1Department of Veterinary Pathology
2Department of Veterinary Parasitology and
3Department of Veterinary Anatomy & Histology, College of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, Central Agricultural University, Selesih, Aizawl, Mizoram - 796014, India
Dr. Y. Damodar Singh, Department of Veterinary Pathology, College of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, Central Agricultural University, Selesih, Aizawl, Mizoram - 796014, India, E-mail: dsyengkhom66@gmail.com
The present study was conducted to study the incidence, clinical signs, gross and microscopic lesions of caecal coccidiosis in the chicken population of Mizoram. A total of 348 dead broiler birds were collected from 15 organized and 14 unorganized broiler chicken farms located in different districts and localities to screen for coccidial infections. 92 birds were found positive for coccidiosis, of which 40 birds were recorded as caecal coccidiosis (43.47%). Broiler birds of 3–5 weeks were found to be affected which showed reduced feed intake, bloody diarrhoea, soiling of the vent and loss of body weight. The post-mortem examination revealed pale musculature, ballooning of caeca and clotted blood with denuded mucosa in the lumen. On histopathology, severe typhlitis, congestion of blood vessels, marked haemorrhages, loss of epithelial tissue, detachment of mucosal layer from sub-mucosa, loss of villi with the presence of developing and developed oocysts in the lamina propria along with mononuclear cell infiltration were observed. Eimeria tenella was found to be the causative species which was confirmed by micrometry and image analysis of sporulated oocysts.
Caecal coccidiosis, Chicken, Diagnosis, Eimeria tenella, Mizoram
