OCCURRENCE AND PATHOLOGICAL STUDY OF INTESTINAL COCCIDIOSIS IN CAMELS (Camelus dromedarius) OF WESTERN RAJASTHAN

Present investigation was carried out for occurrence and pathological study of coccidiosis in camels. One hundred seventy two samples of intestine were collected from western Rajasthan irrespective of age, breed and sex during September 2013 to January 2014. Out of these, 103 samples with clear gross lesion, were further subjected to investigation. Gross lesions were hyperaemia and patchy haemorrhages were found in mucosa of intestine. Tissue samples were taken from the intestinal tracts and then fixed in 10% buffered formalin. They were mechanically processed and embedded in paraffin. Sections of 5 urn thickness were cut with help of hand operated microtome and stained with hematoxylin and eosin. Coccidiosis was recorded in 8.74% cases. Microscopic examination revealed eosinophilic enteritis and existence of developmental stages of the parasite such as giant schizonts, microgamont, macrogametocytes, and unsporulatd oocysts in the lacteals of lamina propria and in the epithelium of Lieberkuhn glands. Coccidial infection is prevalent in camels in the western Rajasthan.