Abstract
Japanese quails Coturnix coturnix japonica reared in economic farms were individually investigated for coccidian infections. The results indicated the absence of infections in birds younger than 1 month. An Eimeria infection rate of up to 80% was detected in birds 7-9 weeks old with a general infection rate of 29%. The infection rate decreased to 21.42% in birds older than 10 weeks. Morphometric characteristics of freshly shed, unsporulated oocysts were taken. These oocysts appeared pale yellow in color, were oval to subspherical in shape being limited by a bilayered oocyst wall of 1.2 A mu m. The unsporulated oocysts measured 17.73 A +/- 12.92 x 12.79 A +/- 1.69 A mu m (mean of 100) and possessed a polar granule, a micropyle and an oocyst residuum. The sporulation took 72 h and resulted in the formation of four elongated sporocysts containing two sporozoites, in addition to a stieda body and a sporocyst residuum. The life cycle of this Eimeria species was followed in experimentally infected quails. Three asexual generations (at 60, 78, and 96 h p.i.) were detected in the epithelium of the small intestine before the sexual cycle started at 84 h p.i. The prepatent period was 5 days, while the patent period covered 6-7 days. Besides this well-defined species, another Eimeria species occurred, the oocysts of which were excreted in low numbers and were characterized by the absence of a micropyle and an oocyst residuum. These oocysts measured 15.73 A +/- 2.22 x 14.18 A +/- 1.89 A mu m (mean of 100) and sporulated already within 60 h.