E. brunetti

Of all the species of Eimeria in chickens, the lesion scores for E. brunetti are the most difficult to establish. Boels and Becker (1954) did not establish any scores, but described gradual daily changes depending on the progress of the parasite's cycle. The early stages in severe infections manifest themselves with red punctiform lesions in the middle and lower part of the small intestine. Inflammation may be considerable in the affected areas: rectum, caeca and cloaca. The scores mentioned below were established five and six days after infection.

The symptoms are diarrhoea, wasting, and sometimes death in very severe infections.

Score 0: No macroscopic lesions.

Score 1: No macroscopic lesions. In the absence of distinct lesions, the parasites are identified by mucosal scrapings (proximal part of the caeca and rectum) and microscopic examination.

Score 2: The intestinal wall may appear grey in colour. The inferior part may be thickened and small particles of salmon-coloured material detach from the intestine. Touching more than looking reveals these desquamating particles.

Score 3: The intestinal wall is distended and thickened. The mucous membrane is red: the intestinal contents are full of punctiform blood clots and mucous.

Score 4: The intestinal wall may be distended along its entire length. The intestinal contents contain many blood clots and digested red blood cells which give a characteristic colour and putrid odour; the wall is greatly thickened. Score 4 is assigned to dead fowl.

In the field, the chickens are often infected by several species of Eimeria. E. brunetti together with E. maxima are the most difficult to detect macroscopically in mild infections.

At doses of 5,000, 10,000, 20,000 and 40,000 oocysts, ladder rung lines are present in the mucous membrane.