Performance and oocyst shedding in broiler chickens orally infected with Cryptosporidium baileyi and Cryptosporidium meleagridis
Language English Country United States Media print
Document type Journal Article
- MeSH
- Cryptosporidium growth & development MeSH
- Feces parasitology MeSH
- Cryptosporidiosis parasitology veterinary MeSH
- Chickens parasitology MeSH
- Poultry Diseases parasitology MeSH
- Parasite Egg Count veterinary MeSH
- Body Weight MeSH
- Age Factors MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Check Tag
- Male MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
To study effects of experimental cryptosporidiosis, broiler chickens were infected per os with 5 x 10(5) oocysts of Cryptosporidium baileyi and Cryptosporidium meleagridis. In the first experiment, chickens were infected with oocysts of C. baileyi at the age of 7, 14, and 21 days. In the second experiment, chickens were infected with oocysts of C. baileyi, C. meleagridis, or both cryptosporidial species at the age of 7 days. Although clinical signs of infection were apparent, neither final live weight nor mortality was significanty influenced in chickens infected with a single Cryptosporidium species. In chickens infected with C. meleagridis, the growth retardation was observed in the 2-wk period after infection. The compensatory growth, however, started when the oocyst shedding had ceased. The number of oocysts in excreta specimens of chickens infected with C. meleagridis was two to three times lower than in excreta of chickens infected with C. baileyi. Chickens infected with both C. baileyi and C. meleagridis (5 x 10(5) oocysts of each) had significantly lower final live weight and worse feed efficiency than chickens of other groups. Concurrent infection did not influence individual C. baileyi or C. meleagridis oocyst shedding.
References provided by Crossref.org
Diversity of Cryptosporidium spp. in Apodemus spp. in Europe
Cryptosporidium avium n. sp. (Apicomplexa: Cryptosporidiidae) in birds
