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.