Prevalence of coccidian infection in rabbit farms in North Algeria

Abstract

In the farms investigated, the prevalence of coccidian infection was estimated to 90% (80.7-99.3%) in rabbits after weaning. The classification of the farms according to their parasite load allowed us to show that 37.5% of the prospective farms have an oocyst excretion between 104 and 5×10 4 oocysts per gram and 22.5% excrete >5×10 4 oocysts per gram. Excretion levels by region show that the region of East Tel Atlas Mountains ranks first with 79% of farms with a parasitic load >104 coccidians compared to the regions of Central Tel Atlas Mountains and High Plateaus. In total, eight species of Eimeria were identified from oocyst-positive samples. Mixed infections with four Eimeriaspecies were common. E. magna is the dominant species in comparison with E. mediaand E. irresiduawith respective frequencies of 42.5% and 17.6% and 14.9% (p<0.001). Our results showed that the farms using anticoccidial drugs for their rabbits were low (25%) and the percentage of farms with poor hygienic conditions was 65%. There was a significant association between increased oocysts excretion and control measures of coccidian infection.The study revealed an overall prevalence of 90% in the three Algerian regions. A strong association was observed between Eimeriainfection and hygienic status and preventional chemotherapy.