The immunity arising from continuous low-level infection with Eimeria maxima and Eimeria acervulina

Abstract

Chicks were given daily inoculations of 1 or 5 oocysts of Eimeria maxima or 5 or 20 oocysts of E. acervulina.The inoculations ceased after 20 days with E. maxima or 25 days with E. acervulina when oocyst production had stopped. The responses to subsequent heavy challenges showed that with both species the immunity arising from the serial inoculations was stronger and/or more enduring than that produced by single inoculations of comparable numbers of oocysts.