Michael Levy, Ph.D.

• Office: 513-8289
• email: mglevy@ncsu.edu
• Office hours: By appointment – set up via
email
• Quizzes - none
 Characteristics of Protozoa
• Unicellular
• May reproduce asexually or sexually
• May involve alternation between asexual
and sexual multiplication (Apicomplexa)
• May involve one or more hosts
• May require development in environment
• Multiplication generally occurs in all hosts
• Often have a resistant cystic form
• Host specificity may be absolute or not
depending upon particular parasite
• Antigenicity and metabolism (and
susceptibility to drugs) often varies
between stages
INTRODUCTION TO THE
APICOMPLEXA

Eimeria, Isospora, Cystoisospora,

Neospora, Sarcocystis,
Toxoplasma, Babesia,
Cytauxzoon Plasmodium,
Leucocytozoon, Hemoproteus,
GENERALIZED LIFE CYCLE
OF APICOMPLEXA
• Alternation between sexual and asexual
development
• May involve one host (homoxenous) or
2 or more hosts (heteroxenous)
• Generally proceeds in one direction
• May or may not be host specific
• May or may not be host site specific
• May or may not require development
outside of host
 Three parts of life cycle
• Merogony/Schizogony - asexual
development yielding merozoites
• Gametogony - sexual development
involving gametes and fertilization
producing oocyst
• Sporogony - development of infectious
sporozoites within oocyst - when in
environment requires O2, H2O, Temp.
Sporulated Eimeria oocyst
Coccidial oocysts
Sporozoite
 Apicomplexa life cycles
• Homoxenous - Direct life cycles: Eimeria,
Isospora, Cryptosporidium

• Heteroxenous - Sarcocystis, Toxoplasma,

Plasmodium, Babesia, Hemoproteus,
Leucocytozoon (Cystoisospora),
Neospora,Cytauxzoon – may use
vertebrate or arthropod as definitive host
 Eimeria in Cattle
• Many species infect cattle
• Highly host specific
• E. bovis and E. zurneii are among most
pathogenic
• Tissue location, oocyst morphology, site of
lesion important diagnostic aides
• Pathology dependent upon host age, prior
infection, infective dose, ‘stress’
 Eimeria bovis
• 1st generation meronts in endothelial cells
of posterior half of sm intestine
• 2nd generation meronts in cecal and
colonic epithelium
• Gamonts in epithelial cells of cecal and
colonic glands
• Ingestion of 1000 oocysts has potential to
yield 3.2 x 1010 parasites
• Hemorrhagic diarrhea, anemia,
weakness, weight loss
 Eimeria bovis pathology
• Pathology due to gamonts
• Begins ~ 18 d PI
• Diarrhea, tenesmus, fever, congested
mucosa, often edematous and
hemorrhage
• Death 3-4 weeks PI
• Partial immunity following recovery
 Eimeria zurneii infection
• 1st generation throughout sm intestine
• 2nd generation ileum, colon cecum
• Gamonts colon and cecum
• Pathology due to asexual stages
• Death beginning 7 days of onset of
symptoms - may not be passing oocysts at
this time
 Management of coccidiosis
• Partial immunity develops with continuing
exposure
• Immunity species and strain specific
• Young animals and animals with little prior
exposure most at risk
• Pathology proportional to infecting dose
• Moisture, oxygen, proper temperature
required for oocyst sporulation
• Therefore young animals, animals under
crowded conditions and animals under
‘stress’ most susceptible to clinical
disease
• Spring and Fall times of greatest risk
• Many animals harbor subclinical
infections which may or may not affect
performance
• Treat prophylactically - medicated feed
or water
• Once coccidiosis develops difficult to
manage as sick animals reduce intake
of food/water
• Treatment of individual animals difficult -
response to treatment may be delayed
 Coccidiosis in Sheep
• Eimeria orinoidalis
– 1st generation giant meronts
Giant meronts gametocytes
 Prophylaxis of coccidiosis in
cattle
• Lasalocid Bovatec® 1 mg/kg per
day, maximum 360 mg/day
• Decoquinate Deccox® 22.7 mg/100
lb. daily for 28 days
• Monensin Rumensin® 100 to 360
mg/head per day
Treatment of coccidiosis in
cattle
• Amprolium Corid® 10 mg/kg daily
for 5 days
• Sulfaquinoxaline 2.72 mg/kg daily
for 3-5 days
• Sulfamethazine 110 mg/kg daily
for 5 days