ENRICHMENT OF CECAL SPECIES OF AVIAN EIMERIA IN A MIXED CULTURE BY TRANSFER OF SPOROZOITES FROM FOREIGN HOST TO NATURAL HOST BIRDS

An effective method for the enrichment of two cecal species of the avian Eimeria in mixed cultures has been developed. The method involves the transfer of sporozoites of Eimeria tenella and Eimeria adenoeides from their specific site of invasion in a foreign host bird to the natural host, and markedly increases the numbers of the cecal species in relation to the other species in the mixture. Donor turkeys and chickens were inoculated with mixed cultures containing equal numbers of oocysts of the chicken coccidia, E. tenella + Eimeria acervulina, or the turkey coccidia, E. adenoeides + Eimeria meleagrimitis, respectively. After 8 to 24 h, the cecal tissues of the donor birds were scraped into phosphate-buffered saline and transferred, per os, to the natural host. On Day 6 to 7 posttransfer, numerous oocysts of E. tenella and E. adenoeides were found in the ceca of the recipient chickens and turkeys, respectively. In contrast, only occasional oocysts were found in a few birds in other areas of the intestine.