Plasma lipid changes in the female mule duck (Cairina moschata x Anas platyrhynchos) experimentally infected with Eimeria mulardi.

Plasma levels of phospholipids, triglycerides, high density lipoproteins (HDL)-cholesterol and HDL-phospholipids were studied in 48 11-d-old female mule ducks infected per os with 5 x 10(3) x 10(4) x 5 x 10(5) sporulated oocysts of Eimeria mulardi (D0), or kept as an uninfected control group. Data were recorded from D-1 to D17. Mortality and weight loss were only observed with the 5 x 10(5) oocyst dose. Plasma phospholipids were significantly reduced with the two highest infecting doses on D3, and returned to normal values by D9 with the highest infecting dose. The minimum level attained was no lower than 74% of the control group. Triglyceride levels were reduced early but only slightly and irregularly in the three infected groups. HDL-cholesterol was significantly reduced from D5 and HDL-phospholipids from D3. These reduced levels depended on the infecting dose and were lowest on D5, respectively 34 and 35% of the control group with the highest infecting dose. In this group, the levels remained lower than in the uninfected group on D17. These perturbations in blood lipid classes have been described in avian coccidiosis.