A total of 1,593 camel calves were sent for necropsy and subsequent parasitological examination to the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory between January 2017 and June 2024. This article reports findings of intestinal coccidians in neonatal and young calves up to an age of 12 months. The content of rectum or small colon was examined for the presence of Cystoisospora orlovi and Eimeria spp. using the floatation method. Samples of diarrhoeic calves were examined for Cryptosporidium oocysts. Out of 1,437 samples examined with the floatation method, 94 were positive for C. orlovi and 55 samples contained Eimeria spp. oocysts. Cryptosporidium oocysts were detected in 72 out of 972 examined samples. The majority of C. orlovi oocysts were detected in camel calves in an age group up to 4 weeks of age, while Cryptosporidium oocysts were diagnosed mainly in 3 to 8 weeks old animals. The youngest calf with an Eimeria infection was 30 days old but the majority of Eimeria positive camels had a body weight between 100 and 220 kg. Out of 886 samples from necropsied adult dromedaries in the same time period, 74 were positive for Eimeria oocysts and C. orlovi was found in one sample only. Examination of 42 diarrhoeic samples for Cryptosporidium oocysts gave negative results.
Camelus dromedarius, Cryptosporidium, Cystoisospora orlovi, Eimeria, Necropsy
