1,060 bytes added
, 21:43, 8 April 2010
[[Image:Buff orpington.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Buff orpington - nabrown RVC]]
[[Image:Eimeria Sporulated.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Sporulated ''Eimeria'' - Joaquim Castellà Veterinary Parasitology Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona]]
*Direct life cycle
*1 week prepatent period
*After oocysts are ingested, sporozoites are released which penetrate the intestinal epithelium
*2 asexual phases of multiplication called schizogony occur followed by a phase of sexual multiplication called gametogony
*Zygote develops into an oocyst which is then shed in the faeces
**Oocyst measures 20-30μm
*For each oocyst ingested, thousands are shed
*Life cycle is '''self-limiting'''
**Organisms from a single infection go through the sequence of developmental stages synchronously
**Organisms leave the body simultaneously as oocysts
*Oocysts are only infective once they have sporulated
**Sporulation requires warmth, moisture and oxygen
**Takes 2-3 days in broiler houses
*Oocysts contain 4 sporocysts each with 2 sporozoites
[[Category:Coccidia]][[Category:Poultry]]