Study on the ability of water supply to
contaminate
poultry flocks with coccidia
REPERANT Jean-Michel, LE DU Maryse
French Agency for Food Safety, Zoopôle Les Croix,
AFSSA-Ploufragan,
BP 53, F-22440 PLOUFRAGAN, France
e-mail address : jm.reperant@afssa.fr
Coccidia belonging to the genus Eimeria are the most frequent parasites found in poultry. Their occurrence can be of great economic importance, and they must be controlled control is in order to maintain performance and profitability in poultry industry. One way to control the side effects of these parasites is to reduce the contact of oocysts with the birds. There are several routes of contamination of poultry flocks with Eimeria oocysts; some of them are known, but others remain to be investigated.
The objective of this study was to investigate the potential carrier role of drinking water in coccidiosis. This work was a first approach, focusing on farms supplied with forage water or surface water. We did not include farms supplied by the local network of treated water. Twenty-four farms were investigated. Filters were placed at water entrance in the building, allowing the capture of oocysts. The technique was set up and validated under laboratory conditions, using selected filters and different sizes of oocysts.
Fecal samples collected in the investigated farms showed that coccidia were present in 75% of the flocks. Four water samples were positive for coccidia, as shown by passage of the samples on coccidia-free birds. The species found in the water was Eimeria acervulina, which was also present in the litter of the considered farms.
These preliminary results suggest that water can be a potential carrier of coccidia for chickens. However, further investigations are needed to confirm this potential role and to evaluate the impact of climatic factors. Other forms of water supply could also be considered in future studies.