Purification of first-generation Eimeria tenella schizonts.

A rapid and simple method for purifying first-generation Eimeria tenella schizonts was developed with infected chicken cecal tissue. The schizonts were harvested from the tissue by treatment with a mixture of 3 enzymes: hyaluronidase, dispase, and collagenase. Subsequent purification of the parasites by filtration through gauze and centrifugation resulted in a clean final preparation compared with the starting material. Microscopical and biochemical examinations, performed to assess the quality of the schizont purification, showed a high degree of purity. This procedure may be used to obtain clean schizonts minimally contaminated with host-cell debris in order to study this parasitic stage.