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Abstract
Coccidia are the cause of coccidiosis, a disease of considerable importance among domestic as well as wild birds. Coccidiosis is one of the most serious diseases in poultry production as it results in a high mortality. Concerning quail as a modern poultry industry, the present work was programmed to study:
1. The level of natural infection with Coccidia in the quail Coturnix coturnix japonica in different farms in Egypt.
2. The life cycle (exogenous & endogenous cycles), prepatent and patent periods, sporulation time, site of infection, pathogenicity and host parasite relationship of one eimerian parasites of quail.
The present study revealed that:
• The rate of natural infection in Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) was 27%.
• Japanese quail was naturally infected with two different types of oocysts; the first type was transparent in appearance and oval to ellipsoidal in shape. They surrounded by double layered wall and they characterized by haveing a micropyle, polar granule and oocyst residual body. These oocysts measured (17.73 ± 2.92) × (12.79 ± 1.69) µm (L×W). While, the second type of oocysts was spherical in shape, transparent in appearance, and is enclosed by a double layered wall. Both of micropyle and oocyst residual body were never seen. These oocysts measured (15.73±2.22) × (14.18±1.89) µm (L×W).
• Site of natural infection was juojenum, ileum, rectum and caecum as determined by light microscopic examination
• Sporulation took place within 70 hrs and resulted in the formation of four elongated sporocysts. Each sporocyst had a characteristic stieda body and contains two sporozoites.
• Experimental infection was carried out by using previously collected and identified first type (ovoidal to ellipsoidal) sporulated oocysts using a dose of (104). Oocysts characterized, separated and collected using a micromanipulator technique then allowed to sporulate in the lab. Under room tempreture.
• On the bases of the oocyst characteristics (Exogenous stages) reported in the present study and the comparison with the previously published reports, the presented Eimeria species was identified as Eimeria bateri (New host and new locality). The prepatent period of E. bateri was 5 days, while the patent period is 6-7 days.
• Study the endogenous stages of the parasite, under investigation revealed those only two asexual cycles before commencement to the sexual one. All the developmental stages were enclosed in parasitophorous vacuoles. The 1st asexual cycle was completed at 48 hrs post infection (p.i.) and each meront produces 9-12 merozoites, while the 2nd asexual cycle was detected at 60 hrs producing 7-13 merozoites. Merozoites of the two generation were formed by ectomerogony.
• Gamonts were developed from the second generation merozoites, each gamont was found to be contained in a clear parasitophorous vacuole and these differentiated into;
a) Microgamonts were observed at 84 hrs p.i. characterized by having large number of peripherally arranged nuclei.
b) Macrogamonts was also detected at the same duration period of microgametogenesis. Young macrogamonts were characterized by a large central nucleus and peripherally arranged wall forming bodies.
At the same time, light microscopical studies showed many histological temporary changes of the parasite (host-parasite relationship).