Study on coccidiosis in Kombolcha Poultry Farm, Ethiopia.

A study on the occurrence of coccidiosis and distribution of Eimeria species in dead chickens 1-60 days of age, at Kombolcha Poultry Multiplication and Research Center (KPMRC), Ethiopia was conducted from November 2002 to April 2003. Out of the 965 dead birds, 370 (38.34%) were found to have clinical coccidiosis. The Eimeria species identified in this study were Eimeria brunetti, E. tenella, E. acervulina and E. necatrix with prevalence rates of 45.3%, 40.8%, 9.7%, and 4.1%, respectively. In the current study, E. brunetti was reported for the first time in Ethiopia. It was noted that clinical coccidioisis was more prevalent in those between 5 and 6 weeks of age. A statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) was observed in clinical coccidiosis prevalence among the different age groups studied. Various managerial problems that are associated with this high prevalence of clinical coccidiosis are identified and appropriate control strategies are recommended.