AUTHOR=Silva Juliana Trajano da , Alvares Felipe Boniedj Ventura , Lima Estefany Ferreira de , Silva Filho Geraldo Moreira da , Silva Ana Luzia Peixoto da , Lima Brendo Andrade , Feitosa Thais Ferreira , Vilela Vinícius Longo Ribeiro 

TITLE=Prevalence and diversity of Eimeria spp. in free-range chickens in northeastern Brazil

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Veterinary Science

VOLUME=9

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2022.1031330

DOI=10.3389/fvets.2022.1031330

ISSN=2297-1769

ABSTRACT=<p>In tropical regions, family farming is a form of production and work that is highly present in rural areas. Because the production system for free-range chickens has a low level of technification, it frequently presents massive infection by coccidia. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and diversity of <italic>Eimeria</italic> species in free-range chickens in northeastern Brazil. Fecal analyses were carried out using materials collected from 100 farms, belonging to 10 different municipalities. The sample from each farm was composed of five stool samples collected from different animals. Coproparasitological analyses were performed and, in each positive sample, photomicrographs of 20 oocysts were used for morphological identification of coccidia. The presence of <italic>Eimeria</italic> spp. was detected in 59% (59/100) of the farms analyzed. Species identification was performed through morphometric analysis of 1,180 sporulated oocysts. The following eight species of <italic>Eimeria</italic> spp. were found, in decreasing order of prevalence: <italic>Eimeria necatrix</italic> (25%), <italic>Eimeria mitis</italic> (18.3%), <italic>Eimeria mivati</italic> (17.3%), <italic>Eimeria tenella</italic> (12.4%), <italic>Eimeria brunetti</italic> (9.9%), <italic>Eimeria acervulina</italic> (9.1%), <italic>Eimeria praecox</italic> (4.8%) and <italic>Eimeria maxima</italic> (3.2%). The prevalence and diversity of <italic>Eimeria</italic> spp. on farms producing backyard chickens in the semiarid region of Brazil were high, especially the diversity of species. Changing the management, with the adoption of sanitary measures, may be effective in reducing the high prevalence of coccidia on the farms studied.</p>