Spotlight on avian pathology: < em > Eimeria < /em > and the disease coccidiosis

Avian Pathol. 2021 Apr 7:1-9. doi: 10.1080/03079457.2021.1912288. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTCoccidiosis caused by Eimeria species parasites remains a major threat to poultry production, undermining economic performance and compromising welfare. The recent characterisation of three new Eimeria species that infect chickens has highlighted that many gaps remain in our knowledge of the biology and epidemiology of these parasites. Concerns about the use of anticoccidial drugs, widespread parasite drug resistance, the need for vaccines that can be used across broiler as well as layer and breeder sectors, and consumer preferences for 'clean' farming, all point to the need for novel control strategies. New research tools including vaccine delivery vectors, high throughput sequencing, parasite transgenesis and sensitive molecular assays that can accurately assess parasite development in vitro and in vivo are all proving helpful in the ongoing quest for improved cost-effective, scalable strategies for future control of coccidiosis.PMID:33823695 | DOI:10.1080/03079457.2021.1912288
Source: Avian Pathology - Category: Pathology Authors: Source Type: research