Eimeria infections in imported beef calves

The aim of the survey was to investigate on Eimeria infections in a stock of beef-calves imported from France during the first month of housing. The study was performed in a fattening unit in northern Italy on 96 Limousin beef-calves coming from France. The animals (4 months old about) were raised at pasture and at the age of weaning were grouped, transported in Italy and housed in a farm. Both during the transporting phase and the survey period no anticoccidial drugs were given to the ruminants. Each animal was tested three times by coprological methods: at the time of his arrival in farm (T0), after 15 days (T15) and after 30 days (T30). Individual fresh fecal samples were examined for coccidian oocysts by qualitative (sedimentation-flotation in salt sugar solution 1.3 density) techniques. Coccidian oocysts were cultured at 24-26°C in a humid chamber with 2.5% aqueous solution of potassium dichromate and the differentiation of the Eimeria species was done on the basis of their measures and morphological characteristics as described by Levine (Levine ND, 1985, Veterinary protozoology, Iowa State University Press, Ames, IA). The statistical package SPSS was used for analyses of data and a value of P ≤ 0.05 was considered significant. The 60.4% (64.32-56.49 CI 95%) of the animals resulted positive for Eimeria spp. at T0, the 27.1% (29.09-25.11 CI 95%) at T15 and the 26% (30.5-21.5 CI 95%) at T30.In the present study 7 species of Eimeria out of the 13 reported in literature were found. According to the literature mixed infections of a single calf were commonly saw; no case of infection caused by one single species of Eimeria was observed (Rahmeto A et al, 2008, Intern J Appl Res Vet Med, 6:24-30). The study showed that E. bovis was the most prevalent species at each step of the investigation: this species is the most frequently reported coccidian in outbreaks of clinical coccidiosis throughout the world (Faber JE et al, 2002, Vet Parasitol, 104:1-17). None of the calves had clinical signs of infection. The spontaneous and gradual decrease of prevalence values noticed during the month was linked to the reduction of stress in calves and to the improvement of the sanitary conditions in association with the litter inadequacy at oocysts maturation.