PATHOMORPHOLOGICAL STUDIES IN CLINICAL CASES OF CRYPTOSPORIDIUM AND EIMERIA ENTERITIS IN LAMBS

Abstract

Gastroenteritis in newborn and adolescent lambs and goat kids is a complex multifactorial disease. Its manifestation is related to the immune status of the animals on the farm, the feeding conditions, as well as the presence of infectious agents (bacterial, viral and parasitic) in the environment. The main goal of the conducted field and laboratory studies was to identify the main protozoan agents causing neonatal diarrhea in newborn and adolescent lambs in sheep farms on the territory of Bulgaria. As well as analyzing the pathoanatomical and histopathological changes in the different segments of the intestinal tract. The study included 1100 newborn and adolescent lambs from 7 private dairy sheep farms aged from 24 h postnatal to day 30. For rapid antigen diagnostics were used Rainbow calf scour 5 BIO K 306 Detection of Rota, Corona, E. coli F5, Crypto and Clostridium perf. in bovine stool (BIOX Diagnostics, Belgium), as well as coprological studies. Pathoanatomical and histopathological examinations were performed on tissue samples obtained from 56 lamb carcasses that died after developing gastrointestinal infections. Based on the obtained results, the main enteropathogens causing enteritis in lambs were defined as: Cryptosporidium parvum, Eimeria spp., rotaviruses, coronaviruses and Escherichia coli.