THE TELOSPORASIDA AND THE COCCIDIA PROPER 



193 



resembling E. debliecki. However, the 

 absence of a sporocyst residuum and 

 presence of a micropyle differentiate it 

 from this species. 



Life Cycle : Unknown. 



Pathogenesis : Unknown . 



FIMBRIA SPINOSA 

 HENRY, 1931 



Host : Pig. 



Location : Unknown. Oocysts found 

 in feces. 



sorted out and their importance assessed. 

 Coccidia are among the least known of 

 these agents. 



Coccidiosis is primarily a disease of 

 young pigs. Adults are carriers. Eiiiieria 

 debliecki is probably the most pathogenic 

 species, but E. scabra and Isospora suis 

 may also cause disease. 



Pigs become infected by ingesting 

 sporulated oocysts along with their feed 

 or water. The presence or severity of 

 the disease depends upon the number of 

 oocysts they receive. Crowding and lack 

 of sanitation greatly increase the disease 

 hazard. 



Geographic Distribution : North 

 America (California, Minnesota, Mary- 

 land, Georgia), Hawaii, USSR (North 

 Caucasus). 



Prevalence : Unknown. This species 

 appears to be relatively uncommon. 



Morphology : This species was des- 

 cribed by Henry (1931). The oocysts are 

 ovoid or ellipsoidal, 16 to 22 by 10 to 

 13 ju.. The oocyst wall is brown, opaque, 

 and studded with spines about 1 /i long and 

 1 iu apart. A micropyle is absent. An 

 oocyst polar granule is present. An 

 oocyst residuum is apparently absent. 

 The sporocysts have a Stieda body. A 

 sporocyst residuum is apparently present 

 (Henry's description is ambiguous). The 

 sporulation time is 11 to 12 days. 



Pathogenesis : This species is only 

 slightly pathogenic if at all. Andrews and 

 Spindler (1952) observed no diarrhea or 

 other signs in an infected pig which passed 

 as many as 7 million oocysts per gram of 

 feces. 



COCCIDIOSIS IN SWINE 



Epidemiology : Coccidia are common 

 in swine, but we know little about the 

 prevalence and importance of the disease, 

 coccidiosis. Enteritis is so common in 

 young pigs and is caused by so many dif- 

 ferent agents that they have not all been 



Avery (1942) found that the oocysts of 

 E. debliecki and E. scabra could survive 

 and remain infective in the soil for 15 

 months. The soil surface temperature 

 varied between -4. 5° and 40° C during 

 this period. Unsporulated oocysts with- 

 stood continuous freezing at -2^ to -7° C 

 or alternate freezing and thawing at 0. 5° 

 and -3° C for at least 26 days, altho sub- 

 sequent sporulation was somewhat de- 

 creased. 



Immunity : Repeated infections over 

 a period of time confer immunity to coc- 

 cidiosis. Blester and Schwarte (1932) 

 produced complete immunity in pigs by 

 feeding oocysts daily for 100 days or 

 more. Light infections produced partial 

 immunity. 



The coccidia of swine are not trans- 

 missible to other farm animals, and pigs 

 cannot be infected with their coccidia. 



Diagnosis : Coccidiosis in swine can 

 be diagnosed by finding the endogenous 

 stages in lesions in the intestine. The 

 presence of oocysts in the feces does not 

 necessarily mean that coccidiosis is 

 present, nor does their absence necessar- 

 ily mean that it is absent, since oocysts 

 may not be produced until 2 or 3 days 

 after the first signs of disease appear. 



Treatment : Little is known about 

 treatment of coccidiosis in pigs. Alicata 

 and Willett (1946) found that when 1 g 



