1Alok Kumar Singh, 2Pradeep Kumar, 3A.K. Jayraw and 4J. Jayalakshmi
1Department of Veterinary Parasitology, College of Veterinary Science & A.H. Rewa
2Department of Veterinary Parasitology, COVSc (DUVASU) Mathura
3Department of Veterinary Parasitology, COVSc MHOW
4Department of Veterinary Parasitology, NTR, COVSc Gannavaram
Introduction:
Coccidia oocyst is an intestinal protozoan parasites and much more host specific; means coccidia of cattle do not infect the bird. The infected animals passed out oocyst from faeces and showing symptoms while, carrier animals do not shows the symptoms. The oocysts of coccidia required moist and suitable warm environments for sporulation and after sporulation it becomes infective. For sporulation of oocysts, temperature (280C), sufficient oxygen and moisture are required. Sporulation times for every species of coccidia are varying from hours to few days depending on the environmental temperature. The oocysts of coccidia is ingested by animals in various ways like during consumption of contaminated water, feed, pastures or licking a dirty hair coat. After ingestion of such infective oocyst, they develop inside the host body and causing damage to intestinal cells thus resulting, bloody diarrhoea in faeces. The sporulated oocysts are highly resistant and may survive in moist dumpy areas for several months to years. On the basis of morphology 22 species of Eimeria are reported till date. Many species of coccidia in cattle are found pathogenic but Eimeria zuernii and Eimeria bovis are highly pathogenic species.
Fig: Unsporulated and Sporulated oocyst of Coccidia
Coccidiosis:
Coccidiosis is defined as a disease of animals and birds that chiefly affects the intestines, caused by coccidian parasite. Several animals are exposed with coccidia infection without any symptoms, but develop the species specific immunity. The disease occurs when large number of the sporulated oocysts is ingested by animals. Transportation such shipping/ moving or weaning, animals may cause sufficient stress to cause illness and show clinical symptom. The sick animals show diarrhoea with or without blood, anorectic and mild depression. Although in severe cases, this may leads to severe dehydration, pale mucous membranes, depression, straining and loss of weight. Sometimes cattle infected with coccidiosis showing neurological symptoms. The older cattle are less susceptible as compare to younger one unless they are experiencing extreme stress or depressed immune systems. The disease with single species of coccidia is rare while, mixed infections are common in natural conditions. In bovines coccidiosis is an important disease.
The chronic form leads to reduced growth rate and stress or causing increased susceptibility to other infections. Coccidiosis is primarily a disease that affecting young animals, but also affect the older animals which having poor condition or immune compromised. It occurs commonly in confined areas, but also in free range that have congregating areas, like shade and watering areas.
Fig: Cattle and calf affected with Coccidiosis
Economic impact:
• Coccidiosis causes significant economic losses due to reduced growth, death and predisposed cattle to secondary bacterial as well as viral infections.
• Other losses includes; medication costs and labour demand for care and management of infected cattle.
Spread/Transmission:
• Infection of coccidia is transmitted from infected to susceptible animal by fecal oral route.
• The infected oocyst con¬taminate the water, feed and surface soil therefore, animals get the infection by eating and drinking the contaminated sources, and also by licking itself or others infected surfaces.
• The young one may also infected by nursing contaminated udders.
• The severity of clinical disease depends upon the number of sporutaled oocyst ingested (If more number of oocysts ingested at one time, more severe the disease).
Symptoms:
• Animal may die in severe cases.
• Emaciation, rapid respiration, anorexia, weakness, tremors are the main symptoms of chronic disease.
• In case of mixed infection adominal pain, foul smelling diarrhoea with or without blood and mucus may be seen clearly.
• Other symptoms include listlessness, rough hair coat, droopings of ear, soiled of hind quarters and partial paralysis of anal sphincter.
• Secondary complications may cause fever while, sub normal temperature in advance cases.
• However, in chronic condition animal defecate watery or pasty faeces with mucus tinged.
Diagnosis:
• Faecal examination by flotation method will show number of coccidian oocyst in positive sample.
• Confirmatory diagnosis of acute coccidiosis is done by detection of intestinal lesion during postmortem examina¬tion.
• It can be diagnosed by clinical symptoms such as bloody diarrhoea and sub clinical infection i.e. loss of weight or poor weight gain.
• Clinical symptoms usually occur about 17 days after ingestion of sporulated oocysts.
• History also includes a preceding stressful event in the life of animal.
• The oocyst may be found in the faeces of normal healthy cattle but differential diagnosis must be done for other diseases (bovine viral diarrhoea, internal parasites and toxicities).
Lesions:
• Animals show soiling of anal region, posteriorly upper part of hind legs, and ventral portion of tail with blood, faeces and hair.
• Pale mucus membrane.
• In postmortem mucus membrane of small intestine shows reddening and most congested terminally.
• Large intestine are swollen and congested with pin point haemorrhages.
• Sometimes contents are fluidy with bloody streaks.
Treatment:
• The fluid therapy is most effective treatment for sick animal.
• Use antibiotics to prevent the secondary infections.
• Isolate the affected animals to minimize the contamination of the premises.
• Given Amprolium @ 10 mg/kg body weight/day for five days for treatment purpose.
• Use other drugs such as decoquinate, lasalocid and monensin.
• Avoid the drugs administered in feed or water because sick animals may not consume properly and severely affected animals may treat individually.
• However those drugs useful for treatment are not necessarily to useful for preventive therapy and vice versa.
• The drugs should be used according to label recommendations.
Prevention and control
• Before showing clinical symptoms preventive therapies is most effective program.
• Regularly clean the water tanks and also with more regular cleaning when new animals are introduced.
• Before feeding clean faeces from feed bunks.
• Disinfect holding areas between groups of cattle.
• Drying and exposure to sunlight for destroying oocysts.
• Avoid the overcrowding.
• Regular scraping and washing of pens
• Provide adequate clean bedding.
• Mixing of coccidio-stats in feed and water as per recommendation
• Restrict the grazing area near streams and ponds.
• Overgrazing is prohibited.
• Also avoid the animals forced to graze down to the roots of plants
• Avoid muddy zone for grazing.
• Provide well drained pastures.
• During the calving period increase the per cow space.
• Isolate the infected animal who shows clinical symptoms.
• Regularly, clean the maternity pen for early prevention.
Concluding remarks:
• Coccidiosis is a costly intestinal protozoan disease.
• It causes both severe as well as subtle illness; in severe illness death may occur while in subtle cases, chances of stress and susceptible to secondary diseases.
• Treatment and control and must be in two fold (good animal husbandry practices to prevent the ingestion of infective oocysts and use of anti-coccidial drugs to prevent further infection.
• A preventive therapy is not only to prevent disease, but also to decrease the number of the oocyst in the premises.
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