Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Prevalence of Eimeria species, detected by ITS1-PCR, in broiler poultry farms located in seven provinces of northeastern Algeria

  • Regular Articles
  • Published:
Tropical Animal Health and Production Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Coccidiosis is an important global chickens’ disease which can cause serious economic losses in the poultry industry worldwide. Little is known about the extent of infection or diversity, of the causative agent Eimeria spp., in Algeria. A priority, therefore, is to determine the prevalence and species composition to inform strategies on treatments and control measures. Samples were collected from 187 broiler farms, located in 7 Northeastern Algerian provinces (Jijel, Constantine, Skikda, Mila, Setif, Batna, Bordj bou-Arreridj), and Internal Transcribed Spacer 1 PCR (ITS1-PCR) was used to determine the prevalence and composition of Eimeria species in chickens. The survey revealed the presence of all seven species of Eimeria at different prevalences (E. maxima (69%), E. acervulina (68.4%), E. necatrix (11.2%), E. tenella (8%), E. praecox (4.3%), E. mitis (2.1%), E. brunetti (2.1%). Multiple infections, with up to 4 different Eimeria species present on a single farm, were the most frequent situation in our samples (51.9% mixed infections versus 47.6% single infections). All farms revealed infected samples, and we conclude that this parasite is a significant problem in these provinces.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

Data availability

Data will be made available upon reasonable request.

Code availability

Not applicable.

References

  • Aarthi, S., Dhinakar, R.G., Raman, M., Gomathinayagam, S., and Kumanan, K., 2010. Molecular prevalence and preponderance of Eimeria spp among chickens in Tamil Nadu India. Parasitology Research, 107(4), 1013–1017.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Al-Natour, M.Q., Suleiman, M.M., and Abo-Shehada, M.N., 2002. Flock level prevalence of Eimeria species among broiler chicks in northern Jordan. Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 53 (4), 305–310.

  • Awais, M.M., Akhtar, M., Iqbal, Z., Muhammad, F., and Anwar, M.I., 2012. Seasonal prevalence of coccidiosis in industrial broiler chickens in Faisalabad Punjab Pakistan. Tropical Animal Health and Production, 44, 323–328.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bajnok, J., Boyce, K., Rogan, M.T., Craig, P.S., Lun, Z.R., and Hide, G., 2015. Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in localized populations of Apodemus sylvaticus is linked to population genotype not to population location. Parasitology, 142 (5), 680–690.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Blake, D. P., Knox, J., Dehaeck, B., Huntington, B., Rathinam, T., Ravipati, V., Ayoade, S., Gilbert, W., Adebambo, A. O., Jatau, I. D., Raman, M., Parker, D., Rushton, J., and Tomley, F.M., 2020. Re‑calculating the cost of coccidiosis in chickens. Veterinary Research, 51: 115, 2–14.

    Google Scholar 

  • Debbou-Iouknane, N., Benbarek, H.,and Ayad, A., 2018. Prevalence and aetiology of coccidiosis in broiler chickens in Bejaia province, Algeria. Onderstepoort Journal of Veterinary Research, 85(1), 1–6.

    Google Scholar 

  • Djemai, S., Mekroud, A., and Jenkins., M.C., 2016. Evaluation of ionophore sensitivity of Eimeria acervulina and Eimeria maxima isolated from the Algerian to Jijel province poultry farms. Veterinary Parasitology, 224, 77–81.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dodd, N.S., Lord, J.S., Jehl, R., Parker, S., Parker, F., Brooks, D.R., and Hide, G., 2014. Toxoplasma gondii: Prevalence in species and genotypes of British bats (Pipistrellus pipistrellus and P. pygmaeus). Experimental Parasitology, 139, 6–11.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Duncanson, P., Terry, R.S., Smith, J.E., and Hide, G., 2001. High levels of congenital transmission of Toxoplasma gondii in a commercial sheep flock. International Journal for Parasitology, 31 (14), 1699–1703.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fatoba, A.J., and Adeleke, M.A., 2018. Diagnosis and control of chicken coccidiosis: a recent update. Journal of Parasitic Diseases, 42(4), 483–493.

  • Györke, A., Pop, L., and Cozma, V., 2013. Prevalence and distribution of Eimeria species in broiler chicken farms of different capacities. Parasite, 20 (50), 1–8.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haug, A., Gjevre, A.G., Thebo, P., Mattsson, J.G., and Kaldhusdal, M., 2008. Coccidial infections in commercial broilers: epidemiological aspects and comparison of Eimeria species identification by morphometric and polymerase chain reaction techniques. Avian Pathology, 37(2), 161–170.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hodgson, J.N., Ball, S.J., Ryan, K.C., and Warren, E.W.,1969. The incidence of drug resistant strains of Eimeria in chickens in Great Britain, 1966. British Veterinary Journal, 125(1), 31–35.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jeffers, T.K., 1974. E. acervulina and E. maxima: Incidence and anticoccidial drug resistance of isolants in major broiler-producing areas. Avian Diseases, 18 (3), 331–342.

  • Jenkins, M.C., Miska, K., and Klopp, S., 2006a. Improved polymerase chain reaction technique for determining the species composition of Eimeria in poultry litter. Avian Diseases, 50 (4), 632–635.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jenkins, M.C., Miska, K., and Klopp, S., 2006b. Application of polymerase chain reaction based on ITS1 rDNA to speciate Eimeria. Avian Diseases, 50(1), 110–114.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jenkins, M.C., Allen, P., Wilkins, G., Klopp, S., and Miska, K., 2008. Eimeria praecox infection ameliorates effects of Eimeria maxima infection in chickens. Veterinary Parasitology, 155 (1-2), 10–14.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kučera, J., 1990. Identification of Eimeria species in Czechoslovakia. Avian Pathology, 19 (1), 59–66.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, B.H., Kim, W.H., Jeong, J., Yoo, J., Kwon, Y.K., Jung, B.Y., Kwon, J.H., Lillehoj, H.S., and Min, W., 2010. Prevalence and cross-immunity of Eimeria species on Korean chicken farms. The Journal of Veterinary Medical Science, 72(8), 985–989.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lobago, F, Worku, N., and Wossene, A., 2005. Study on coccidiosis in Kombolcha poultry farm Ethiopia. Tropical Animal Health and Production, 37, 245–251.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McDonald, V., and Shirley, M.W., 2009. Past and future: vaccination against Eimeria. Parasitology, 136, 1477–1489.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McDougald, L.R., Fuller, L., and Mattiello R., 1997. A survey of Coccidia on 43 poultry farms in Argentina. Avian Diseases, 41(4), 923– 929.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McDougald, L.R. and Reid, W.M., 1997. Coccidiosis. In: B.W. Calnek (Eds). Diseases of Poultry. 10th Ed. (Iowa State University Press, Ames), pp 865–883.

  • Moraes, J. C., França, M., Sartor, A. A., Bellato, V., Barbosa de Moura, A., Borba Magalhães, M. L., Pereira de Souza, A., and Miletti, L. C., 2015. Prevalence of Eimeria spp. in Broilers by Multiplex PCR in the Southern Region of Brazil on Two Hundred and Fifty Farms. Avian Diseases, 59(2):277–281.

  • Ryley, J.F, Meade, R, Hazelhurst, J., and Robinson, T.E., 1976. Methods in coccidiosis research: separation of oocysts from faeces. Parasitology, 73 (3), 311–326.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shirzad, M.R, Seifi, S, Gheisari, H.R., Hachesoo, BA, Habibi, H., and Bujmehrani, H., 2011. Prevalence and risk factors for subclinical coccidiosis in broiler chicken farms in Mazandaran province Iran. Tropical Animal Health and Production, 43, 1601–1604.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Warren, E.W., Ball, S.J., and Mackenzie, D.R., 1966. The incidence of drug-resistant strains of Eimeria species in chickens in Great Britain, 1964/65. British Veterinary Journal, 122, (12), 534–543.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Williams, R.B., 2001. Quantification of the crowding effect during infections with the seven Eimeria species of the domesticated fowl: its importance for experimental designs and the production of oocyst stocks. International Journal for Parasitology, 31(10), 1056–1069.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Williams, R.B., 2006. Tracing the emergence of drug-resistance in coccidia (Eimeria spp) of commercial broiler flocks medicated with decoquinate for the first time in United Kingdom. Veterinary Parasitology, 135(1), 1–14.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Williams, R.B., Bushell, A.C., Répérant, J.M., Doy, T.G., Morgan, J.H., Shirley, M.W., Yvoré, P., Carr, M.M., and Frémont, Y., 1996. A survey of Eimeria species in commercially-reared chickens in France during 1994. Avian Diseases, 25, 113–130.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Williams, R.B., Carlyle, W.W., Bond, D.R., and Brown, I.A., 1999. The efficacy and economic benefits of Paracox, a live attenuated anticoccidial vaccine, in commercial trials with standard broiler chickens in the United Kingdom. International Journal for Parasitology, 29 (2), 341–355.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire de Recherche de Pathologie Animale Développement Des Elevages Et Surveillance de La Chaine Alimentaire Des Denrées Animales Ou d’origine Animale (PADESCA), Institute of Veterinary Sciences, University of Constantine, Constantine, Algeria

    Samir Djemai & Ouarda Ayadi

  2. Laboratoire de Parasitologie, Ferhat Abbas University, Setif 1, Setif, Algeria

    Ouarda Ayadi

  3. Laboratoire de Génétique Biochimie Biotechnolgies Végétales (BBGV), University of Constantine, Constantine, Algeria

    Daoudi Khelifi & Ines Bellil

  4. Biomedical Research Centre, School of Science, Engineering and Environment, University of Salford, Salford, UK

    Geoff Hide

Authors
  1. Samir Djemai
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ouarda Ayadi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Daoudi Khelifi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Ines Bellil
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Geoff Hide
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

Samir Djemai: conceived the idea for this study, methodology, analyzed the data, wrote the manuscript. Ouarda Ayadi: data collection, analyzed the data, wrote the manuscript. Daoudi Khelifi and Ines Bellil: extraction and purification of parasitic DNA. Geoff Hide: analyzed the data, wrote the manuscript, supervision.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Samir Djemai.

Ethics declarations

Ethics approval

The manuscript does not contain clinical studies, which means that no animal was harmed during the course of this research.

Consent to participate

Not applicable.

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Publisher's note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Djemai, S., Ayadi, O., Khelifi, D. et al. Prevalence of Eimeria species, detected by ITS1-PCR, in broiler poultry farms located in seven provinces of northeastern Algeria. Trop Anim Health Prod 54, 250 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-022-03252-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-022-03252-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation