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Eimeria tenella : Host Specificity in Gallinaceous Birds
Author(s) -
VETTERLING J. M.
Publication year - 1976
Publication title -
the journal of protozoology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.067
H-Index - 77
eISSN - 1550-7408
pISSN - 0022-3921
DOI - 10.1111/j.1550-7408.1976.tb05261.x
Subject(s) - meleagris gallopavo , biology , gallus gallus domesticus , eimeria , veterinary medicine , colinus , pheasant , feces , coturnix coturnix , zoology , cloaca , parasite hosting , phasianus , inoculation , host (biology) , coccidiosis , anatomy , microbiology and biotechnology , quail , ecology , immunology , medicine , world wide web , computer science
SYNOPSIS. Eight species representing 8 genera of gallinaceous birds were used: Alectoris graeca; Colinus virginianus; Coturnix coturnix; Gallus gallus; Meleagris gallopavo; Numidia meleagris; Pavo cristatus; Phasianus colchicus. Three‐week‐old birds were dosed with sporulated oocysts of Eimeria tenella Beltsville strain. At 4, 24, 48, 72, 96, 120, 144, and 168 hr after inoculation, 1‐3 infected birds and uninoculated controls of each species were killed by cardiac exsanguination. Pieces of intestines were fixed and examined for stages of E. tenella as stained paraffin sections or indirect fluorescent antibody preparations. Oocyst counts were made in droppings collected for the first 6 days of the patent period. Sporozoites were found in the lamina propria of some birds of 5 species at 4 hr postinoculation, but no stages were found thereafter except in the breeds of G. gallus and A. graeca. At 144 and 168 hr postinoculation, a few macrogametes were found in the ceca of 2 A. graeca , but no oocysts were found in the feces. No statistical difference was found between the number of oocysts produced/bird in the breeds of G. gallus examined. It is evident from these observations that E. tenella did not complete its life cycle in several close phylogenetic relatives of G. gallus , even though in other studies this parasite was found to complete its life cycle in cell cultures derived from the same birds.