Ovine Eimeria infections in southern Brazil – prevalence and risk factors

Natália Soares Martins, Sara Patron da Motta, Carolina Caetano dos Santos, Andrios da Silva Moreira, Tainá Ança Evaristo, Nara Amélia da Rosa Farias, Jerônimo Lopes Ruas

Abstract


: Eimeria infections are common in sheep industry worldwide, however information about their epidemiology is scarce in southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Therefore, a cross-sectional study was carried out to determine the prevalence, species characterization, and associated risk factors between Eimeria species and sheep flocks. Fecal samples from 428 sheep from 21 farms were tested for the presence of oocysts. The overall prevalence of Eimeria spp. was 68.69% and was significantly affected by age of the sheep, with highest prevalence in animals under 18 months of age. Eight Eimeria species were identified. Eimeria ovinoidalis (85.71%) was the most common, followed by Eimeria crandallis (80.95%), Eimeria granulosa (78.95%), Eimeria ahsata (61.90%), Eimeria faurei (42.86%), Eimeria bakuensis (38.10%), Eimeria punctata (14.29%), and Eimeria pallida (9.52%). All herds were positive, with concomitant infections. Among management and husbandry practices; farm size, animal density, farming system, breeding objectives, and pasture system influenced the prevalence of Eimeria species. The infection was more prevalent on small farms with high animal density, in sheep raised for meat, semi-intensive system, and rotational grazing (p < 0.05). The wide distribution of this protozoan and the high frequency of pathogenic species show the importance and potential damage of coccidiosis in sheep flocks in Rio Grande do Sul.

Keywords


Coccidiosis; Eimeria crandallis; Eimeria ovinoidalis; Sheep.

Full Text:

PDF

References


Andrews, A. H. (2013). Some aspects of coccidiosis in sheep and goats. Small Ruminant Research, 110(2-3), 93-95. doi: 10.1016/j.smallrumres.2012.11.011

Bangoura, B., & Bardsley, K. D. (2020) Ruminant coccidiosis. Veterinary Clinics of North America: Food Animal Practice, 36(1), 187-203. doi: 10.1016/j.cvfa.2019.12.006

Burke, J. M., & Miller, J. E. (2020). Sustainable approaches to parasite control in ruminant livestock. Veterinary Clinics of North America: Food Animal Practice, 36(1), 89-107. doi: 10.1016/j.cvfa.2019.11. 007

Cai, K. Z., & Bai, J. L. (2009). Infection intensity of gastrointestinal nematodosis and coccidiosis of sheep raised under three types of feeding and management regims in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China. Small Ruminant Research, 85(2-3), 111-115. doi: 10.1016/j.smallrumres.2009.07.013

Carrau, T., Silva, L. M. R., Pérez, D., Failingd, K., Martínez-Carrasco, C., Macías, J.,… Ruiz de Ybáñez, R. (2018). Associated risk factors influencing ovine Eimeria infections in southern Spain. Veterinary Parasitology, 263, 54-58. doi: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2018.10.004

Chartier, C., & Paraud, C. (2012). Coccidiosis due to Eimeria in sheep and goats, a review. Small Ruminant Research, 103(1), 84-92. doi: 10.1016/j.smallrumres.2011.10.022

Colvin, A. F., Walkden-Brown, S. W., Knox, M. R., & Scott, J. M. (2008). Intensive rotational grazing assists control of gastrointestinal nematodosis of sheep in a cool temperate environment with summer-dominant rainfall. Veterinary Parasitology, 153, 108-120. doi: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2008.01.014

Duszynski, D. W., & Wiiber, P. G. (1997). A guideline for the preparation of species descriptions in the Eimeriidae. The Journal of Parasitology, 83(2), 333-336.

Eagle, A. J., & Olander, L. P. (2012). Greenhouse gas mitigation with agricultural land management activities in the United States—a side-by-side comparison of biophysical potential. In D. L. Sparks (Ed.), Advances in agronomy. Cambridge, MA: Academic Press.

Gregory, M. W., Catchpole, J., Nolan, A., & Hebert, C. N. (1989). Ovine coccidiosis: studies on the pathogenicity of Eimeria ovinoidalis and E. crandallis in conventionally-reared lambs, including possible effects of passive immunity. Deutsche Tierarztliche Wochenschrift, 96(6), 287-292.

Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (2017). Censo agropecuário 2017. Recuperado de https://censoagro2017.ibge.gov.br/templates/censo_agro/resultadosagro/pecuaria.html?localidade=43&tema=75674

Keeton, S. T. N., & Navarre, C. B. (2017). Coccidiosis in large and small ruminants. Veterinary Clinics of North America: Food Animal Practice, 34(1), 201-208. doi: 10.1016/j.cvfa.2017.10.009

Khan, M. N., Rehman, T., Iqbal, Z., Sajid, M. S., Ahmad, M., & Riaz, M. (2011). Prevalence and associated risk factors of Eimeria in sheep of Punjab, Pakistan. International Scholarly and Scientific Research & Innovation, 5(7), 1329-1334.

Khodakaram-Tafti, A., & Hashemnia, M. (2017). An overview of intestinal coccidiosis in sheep and goats. Revue de Médecine Vétérinaire, 167(1-3), 9-20.

Lei nº 8.629, de 25 de fevereiro de 1993. Dispõe sobre a regulamentação dos dispositivos constitucionais relativos à reforma agrária, previstos no Capítulo III, Título VII, da Constituição Federal. Recuperado de http://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/l8629.htm

Lopes, W. D. Z., Borges, F. A., Faiolla, T. P., Antunes, L. T., Borges, D. G. L., Rodriguez, F. S.,... Martinez, A. C. (2013). Eimeria species in young and adult sheep raised under intensive and/or semi-intensive systems of a herd from Umuarama city, Parana State, Brazil. Ciência Rural, 43(11), 2031-2036. doi: 10. 1590/S0103-84782013001100018

Macedo, L. O., Santos, M. A. B., Silva, N. M. M., Barros, G. M. M. R., Alves, L. C., Giannelli, A.,... Carvalho, G. A. (2019). Morphological and epidemiological data on Eimeria species infecting small ruminants in Brazil. Small Ruminant Research, 171, 37-41. doi: 10.1016/j.smallrumres.2018.12.006

Martins, N. S., Motta, S. P., Santos, C. C., Moreira, A. S., Farias, N. A. R., & Ruas, J. R. (2020). Eimeria spp. infection in lambs from southern Brazil. Brazilian Journal of Veterinary Research, 40(11), 871-874. doi: 10.1590/1678-5150-PVB-6745

Nabinger, C., Moraes, A., & Maraschin, G. E. (2000). Campos in Southern Brazil. In G. Lemaire, J. Hodgson, A. de Moraes, C. Nabinger, & P. C. de F. Carvalho (Eds.), Grassland ecophysiology and grazing ecology (pp. 355-376). New York, NY: CAB International.

Rodrigues, F. S., Cezar, A. S., Menezes, F. R. de, Sangioni, L. A., Vogel, F. S. F., & Botton, S. A. (2017). Efficacy and economic analysis of two treatment regimens using toltrazuril in lambs naturally infected with Eimeria spp. on pasture. Parasitology Research, 116(11), 2911-2919. doi: 10.1007/s00436-017-55 97-5

Souza, L. E. B., Cruz, J. F., Teixeira, M. R., Neto, Albuquerque, G. R., Melo, A. D. B., & Tapia, D. M. T. (2015). Epidemiology of Eimeria infections in sheep raised extensively in a semiarid region of Brazil. Brazilian Journal of Veterinary Parasitology, 24(4), 410-415. doi: 10.1590/S1984-29612015070

Taylor, M. A., Coop, R. L., & Wall, R. L. (2017). Parasitas de ovinos e caprinos. In M. A. Taylor, R. L. Coop, & R. L. Wall (Eds.), Parasitologia veterinária (pp. 1733-1758). Rio de Janeiro, RJ: Guanabara Koogan.

Ueno, H., & Gonçalves, P. C. (1998). Manual para o diagnóstico das helmintoses de ruminantes. Tokyo: International Cooperation Agency.




DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5433/1679-0359.2022v43n1p229

Semina: Ciênc. Agrár.
Londrina - PR
E-ISSN 1679-0359
DOI: 10.5433 / 1679-0359
E-mail:  semina.agrarias@uel.br
Este obra está licenciado com uma Licença  Creative Commons Atribuição-NãoComercial 4.0 Internacional .