Does Plasmodium gallinaceum induce relapse of Eimeria acervulina infection in chickens?

An experiment was carried out to test the hypothesis that chickens previously infected with Eimeria acervulina, but having ceased producing oocysts, recommence E acervulina oocyst production when infected with Plasmodium gallinaceum. No relapse of coccidiosis was caused by the malarial infection. Subsequent treatment with the immunosuppressant betamethasone of the control chicks infected with E acervulina only did not reveal any occult coccidial infection. The results are critically compared with previously published results which apparently supported the hypothesis.