Eimeria
Eimeria
Taxonomy
- Kingdom Protozoa
- Phylum Apicomplexa
- Class Conoidasida
- Order Eucoccidiorida
- Family Eimeriidae
Final host
Mammals and birds
Morphology
Sporulated oocysts contain four sporocysts, each with two sporozoites Morphology and size of the oocyst variate according to species
Cycle
Direct (faecal-oral route)
Location
Intestine (enterocytes) Only two species locate in epitellial cells of bile ducts or kidney
Feeding
Holozoic (micropores)
Diagnostic
Oocyst (non-sporulated when passed in faeces) Requires further sporulation for specific identification
Transmission
Sporulated oocyst