Coccidiosis in turkeys

187 Pages·09.98 MB·English

by  Hawkins, Philip Alba

COCCIDIOSIS IN TURKEYS
By
Philip Alba Hawkins
A THESIS
Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies of Michigan
State College of Agriculture and Applied Science
in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of
DOCTOR OP PHILOSOPHY
Department of Animal Pathology
1950
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgments 1
I Introduction 3
II Historical 5
III Materials and Methods 12
Source and handling of material 12
Rearing birds and infection ex­
periments 14
Technical procedures 16
IV Eimeria disper sa Tyzzer, 1929 18
Source 18
Hosts 18
Oocyst 19
Tissue stages 26
Gross pathology 29
Histopathology 45
Symptoms 47
Immuni ty 47
V Eimeria meleagrimitis Tyzzer, 1929 57
Source 57
Host 57
Oocyst 57
Tissue stages 58
Gross pathology 64
Histopathology 73
Symptoms 75
Immunity 85
VI Eimeria meleagridis Tyzzer, 1927 92
Source 92
Host 92
Oocyst 92
Tissue stages 93
Gross pathology 97
Histopathology 98
Symptoms 103
Immunity 103
VII Eimeria gallopavonis new species 117
Source 117
Hosts 117
Oocyst 119
Tissue stages 122
Pathology and symptoms 125
Immuni ty 125
VIII Discussion 134
IX Conclusions 153
X Bibliography 154
AC KN0WLEDGEMENT S
This project would not have been possible without the
assistance of a number of individuals, to all of whom the
writer is greatly Indebted. To Dr* Prank Thorp Jr. I wish
to express my appreciation for his suggestions and encour­
agement during the entire course of this work. I also wish
to acknowledge the aid of Dr* H. J. Stafseth in making a-
vailable certain facilities and materials for the prosec­
ution of this project, and for his constant interest dur­
ing its course. This work would have been Impossible with­
out a generous grant from Swift and Company, Chicago,
Illinoi s.
The success of this work is primarily due to the co­
operation of investigators throughout the United States,
who kindly sent me materials for study. To the following
I wish to express my thanks: Dr. I. M. Moulthrop, Mary­
land State Board of Agriculture; Dr. E. H. Peterson, State
College of Washington; Dr. J. P. Delaplane, Rhode Island
State College; Dr. Paul C. Bennett, Iowa State College;
Dr. M. L. Miner, Utah State Agricultural College; Dr. H.
Van Roekel, University of Massachusetts; Dr. F. R. Beau-
dette, Rutgers University; Dr. D. P. Eveleth, North Dakota
Agricultural College; Dr. E. R. Doll, University of Ken­
tucky; Dr. B. S. Pomeroy, University of Minnesota; Dr. P.
R. Woodring, University of Nebraska; Dr. H. C. McDougle,
University of Missouri; Dr. E. M. Dickinson, Oregon State
College; Dr. W. A. Boney, Agricultural and Mechanical Col­
lege of Texas; Dr. N. P. Morehouse, Dr. Salsburys Laborat­
ories; Dr. K. L. Bullis, University of Massachusetts and
Dr. Saul Narotsky, Michigan State College.
Most of the sectioning of tissues was capably done by
Mrs. Esther Grill and Mrs. Loretta Van Camp. Mr. Jack S.
Dunlap helped greatly in his care of the uninfected turkeys
and by taking certain of the photomicrographs.
Mr. Billy Williams did all of the art work.
Finally, I am greatly indebted to my wife for her help
in the preparation and completion of the manuscript*
INTRODUCTION
Coccidiosis of the domesticated animals is the cause
of great loss, and much time and effort has been spent in
its study* In poultry this disease has received the great­
est attention, primarily because of the ease of handling
the smaller animals* However, coccidiosis in turkeys is as
little known today as in 1929 when Tyzzer suggested that
further researches were necessary for its elucidation.
In recent years it would seem that there was only one
method available by which the coccidia could be studied.
In this period most investigations have been directed toward
finding suitable therapeutic agents for the control of the
disease. There have been relatively few attempts made to­
ward a better understanding of the disease. In fact, the
emphasis of many has been on the therapeutic agent, often
without an understanding of the disease.
In the study of the parasitic diseases two groups of
investigators are found, the parasitologist and the clin­
ician* The former is primarily interested in the parasite
reaction, the latter in the host reaction, but neither is
too interested in the host-parasite reaction relationship.
A knowledge of this host-parasite relationship is neces­
sary for the comprehension of parasitic diseases, in fact
all infectious diseases.
A complete understanding of a single disease entity in
all its complexity is more than a single individual can
hope to achieve. However, we will come closer to reaching
this goal if the disease Is not submerged in man-made,
departmentalized fields of study. In this study of coc­
cidiosis in turkeys, an attempt has been made to study
it as a disease* Therefore, in the following pages will
be found the subject matter of the parasitologist, path­
ologist, immunologist and clinician; and because these
groups would be directing their interests toward a com­
mon end, this is ultimately subject matter for the poultry
producer.
HISTORICAL
Coccidiosis in poultry was considered to be caused by
a single species of coccidium, Eimeria avium, until Tyzzer
(1929) first demonstrated conclusively the multiplicity of
species involved in this disease* This Investigator was
largely concerned with the coccidia of the chicken, and only
Incidently with those of the turkey* He showed that not
only is there marked host-specificity of this parasite, but
that there is also an organ specificity* The species occur­
ring in the chicken are specific for the chicken, being in­
capable of infecting any other host, and are also found in
a rather circumscribed area of the intestinal tract of the
infected host. Even those forms which may be found in the
same location in the intestinal tract evoke, in many in­
stances, a response which is specific for that species.
Thus the great contribution of Tyzzer was not only the demon­
stration of the multiplicity of species which are involved in
this disease, but also the marked host and organ specificity
of each species.
Of the coccidia which are found in the turkey Tyzzer
(1927, 1929) described two species, Eimeria meleagridis and
Eimeria meleagrimitis, which were found in the cecum and
small Intestine respectively. However, two statements made
by him at that time indicate that little was known concern­
ing these organisms. These were as follows: "No exact in­
formation is available concerning the pathogenicity of these
two species of Eimeria, which occur in the turkey”, and
"Coccidiosis in the turkey requires further investigation,
for not only are we poorly informed as to the tissue re­
actions concerned, but a great variation in the size of the
oocysts in recently obtained material suggests the occur­
rence in the turkey of forms of Eimeria other than those
here described". The status of coccidiosis in the turkey
at the time these investigations began was the same as that
noted by Tyzzer (1929).
Cole and Hadley (1908) and Cole and Hadley (1910) con­
sidered blackhead in turkeys to be caused by a coccidium,
Eimeria avium. It was unfortunate that they confused the
etiological agents of these two diseases. However, from
their descriptions It may be seen that they were dealing
with at least three species of coccidia, namely E. melea-
gridis, E. meleagrimitis and probably E. dispersa as well
as Histomonas meleagridi s, the latter being considered to
be a stage in the life history of the coccidium. A further
review of the early work on coccidiosis, before that of
Tyzzer (1929) would seem to be out of place here. Previous
to 1929 all the numerous species of coccidia now known to
occur in birds were assumed to be one, E. avium, with ref­
erences being made interchangeably to different species of
avian hosts, making interpretation difficult as well as
doubtful.
Tyzzer*s (1929) description of the species of coccidia
occuring in the turkey are very meager. E. meleagridis
Tyzzer, 1927 occurring in the cecum was first observed by
Johnson (1923), but was not at that time regarded as a dis­