The Epidemiology of Calf Coccidiosis (Eimeria spp.) in Poland

The field survey has been performed to study the epidemiology of calf coccidiosis in Poland. It was found that the Eimeria spp. coccidia occurred on 93.0 % of the investigated farms. But the highly pathogenic species (E. bovis and E. zuernii) were found on 88.4 % of the investigated farms. Those were also found more frequently in bigger farms (92.3%) compared to smaller ones (85.1%). However, the intensity of E. bovis as well as E. zuernii infection remained, in most cases, low – 75.4 and 79.8% or moderate – 21.3 and 18.5%, respectively. The intensity of those infections was, respectively, 3.1x and 1.9x higher in big farms. Conclusion: The Eimeria spp. are very common pathogens in cattle farms in Poland. The highly pathogenic Eimeria occurred more frequently in big rather than in small farms.