Occurrence and diversity of bovine coccidia at three localities in South Africa
Information on the occurrence and diversity of coccidia infecting cattle in different farming systems in South Africa is lacking. The objective of the study was to determine the levels of infection of coccidia in cattle at three localities and to determine the Eimeria species occurring at each local...
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Published in | Veterinary parasitology Vol. 104; no. 2; pp. 93 - 102 |
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Main Authors | , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Netherlands
Elsevier B.V
01.03.2002
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Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | Information on the occurrence and diversity of coccidia infecting cattle in different farming systems in South Africa is lacking. The objective of the study was to determine the levels of infection of coccidia in cattle at three localities and to determine the
Eimeria species occurring at each locality. Faecal samples (
n=1936) were collected over a 13-month period from a dairy farm (Mallesons), a Bonsmara breeding farm (Kaalplaas) and a Nguni stud farm (Pienaars River). Samples were collected from adults >24 months old and calves <12 months old. The modified McMaster technique was used to determine OPG (oocysts per gram) of faeces. Samples with OPGs ≥2000 were allowed to sporulate in potassium dichromate solution at room temperature. Species identification was done by measurement and morphological characteristic of each species. At Mallesons, 29% of samples were positive, at Kaalplaas 50% and at Pienaars River 52%. The most prevalent species were
Eimeria zuernii and
E. ellipsoidalis at Mallesons,
E. zuernii and
E. bovis at Kaalplaas and
E. bovis and
E. zuernii at Pienaars River, respectively. Adults had very low OPGs. There was a pattern at the three localities in that high OPGs were only recorded in calves, which were also shedding the most pathogenic species. |
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Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-2 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-1 content type line 23 ObjectType-Article-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 |
ISSN: | 0304-4017 1873-2550 |
DOI: | 10.1016/S0304-4017(01)00605-7 |