Immunoprotection against mixed Eimeria spp. infections in goat kids induced by X-irradiated oocysts

Emilio Barba,Otilia Ferrer,Pedro Carlos Lara,José Manuel Molina,María Carmen Muñoz,Aránzazu Carmen Guedes,Sergio Martín,Carlos Hermosilla,Antonio Ruiz,Anja Taubert

doi:10.1007/s00436-022-07465-z

Abstract

Strategies to control goat coccidiosis traditionally rely on the use of management practices combined with anticoccidial treatments, and limited effort has been made, so far, to address immunological control of caprine Eimeria infections. Previously, we showed that monospecific immunization with X-Rad-attenuated Eimeria ninakohlyakimovae oocysts induced considerable immunoprotection upon challenge. In the present study, we conducted a similar vaccination trial but using a mixture of caprine Eimeria species typically present in natural infected goats. For immunization, sporulated oocysts were attenuated by X irradiation (20 kilorad). All infections were performed orally applying 105 sporulated oocysts of mixed Eimeria spp. per animal. In total, 18 goat kids were grouped as follows: (G1) immunized + challenge infected; (G2) primary + challenge infected; (G3) challenge infection control; and (G4) non-immunized/non-infected control. Overall, goat kids infected with attenuated oocysts (= immunized) shed less oocysts in the faeces and showed a lower degree of clinical coccidiosis than animals infected with non-attenuated oocysts. Animals of both challenge groups (G1 and G2) showed partial immunoprotection upon reinfection when compared to challenge infection control (G3). However, the degree of immunoprotection was less pronounced than recently reported for monospecific vaccination against Eimeria ninakohlyakimovae, most probably due to the complexity of the pathogenesis and related immune responses against mixed Eimeria spp. infections. Nevertheless, the data of the present study demonstrate that immunization with attenuated Eimeria spp. oocysts may be worth pursuing as a strategy to control goat coccidiosis.

Highlights

Coccidiosis is considered one of the most prevalent and economically important parasitic diseases in goat production systems worldwide (Cavalcante et al 2012; Fthenakis and Papadopoulos 2018; Windsor et al 2018)
We have reported that immunization with live but attenuated E. ninakohlyakimovae oocysts protects goat kids from clinical coccidiosis at a comparable level as natural primary infections (Ruiz et al 2014)
The results of the present work show that immunization with attenuated oocysts from a mixture of Eimeria species could be an alternative for the control of caprine coccidiosis

Summary

Introduction

Coccidiosis is considered one of the most prevalent and economically important parasitic diseases in goat production systems worldwide (Cavalcante et al 2012; Fthenakis and Papadopoulos 2018; Windsor et al 2018). Parasitology Unit, Department of Animal Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35413 Arucas, Las Palmas, Spain. University Fernando Pessoa and University Hospital San Roque, Las Palmas, Spain The development and multiplication of these Eimeria species in the small and large intestine result in dysentery associated with diarrhoea of different consistency and colour, weakness, anorexia and dehydration that can occasionally lead to death of affected

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Results

Conclusion