Automated enumeration of Eimeria oocysts in feces for rapid coccidiosis monitoring.

Coccidiosis represents a major driver in the economic performance of poultry operations, as coccidia control is expensive, and infections can result in increased feed conversion ratios, uneven growth rates, increased co-morbidities with pathogens such as Salmonella, and mortality within flocks. Shifts in broiler production to antibiotic-free strategies, increased attention on pre-harvest food safety, and growing incidence of anti-coccidial drug resistance has created a need for increased understanding of interventional efficacy and methods of coccidia control. Conventional methods to quantify coccidia oocysts in fecal samples involve manual microscopy processes that are time and labor intensive and subject to operator error, limiting their use as a diagnostic and monitoring tool in animal parasite control.

Polymerase Chain Reaction Directed to ITS1 rDNA or a Single-Copy Orthologue Corroborates Standard Micro-oocyst Analysis of Intestinal Tissue from Chickens Infected with , , or .

The purpose of this study was to compare micro-oocyst counts of to PCR analysis of intestinal DNA from smears of duodenum, jejunum/ileum, and cecum of chickens infected with , , or oocysts. Broiler chicks were infected in triplicate with various doses of , , or oocysts and were necropsied 5-6 days later to recover duodenal, jejunal, or cecal tissue for micro-oocyst count and for DNA recovery. Micro-oocyst counts were done independently by three individuals.

Immunopathology and cytokine responses in broiler chickens coinfected with Eimeria maxima and Clostridium perfringens with the use of an animal model of necrotic enteritis.

The incidence of necrotic enteritis (NE) due to Clostridium perfringens (CP) infection in commercial poultry has been increasing at an alarming rate. Although pre-exposure of chickens to coccidia infections is believed to be one of the major risk factors leading to NE, the underlying mechanisms of CP virulence remain undefined. The objectives of this study were to utilize an experimental model of NE produced by Eimeria maxima (EM) and CP coinfection to investigate the pathologic and immunologic parameters of the disease.

Identification of new morphological and life-cycle stages of Cochlosoma anatis and experimental transmission using pseudocyst.

Cochlosoma anatis is a flagellated intestinal parasite that infects a variety of avian species. C. anatis infections have been associated with decreased weight gain and increased morbidity and mortality.