Coccidiosis is a diarrhoeal disease caused by Coccidia parasites. All livestock animals and wild animals can be affected. Prevalence of Coccidiosis is high when birds or mammals are grouped together. As coccidia oocysts are highly resistant against environmental conditions and disinfectants, control may be difficult.
Coccidia use intestinal mucosal cells for their reproduction stages thus causing damage of those cells. Depending of coccidia species involved symptoms may be mild or severe.
A common form of high economic importance is coccidiosis in piglets. This disease occurs mostly in piglets between 8 and 15 days old. The diarrhoea is pasty in the beginning, then becoming more liquid. Piglets suffer from heavy water and electrolyte loss, dehydration, acidosis.
Diarrhoea can occasionally last until weaning. But usually, after three weeks of age, there is very little evidence of clinical signs of the disease, even in case of massive experimental infections.