Prevalence of Eimeria in faeces of cattle in Saudi Arabia

The faeces of 205 domestic cattle (Bos taurus) from 5 regions of Saudi Arabia were examined for the presence of coccidian parasites. The following species of Eimeria were recovered: Eimeria auburnensis, E. bovis, E. cylindrica, E. ellipsoidalis, E. subspherica, E. wyomingensis and E. zuerni. A total of 34.1% of the individual faecal samples were positive for the presence of coccidial oocysts. Mixed infections of 2-4 species were found in 15.7% of the specimens. E. zuerni and E. bovis occurred most frequently and were generally the most predominant species. The incidence of coccidia-infected cattle was higher in the eastern region.