ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Parasitology
Comparative analysis of pathogenicity and anticoccidial resistance of field-isolated Eimeria strains in Sichuan Province, China
Provisionally accepted
- Southwest Minzu University, Chengdu, China
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Chicken coccidiosis is an intestinal protozoal disease caused by Eimeria, which is distributed worldwide and costs significant economic losses in poultry industry. Owing to prolonged anticoccidial use, drug resistance has become the most important obstacle in control of coccidiosis. This study aimed to evaluate the pathogenicity of three mixed-species Eimeria isolates collected from chicken farms in Sichuan Province, China. The drug resistance of isolates was also evaluated including synthetic drugs, ionophores, and a natural herb. A total of 132 newborn chicks were grouped, including infected-treated group, positive controls for each isolate and negative control, that and recorded survival rate, weight gain, oocyst excretion, and lesion scores. The pathogenicity and drug resistance of three isolates were determined by four indexes including the anticoccidial index (ACI), the optimal percentage of anti-coccidial activity (POAA), the relative oocyst production (ROP), and the reduction of lesion score (RLS). The results showed that only one Eimeria spp. isolated from Xichang was sensitive to sulfaclozine, while the rest of isolates exhibited resistance to all tested drugs, with most isolates demonstrating severe or complete resistance. These findings are crucial for the selection of regional drug administration program to control chicken coccidiosis in this region.
Keywords: Chicken coccidiosis, Eimeria, Field isolates, Drug Resistance, anticoccidials
Received: 26 Aug 2025; Accepted: 26 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhang, Li, Wang, Jike, Lu and Hao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: LiLi Hao
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