Eimeria spp. (Coccidiosis)
Coccidiosis is a protozoon parasite that is found in the small intestines and typically causes significant pathology in young and immunocompromised animals. Small to moderate amounts of cocci oocysts can be found in nearly all fecal samples but should only be treated if the infections are extremely high. Generally, coccidiosis is only a problem in birthing or winter barns where young animals are housed on soiled bedding. Coccidiosis is a ‘self-limiting’ disease, meaning if you remove an infected animal from the contaminated environment and get them on a good plane of nutrition, they will clear the infection without treatment in about 7-10 days. If the animal needs to be treated, amprolium or a sulfa drug is sufficient. There are cocci preventatives that can be added to the feed, as well.
Modification of Small Ruminant Kit to use for Coccidiosis
**This modification can be used for any species of livestock to assess the level of coccidiosis oocysts (“eggs”) in the feces.
The protocol is the same when using the Small Ruminant protocol, except the starting weight is 2 grams of feces. With this modification, each egg counted will be representative of 25 oocysts. When you get the total number of oocysts, you will need to calculate the oocysts per one gram of feces.
For example, if you get a total count of 500 oocysts in the McMaster slide, then the calculation will be:
*(Side 1 + Side 2) X 25 = eggs per 2 grams feces
500 eggs X 25 = 12,500 eggs found in the slide
*Eggs found in slide / Starting Feces Weight = Eggs per Gram (epg)
12,500 eggs / 2 grams of feces = 6,250 epg
Treatment Threshold (All Species)
0-8,000 epg = Low Count: No Treatment Needed
8,001-15,000 epg = Medium Count: Generally, no treatment is necessary. However, if the animal is exhibiting profuse bloody diarrhea, a coccidiostat may be needed.
15,001+ epg = High Count: Coccidiostat Treatment should be applied