The Prevalence of Clinical Coccidiosis and the Estimation of the Costs of Disease Control and Treatment in Broiler Production

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the prevalence of clinical coccidiosis and to estimate the costs of disease control and treatment in broiler production. The study was performed with randomly selected poultry farms in Aksehir district of Konya Province. Each farm was visited for once at the day of 21 and over of the production period. Necropsy samples (5/10000) were collected from each farm for parasitological and histopathological examinations. The prevalence of clinical coccidiosis was found as 7.72%. A significant relationship was determined between the prevalence of clinical coccidiosis and age groups (P<0.05). Four Eimeria species: E. brunetti (35.48%), E. necatrix (35.48%), E. maxima (19.35%) and E. tenella (9.68%) were identified. Mixed infection was observed in 45.83% of the chicks. Disease control and treatment costs were estimated as 4604.17 $ and 2683.25 $ respectively. In conclusion, this multidisciplinary study showed that coccidiosis was still a serious disease for broiler production in the region. The costs of the control and treatment of coccidiosis may vary depending on its prevalence. Therefore, disease control strategies maintain its importance.