A NEW EIMERIA SPECIES (APICOMPLEXA: EIMERIIDAE) PARASITIZING COMMERCIAL CHUKAR PARTRIDGES (ALECTORIS CHUKAR) IN SOUTHERN ONTARIO.

A commercial producer hatching and rearing chukar partridges (Alectoris chukar) in Ontario, Canada had flocks experiencing coccidiosis. Microscopic analysis of Eimeria species isolated from a field sample indicated the presence of 2 distinct oocyst morphotypes; the most abundant species was determined to be Eimeria chapmani, based on oocyst morphology and sequence-based genotyping, and the less abundant, second Eimeria sp. was an undescribed parasite.

DESCRIPTION OF A NEW EIMERIA SPECIES (APICOMPLEXA: EIMERIIDAE) RESPONSIBLE FOR CLINICAL COCCIDIOSIS IN COMMERCIAL CHUKAR PARTRIDGE (ALECTORIS CHUKAR).

Recurrent coccidiosis affecting a commercial chukar partridge (Alectoris chukar) farm in Ontario, Canada was investigated. The responsible pathogenic Eimeria species was isolated for biological characterization. The uniformity of oocyst morphometrics supported that only a single Eimeria sp.