Molecular characterization of crane Coccidia, Eimeria gruis and E. reichenowi, found in feces of migratory cranes

• DOI: 10.1007/s00436-005-1404-9
• Publication Date: 2005-06-06T15:02:03Z
• Authors: Makoto Matsubayashi; Kazutoshi Takami; Niichiro Abe; Isao Kimata; Hiroyuki Tani; Kazumi Sasai; Eiichiroh Baba
• Keywords: 0303 health sciences; Bird Diseases; Coccidiosis; Molecular Sequence Data; Oocysts; Animals, Wild; Sequence Analysis, DNA; DNA, Ribosomal; Polymerase Chain Reaction; 3. Good health; Birds; Feces; 03 medical and health sciences; Japan; Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; RNA, Ribosomal, 18S; Animals; Eimeria; Microscopy, Phase-Contrast; Phylogeny

Eimeria gruis and E. reichenowi have lethal pathogenicity to a number of species of cranes. These parasites develop at multiple organs or tissues in infected cranes, thus lacking the specificity of infection sites shown by other Eimeria spp. in spite of morphologic similarity. To date, there have been many reports of crane Eimeria infections, however, genetic examinations of these parasites have never been published. In the present study, we isolated oocysts of E. gruis and E. reichenowi from crane feces at a wintering area in Japan. By phylogenic analysis, we first demonstrated that partial sequences of the isolates formed their own cluster, located separately from other Eimeria spp.