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Few data are available on the prevalence of Eimeria spp. in yaks. An observational study was conducted to determine the prevalence of coccidial infection in yaks on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau of China. A total of 324 fecal samples from 4 counties was examined, and oocysts were identified to the species level on the basis of morphological features. Eimeria oocysts were found in 113 (34.9%) samples. The species detected and their prevalence values included the following: Eimeria zuernii (54.9%), E. pellita (35.4%), E. canadensis (33.6%), E. bovis (23.0%), E. cylindrica (16.8%), E. subspherica (16.8%), E. ellipsoidalis (14.1%), E. brasiliensis (13.3%), E. wyomingensis (8.0%), E. alabamensis (7.1%), E. illinoisensis (5.3%), E. auburnensis (4.4%), E. bombayansis (3.5%), and E. bukidnonensis (2.7%). Mixed infections of 2 to 7 species were found in 66.4% of the animals. There was an age-related difference in the prevalence of infection. The highest prevalence (53.3%) was observed in calves, an intermediate prevalence in yearlings (36.1%), and the lowest was in adults (15.6%). The number of oocysts per g of feces was significantly higher in calves than in adults. More Eimeria species were indentified in calves. Eimeria zuernii was the most prevalent species in calves and adults, whereas in yearling yaks E. pellita was most common. The majority of calves and yearlings showed mixed infection, but adults tended to be infected with 1 species. The prevalence and intensity of Eimeria species were found to show statistically significant differences among different regions in Qinghai Province.

The prevalence of coccidial infections in dairy cattle was examined in Shanghai from November 2010 to March 2011. In total, 626 fecal samples from 24 dairy farms were examined; oocysts were identified to the species level based on morphological features. All herds were infected with Eimeria species. The overall prevalence of coccidia was 47.1%, with the highest prevalence in4-mo-old calves (51.8%) and the lowest in12-mo-old cattle (27.0%). The number of oocysts per gram of feces was significantly higher in young calves than in weaners and adults. Ten species of Eimeria were identified, among which Eimeria ellipsoidalis, Eimeria bovis, Eimeria zuernii, and Eimeria alabamensis were the predominant species. Concurrent infection with 2-8 species was common.

Apical membrane antigen-1 (AMA1) is a micronemal protein of apicomplexan parasites that appears to be essential during the invasion of host cells. In this study, a full-length cDNA of AMA1 was identified from Eimeria tenella (Et) using expressed sequence tag and the rapid amplification of cDNA ends technique. EtAMA1 had an open reading frame of 1608 bp encoding a protein of 535 amino acids. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis revealed that EtAMA1 was expressed at higher levels in sporozoites than in the other developmental stages (unsporulated oocysts, sporulated oocysts and second-generation merozoites). The ectodomain sequence was expressed as recombinant EtAMA1 (rEtAMA1) and rabbit polyclonal antibodies raised against the rEtAMA1 recognized a 58-kDa native parasite protein by Western Blotting and had a potent inhibitory effect on parasite invasion, decreasing it by approximately 70%. Immunofluorescence analysis and immunohistochemistry analysis showed EtAMA1 might play an important role in sporozoite invasion and development.

Objective To identify more effective and less toxic drugs to treat animal toxoplasmosis. Methods Efficacy of seven kinds of sulfonamides against Toxoplasma gondii ( T. gondii ) in an acute murine model was evaluated. The mice used throughout the study were randomly assigned to many groups (10 mice each), which either remained uninfected or were infected intraperitoneally with tachyzoites of T. gondii (strains RH and CN). All groups were then treated with different sulfonamides and the optimal treatment protocol was determined candidates. Sulfadiazine-sodium (SD) was used for comparison. Results The optimal therapy involved gavaging mice twice per day with 250 mg/kg bw of sulfachloropyrazine-sodium (SPZ) for five days. Using this protocol, the average survival time and the time-point of 50% fatalities were prolonged significantly compared with SD treatment. Treatment with SPZ protected 40% of mice from death, and the heart and kidney tissue of these animals was parasite-free, as determined by nested-PCR. SPZ showed excellent therapeutic effects in the treatment of T. gondii in an acute murine model and is therefore a promising drug candidate for the treatment and prevention of T. gondii in animals. Conclusions It can be concluded that the effective drug sulfachloropyrazine may be the new therapeutic options against animal toxoplasmosis.

The precocious line of Eimeria spp., obtained by repeated passages of oocysts initially collected from feces of previously infected chickens, has unique phenotypes and plays an important role in immunizing chickens against coccidiosis. However, the genetic basis of precocious phenotype in Eimeria is still poorly understood. To investigate gene expression changes in sporulated oocysts between the precocious line of E. maxima and its parent strain, subtractive cDNA libraries were constructed by suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH). A total of 3,164 cDNA fragments were selected from the SSH cDNA libraries to fabricate cDNA microarrays and further identify the differentially expressed genes. The credibility of the microarray data was verified by real-time PCR. A total of 360 valid expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were obtained, which represented 32 unique sequences. Twenty-one genes were validated as downregulated and 11 genes as upregulated in the precocious line. Homology searching of the public sequence database showed that six genes encoded proteins homologous with previously reported proteins, including rhomboid-like protein and transhydrogenase of E. tenella, serpin, and cation-transporting ATPase of E. acervulina, a heat-shock protein of E. maxima, and a conserved hypothetical protein of Toxoplasma gondii. Thus, the remaining 26 ESTs have not been previously reported. Further characterization of these differentially expressed genes will be useful in understanding the genetic basis for the precocious phenotype in Eimeria spp.

To clone and identify differentially expressed genes in the sporogony stage of Eimeria tenella , the cDNAs from unsporulated oocysts and sporulated oocysts of E. tenella were used as the driver, respectively, the cDNAs from sporozoites of E. tenella was used the tester. Two subtractive cDNA libraries of sporozoites were constructed using the suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) technique. The cDNAs from unsporulated oocysts was used the driver, the cDNAs from sporulated oocysts was used the tester and one subtractive cDNA library of sporulated oocysts was constructed. PCR amplification revealed that the two subtractive cDNA libraries of sporozoites and one subtractive cDNA library of sporulated oocysts contained approximately 96%, 96% and 98% recombinant clones, respectively. Fifty positive clones were sequenced and analyzed in GenBank with Blast search from three subtractive cDNA libraries, respectively. Thirteen unique sequences were found from the subtractive cDNA library of sporulated oocysts, eight ESTs shared significant identity with the former. A total of 40 unique sequences were obtained from the two subtractive cDNA libraries, nine ESTs shared significant identity with the former and the other sequences represent novel genes of E. tenella with no significant homology to the proteins in Genbank. These results have provided the foundation for cloning new genes of E. tenella and further studying new approaches to control coccidiosis.