Quantification of , and genomes in commercial chicken farms by quantitative real time PCR.

Advent of quantitative polymerase chain reaction and its variants have enabled identification and quantification of seven known species of poultry in biological samples. Attempts were made in the present study to identify and quantify three important pathogenic species responsible for intestinal coccidiosis in domestic farmed chicken, and in droppings collected from thirty one poultry farms of North Indian states of Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The study included broiler, layer and backyard rearing units. Overall occurrence of , and was 64.5%. was detected in 55% (11/20) broiler farms, 66.7% (4/6) layer farms and 100% (5/5) backyard rearing units studied. Thus, occurrence of was detected in 64.5% (20/31) farms studied. and were detected in droppings of 65% (13/20) broiler farms, 66.7% (4/6) layer farms and 60% (3/5) back yard rearing units. Genome counts of each species revealed maximum parasite load of followed by in broiler farms and least in layer farms. The mean parasite load (genome) copies for these parasite species were intermediate for backyard units while had the lowest number of genome copies in droppings. Mean counts were highest in boiler farms, while it was similar for layer and back yard units. However, statistically no significant differences were observed for parasite load existing either between the broiler, layer or back yard units or between the genome counts of , or .