Prevalence of coccidia in backyard chickens of Salamanca (Guanajuato, México)

Abstract

The aim of this research was to determine the prevalence of coccidia in chickens from a Mexican municipality. Samples from 97 birds were collected in 17 locations and data regarding number of chickens per location, feeding type, cause of death, seasonal concentration of deaths, and parasitic control of the 40 units visited. The presence of Eimeria sp oocysts was detected in 65 samples with a prevalence of 67.01%, with low, medium and high infestation levels (46, 10 and 9 cases). There was correlation between females versus parasite control (p≤0.05), levels of oocysts vs cause of death (p≤0.05), and male vs period of death (p≤0.05). Odds ratio indicates that females were more susceptible than the males to get coccidia (1.87, p=0.1883). It can be concluded that the prevalence of coccidia in chickens of backyard units in Salamanca is high, and that it is related to the control of parasites, time of the year, and sex of the birds. In addition, females were more susceptible to infestation compared to males.