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, 21:57, 8 April 2010
*11 different Coccidia species although only two are of clinical significance
**Giant schizonts visible as white spots
*''Eimeria ovinoidalis''
**Highly pathogenic
**[[Intestine Diarrhoea - Pathology|Diarrhoea]]
**Parasitises the [[Caecum - Anatomy & Physiology|caecum]] and [[Colon - Anatomy & Physiology|colon]]
*''Eimeria crandalis''
**Varying pathogenicity
**Scours, grey, foul-smelling faeces
**Parasitises the [[Small Intestine - Anatomy & Physiology|small intestine]], [[Caecum - Anatomy & Physiology|caecum]] and [[Colon - Anatomy & Physiology|colon]]
*2 week prepatent period
*Disease frequently seen in lambs under 6 months old
**More often in twins and triplets when single lambs
*Oocyts from ewes (immune carriers) accumulate in poorly managed litter or around feed and water troughs
*Lambs born early in the year amplify the parasite problem increasing the parasite risk to lambs born later in the year
*Affected lambs may die before oocysts are found in the faeces
**Post-mortem diagnosis difficult
*Different species of ''Eimeria'' occurs in sheep and goats
*Infection may be coincident with ''Neospora'' or ''Cryptosporidium'' infections
**Mixed infections complicate the diagnosis as oocyst differentiation is difficult
*Other non-pathogenic species can cause papillomatous mucosal growths
'''Control'''
*Improve husbandry
**Avoid overcrowding
**Decrease stress
*Improve hygiene by dagging ewes
*Avoid mixing lambs of different ages
*Preventative measures include creep feeding lambs with decoquinate or oral dosing with diclazuril when lambs are 4-6 weeks
**A second dose can be given after 3 weeks[[Category:Coccidia]][[Category:Sheep]]