Effect of the anticoccidial arprinocid on production, sporulation, and infectivity of Eimeria oocysts.

Medication of broilers with arprinocid [MK-302, 9-(2-chloro-6-fluorbenzyl adenine)] had 3 distinct effects on oocysts; (1) the number of oocysts produced was decreased, (2) fewer of the oocysts sporulated, and (3) those oocysts which did sporulate were less infective than those from unmedicated birds. The drug level necessary to prevent passage of oocysts depended on the species and strain of coccidia. To essentially eliminate oocyst production (less than 5% of controls) required medication with the following levels of arprinocid: 70 ppm with Eimeria maxima; 60 ppm with E. mivati, E. E. necatrix, and E. brunetti; and 50 ppm with E. tenella. With E. acervulina, oocysts were completely eliminated by 60 ppm of arprinocid with one field strain but were still numerous at 70 ppm with a second field strain. Oocysts recovered from birds on medication often failed to sporulate. No sporulation was seen at drug levels of 30 ppm or above with E. maxima and E. mivati. The level of arpinocid required to prevent sporulation with other species depended on the strain being studied, but varied from 30 ppm to 70 ppm. The oocysts of E. acervulina, E. mivati, E. tenella, and E. brunetti recovered from medicated birds that subsequently sporulated, were less infective when inoculated into susceptible birds, than oocysts from unmedicated birds. Oocysts from low medication level with E. necatrix (30 ppm) and E. maxima (10 ppm), once sporulated, were as infective as oocysts from unmedicated control birds, even though the numbers produced were less. No differences were detected in the time oocysts were produced between medicated and unmedicated birds infected with E. acervulina, E. maxima, E. brunetti, and E. tenella.