Comparative analysis of evaluation parameters in E. acervulina , E. maxima and E. tenella -infected broilers.

Three parameters, body weight gain (BWG), intestinal lesion score (LS) and fecal oocyst shedding, were compared in broilers infected with major parasitic species; Eimeria acervulina , E. maxima , and E. tenella . First, two- and three-week-old chickens with Eimeria infection showed LS of approximately 3, but two-week-old chickens were more correlated with BWG. Second, significant differences in BWG were observed between male and female broilers challenged with Eimeria . Finally, E. maxima -infected broilers among three Eimeria species showed a higher relationship between BWG and LS, suggesting three considerations such as genders, age and Eimeria species for Eimeria experiments.