Outbreak of caprine coccidiosis in Khurja, Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh-A case study

An outbreak of diarrhoea, reported from a commercial goat farm maintained intensively in Khurja village (Dist. Bulandshahr) was investigated. A herd consisting of 70 goat kids was reported suffering from poor weight gain, diarrhea, severe anemia and death of some (12–13) animals. Of 70 faecal samples examined, 61 (87.14%) were positive for coccidiosis. Among the positive samples, 10 (14.28%) were heavily infected and 6 (8.57%) had a moderate infection of Eimeria spp. Nine species of Eimeria were identified, Eimeria christenseni was found to be the most common species followed by E. ninakohlyakimovae. Histopathology of intestine revealed epithelial cell layers containing developmental stages of the protozoan. Generally, there was no response to the treatment with antibiotics, anthelmintics and multivitamins. The affected animals were treated with amprolium @ 50mg/kg body weight for 5 days with little response. The animals recovered after treatment with toltrazuril @ 20mg/kg body weight once orally.