Epidemiological studies of Eimeria species of cattle in Ilorin, North-Central Nigeria.

Coccidiosis is the most economically impactful enteric protozoan disease of animals including cattle. A year (March 2018 to February 2019) study was conducted on cattle in Ilorin, North-Central Nigeria with the objective of determining the prevalence, intensity of infection, diversity of Eimeria species, co-infection patterns and risk factors associated with the enteric protozoan infection in cattle. To address this, faecal samples from 478 cattle of different age groups, breeds and sex were subjected to the floatation technique, the McMaster counting technique and sporulation procedure. One hundred and eighty-six (38.91%) of the sampled cattle were positive, and 8 different species were identified (Eimeria bovis, E. zuernii, E. auburnensis, E. cylindrica, E. subspherica, E. canadensis, E. bukidnonensis and E. alabamensis) with E. bovis (25.94%) and E. zuernii (23.43%) been the most prevalent. Eimeria oocysts were detected all through the year. The intensity of Eimeria species among infected cattle ranged between 200-12900 oocyst per gram of faeces. Following univariate analysis, breed, age, sex, physiological status, faecal consistency and PCV were significantly (p<0.05) associated with Eimeria infection. Multivariate analysis revealed that breed, age and physiological status were the significant risk factors associated with eimeriosis. The present study constitutes the first attempt to analyse the prevalence, intensity, diversity and epidemiological risk factors involved in bovine eimeriosis in North-Central Nigeria. It is envisaged that the data obtained will facilitate better control and prevention measures for Eimeria infection among cattle in the region.