Short communication: prevalence of Eimeria spp. infection in domestic rabbits of Polish farms

[EN] Coccidiosis caused by Eimeria spp. infection can be a serious problem and a significant cause of economic losses in rabbit farms. The aim of the study was to identify the coccidian species and evaluate the variability in prevalence and OPG (oocysts/gram of faeces) number of Eimeria infections in small meat rabbit farms in Poland. To this end, individual faecal samples were collected from animals from 14 different backyard farms and quali-quantitatively analysed by a flotation method (Willis-Schlaaf) and a McMaster technique to assess the presence and the number of Eimeria oocysts per gram of faeces, respectively. In addition, Eimeria oocysts were identified at species level following sporulation. Ten coccidian species were identified, including nine intestinal Eimeria species (E. exigua, E. perforans, E. media, E. magna, E. irresidua, E. coecicola, E. flavescens, E. piriformis, E. intestinalis) and one liver species (E. stiedai). The OPG number showed large fluctuations throughout the year. The highest Eimeria spp. OPG mean number (21100 OPG) was observed in mid-May. The result obtained revealed that the prevalence of rabbit coccidiosis in Poland backyard farms is high and may contribute to the development of effective control programmes.The financial support and facilities provided by Department of Biotechnology of Animal Reproduction and Environment Hygiene,West Pomerania University of Technology, Szczecin Poland, Pomeranian Medical University Szczecin, Poland.Balicka-Ramisz, A.; Laurans, Ł.; Pohorecki, K.; Batko, M.; Ramisz, A. (2020). Short communication: prevalence of Eimeria spp. infection in domestic rabbits of Polish farms. World Rabbit Science. 28(4):181-185. https://doi.org/10.4995/wrs.2020.10758OJS18118528