infection during first few weeks of life
• Species specific
• Best by “trickle infection” (repeated
exposure to low dose of oocysts)
• Cell mediated immunity more important
• IgA > role than IgM, IgG
 Occurrence
• Oocysts continue to exist in environment
• Occurrence depends on trickle infection and
increase in parasite population
• Severity depends on dose of oocysts and
species
• Wet litter favors sporulation and therefore
increases disease occurrence
• Floor reared birds caged for laying show disease
due to prevention of reinfection
• Less in summer more in winter and rainy season
 Spread

• Ingestion of sporulated oocyst (natural

method)
• Mechanically by animals, insects,
equipments, wild birds ,dust
• Movement of people and equipments
between farms
 Pathogenesis

• Harm due to destruction of epithelial cells

• Surviving cells stimulated so hyperplasia
of the intestinal epithelium
• Enlargement of villi
• In heavy infection-denudation of mucosa
so severe hemorrhage and anemia may
result
• Infection causes intense inflammation of
the lamina propria and submucosa
 Symptoms

• Caecal coccidiosis
– Blood droppings
– High mortality
– Reduced weight gain
– Emaciation
– Mortality occurs 5-6 days following
infection
 Symptoms

• Intestinal coccidiosis (caused by

Eimeria necatrix)
– Common in relatively older birds
– Droppings contain blood, fluid and
mucus
– 25% mortality in commercial flocks
• Moderately harmful species cause
reduced wt. gain, poor FCR, diarrhea,
loss of appetite and sometimes mortality
 PM Findings
• Vary with the species of coccidia involved
• E.tenella- Caeca greatly enlarged and
distended with clotted blood.
• E. necatrix- The middle portion of the
small intestine is usually distended to
twice its normal size and the lumen may
be filled with blood. Infection is seen as
white or red foci from surface.
• E. brunetti-The lining of intestine is
covered with tiny hemorrhages. Mucosa
may be swollen and thickened.
Cont…

• E.maxima- Middle portion of the small

intestine may be lose and filled with fluid,
containing mucus and blood.
• E. acervulina-The mucosa may be
covered with white plaques, which tend to
arrange in transverse fashion and cause a
ladder like appearance because of
striations.
• E. mitis and E. praecox- the changes are
very slight and can be easily missed.
Eimeria necatrix: is highly pathogenic species. Red
petechiae visible on serosa
Eimeria necatrix: petechiae, white patches on serosa.
Eimeria necatrix: extensive hemorrhages in
small intestine
Moderate Eimeria maxima infection in the jejunum of a
chicken. The lesions are subtle compared to other forms of
coccidiosis. The intestine is slightly thickened and there are
scattered hemorrhages in the mucosa when seen from the
inside.
 Diagnosis
• Symptoms
• PM examination
• Microscopical examination of mucosal
scraping
– Finding of few oocysts indicate
presence of infection not disease
– Disease diagnosed as coccidiosis
only when gross lesions are severe
and associated with mortality
 Treatment

• Sulfonamides
• Amprolium
• Toltrazuril
• Diclazuril
Treatment is costlier so control should be
followed in broilers
 Control

• Disease easy to prevent than to treat

– Drugs

– Hygiene

– Vaccine
 Drugs

• Ionophores- maduramycin, salinomycin,

monensin
• Thiamine analogs – amprolium
• Sulphonamide- toltrazuril, diclazuril
• Carbanilid- nicarbazin
• Pyridones- clopidol
• Quinolones-decoquinate
 Features And Effects Of
Anticoccidials
• May be static or cidal
• Each class unique in type of action
• Some are effective against all species
• Toxic at higher doses (ex. Ionophores
cause temporary paralysis)
• Toxicoses may cause death (may be
>70%) due to respiratory failure and
dehydration
 Drug Resistance
• Use of single drug causes drug resistance
• To overcome this:
– Shuttle programme- Use one drug in
starter and another in grower feed
– Rotation of drugs- Improve productivity
as new drug will be effective against
build up coccidia
 Hygeine

• Reduces no. of oocysts contaminating

environment
• Keep litter dry
• Maintain birds on perforated floors
• Sometimes this is disadvantageous as
aquired immunity while on litter may
decrease
 Vaccines
• Live vaccine-contain all seven species,
given at 5-9 days of age
• Killed vaccine – contains purified antigen
from gametocyte stage of Eimeria in oil
emulsion
• Dose 0.5 ml I/M into breast muscle
• Regimen –twice before laying between 18-
22 weeks at 4-8 weeks interval