title: Epidemiology of Eimeria infections in sheep raised extensively in a semiarid region of Brazil.
abstract: The aim of this study was to identify and determine the prevalence of Eimeria species affecting sheep raised extensively in a semiarid region of Brazil. Fecal samples of native sheep were collected during the rainy and dry seasons. The degree of infection was determined by counting oocysts per gram (OPG) of feces, and the morphometric method was used for species identification. Oocysts were found in all the properties assessed, in which 68.3% of the animals were infected. The prevalence of oocysts was influenced by the season and animal category (P<0.05). It was higher during the rainy season than the dry season (80.2% vs. 55.8%) and highest in young animals than the adults animals (68.2% vs. 39.6%). The OPG was lower during the dry season (1,269 ± 312 vs. 4,400 ± 1,122). Ten species were found; of these, E. ovinoidalis, E. granulosa, E. faurei, and E. crandallis were the most frequent. E. ovinoidalis and E. crandallis were found in all properties, with their prevalences being 19.4% and 13.6% respectively. The high prevalence of pathogenic species shows that eimeriosis is a risk for animals raised extensively in the semiarid region.
authors.affiliation: Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Acre, Sena Madureira, AC, Brasil.
authors.forename: Luiz Eduardo Barreto
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: de Souza
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Fitotecnia e Zootecnia, Universidade Estadual do Sudoeste da Bahia, Vitória da Conquista, BA, Brasil.
authors.forename: Jurandir Ferreira
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: da Cruz
authors.affiliation: Faculdade de Ciência e Tecnologia de Vitória da Conquista, Vitória da Conquista, BA, Brasil.
authors.forename: Milton Rezende
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Teixeira Neto
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ciencias Agrárias e Ambientais, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Ilhéus, BA, Brasil.
authors.forename: George Rêgo
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Albuquerque
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciência Animal, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná, São José dos Pinhais, PR, Brasil.
authors.forename: Antonio Diego Brandão
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Melo
authors.affiliation: Instituto Multidisciplinar de Saúde, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Vitória da Conquista, BA, Brasil.
authors.forename: Daniel Mario Tapia
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Tapia
mesh_terms: D000822:Animal Husbandry; D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D003048:Coccidiosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D004539:Eimeria; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D015995:Prevalence; D012756:Sheep; D012757:Sheep Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*