Studies on the growth, chemotherapy and enzyme variation of Eimeria acerulina var. diminuta and E. acervulina var. mivati

Abstract

Eimeria acervulina var. diminuta was serially passaged 12 times in chicken embryos, but growth in cultured chick kidney cells was linmited to 2 generations of schizonts. After 7 embryo passages the sensitivities of E. acervulina var. diminuta and an embryo-adapted strain of E. acervulina var. mivati to the anticoccidial drugs amprolium, methyl parasites were sensitive to all the anticoccidials but E. acervulina var. diminuta was more sensitive to sulphaquinoxaline and amprolium. The chicken-maintained strain of E. acervulina var. diminuta was extremely sensitive to clopidol, sulphaquinoxaline and decoquinate. Electrphoretic analyses of several enzymes from E. acervulina var. diminuta revealed enzyme profiles with similarities and differences to the embryo-adapted strain of E. acervulina var. mivati.