British Poultry Science
ISSN: 0007-1668 (Print) 1466-1799 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/cbps20
Coccidial infection with Eimeria Tenella and caecal defaecation in chicks Peter L. Clarke To cite this article: Peter L. Clarke (1979) Coccidial infection with Eimeria Tenella and caecal defaecation in chicks, British Poultry Science, 20:3, 317-322, DOI: 10.1080/00071667908416586 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00071667908416586
Published online: 08 Nov 2007.
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Date: 14 November 2015, At: 12:29
Br. Poult. Sci., 20: 317-322
1979
Longman: printed in Great Britain
COCCIDIAL INFECTION WITH EIMERIA TENELLA AND CAECAL DEFAECATION IN CHICKS PETER L. CLARKE The Molteno Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EE, England
Downloaded by [Universite Laval] at 12:29 14 November 2015
Received for publication 11th August 1978
1. The periodicity of caecal defaecation was investigated in chicks infected with Eimeria tenella. The birds were illuminated for 12 h/d (07.0019.00) and faeces were collected at 3-h intervals for up to 21 d. 2. In uninfected birds caecal faeces were never collected during the dark period. During the periods 07.00-10.00 h, 10.00-13.00 h, 13.0016.00 h and 16.00-19.00 h, caecal defaecation occurred on approximately 44, 19, 55 and 9 1 % of the total number of days respectively. 3. In infected birds production of haemorrhagic caecal faeces began from between 90 and 156 h after infection and continued during both light and dark periods for between 12 and 48 h. After this period, no caecal faeces were observed for between 39 and 120 h. Normal caecal defaecation resumed from between 198 and 264 h.
INTRODUCTION
The caeca of the domestic fowl are two blind-ended sacs opening from the junction between the small intestine and rectum (Clarke, 1978). They provide the habitat of many micro-organisms and parasites (Crompton and Nesheim, 1976). Study of the relationships between these organisms and their host is hampered because knowledge of the functions and physiology of the caeca is inadequate (McNab, 1973). One aspect of caecal function that is probably an important feature of host-parasite relationships is the frequency and extent of the discharge of the contents of the organs. Caecal evacuation may cause fluctuations in the environment of the organisms living in the caeca by altering factors such as oxygen tension and nutrient concentration. It may also be an important means for the dispersal of organisms living in these organs. However, parasitic infections may affect caecal defaecation; Eimeria tenella causes extensive physical damage to the caecal tissues (Long, 1973) and alters the motility of the organ (Schildt and Herrick, 1955; Oikawa and Kawaguchi, 1974). Casual observations suggest that caecal faeces are found more frequently at certain times but there is little quantitative information about this (Roseler, 1929; Herrick and Edgar, 1947). The aim of the present study was to investigate changes in the pattern of caecal defaecation which accompany infection with E. tenella. 317
318
PETER L. CLARKE
Downloaded by [Universite Laval] at 12:29 14 November 2015
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Caecal contents and caecal faeces are easily distinguished from intestinal faeces. Caecal faeces from healthy uninfected fowl are light to dark brown in colour, soft, sticky and have a distinctive smell. Information about the frequency of caecal defaecation has been obtained by visual examination of droppings collected at regular time intervals by using an automatic collection cage (Harriss et al., 1978). The cage was housed in a light-proof room with controlled light (07.00-19.00 h) and dark (19.00-07.00 h) periods. Droppings were collected during 3-h intervals (01.0004.00 h, 04.00-07.00 h, etc.). The trays were inspected once every 24 h, during the light period. Light Sussex birds, grown under specific pathogen-free conditions at Houghton Poultry Research Station, were used. Birds were 3 to 4 weeks old at the beginning of each experiment and were allowed water and food ad libitum. The diet, which was formulated by the Coccidiosis Discussion Group (Ryley and Beits, 1973) contained 6 mg vitamin K/kg. It is important to note that the presence of this vitamin is considered to reduce the degree of haemorrhage during infection (Baldwin et al., 1941; Ryley and Hardman, 1978). Two birds were housed in the cage at the same time, separated by a blank metal partition. In two experiments, both birds were uninfected. In six other experiments one bird was infected orally at 16.00 h with about 2 000 sporulated oocysts of the Houghton strain of E. tenella, while the other bird served as an uninfected control. Oocysts were prepared by standard techniques (Long et al., 1976) and were less than 3 weeks old when used for infection. All uninfected birds were examined at regular intervals for evidence of coccidial infection. The ten uninfected and six infected birds were studied for periods of between 14 and 21 d. Individual caecal droppings were not counted, the presence of one or more caecal droppings in a given time period being recorded as a single defaecation event during that period. Data from all uninfected birds were combined (Table 2) for statistical analysis. This consisted of a chi-square analysis (Fisher, 1967; Fisher and Yates, 1970) calculated on the basis of equal expectation for time periods and birds. The total chi-squared was partitioned into the main effects due to differences between birds, differences between time periods and the interaction between birds and time periods. These chi-squared values were further partitioned using orthogonal comparisons which allows the identification of the sources of variation. The total number of defaecation events for each 3-h period in the light period was partitioned using orthogonal components and three different hypotheses; that the first 6 h was different from the last 6 h, that the first and last 3-h periods were different from the middle 6 h, and for sequential differences during the day.
RESULTS
A recording for a single uninfected bird is shown in Table 1 and the results for all uninfected birds are shown in Table 2. Caecal faeces were never observed in trays which had been changed during the dark period (19.00-07.00 h), in contrast to intestinal faeces. Although no evidence was obtained to suggest the existence of a strict rhythm of caecal defaecation, over the duration of the experiments, the number
319
CAECAL DEFAECATION AND E. TENELLA
TABLE 1 Pattern of caecal defaecation for a single bird uninfected over a 21-d period. X indicates that normal caecal faeces were collected during the period indicated {bird E4, Table 2)
Downloaded by [Universite Laval] at 12:29 14 November 2015
Period (h) 01.00-04.00 04.00-07.00 07.00-10.00 10.00-13.00 13.00-16.00 16.00-19.00 19.00-22.00 22.00-01.00
Day 1
2
3
X
X
X
X X
X X
X
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
X X X X
12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 X
X
X X
X
X
X X
X X
X X
X
X
X
X
X X
X
X
X
X X
X X
X
TABLE 2 The distribution of caecal defaecations in uninfected birds during the experiment
Bird number Period (h) 01.00-04.00 04.00-07.00 07.00-10.00 10.00-13.00 13.00-16.00 16.00-19.00 19.00-22.00 22.00-01.00 Duration (d)
E4 0 0 6 2 9 21 0 0
21
E5 0 0 11 5 11 19 0 0 21
El
0
E2 0
0 2 1 11 16 0 0 20
9 6 14 19 0 0 20
0
2A 0 0 17 2 9 16 0 0 20
2B 0 0 1 2 12 17 0 0 20
E7 0 0 5 7 14 17 0 0 19
3A 0 0 10 4 8 14 0 0 14
3B 0
0 13 4 9 14 0 0 14
E6 0 0 6 1 4 13 0 0 14
Days1 (%) 0 0 43-71 18-57 55-19 90-71 0 0 • ••
Refers to proportion of days on which a caecal defaecation occurred in a given time period.
of caecal defaecation events in each of the four 3-h periods was significantly different (P< 0-001) on the basis of the three null-hypotheses listed above. There was no significant difference (P
ISSN: 0007-1668 (Print) 1466-1799 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/cbps20
Coccidial infection with Eimeria Tenella and caecal defaecation in chicks Peter L. Clarke To cite this article: Peter L. Clarke (1979) Coccidial infection with Eimeria Tenella and caecal defaecation in chicks, British Poultry Science, 20:3, 317-322, DOI: 10.1080/00071667908416586 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00071667908416586
Published online: 08 Nov 2007.
Submit your article to this journal
Article views: 9
View related articles
Citing articles: 13 View citing articles
Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=cbps20 Download by: [Universite Laval]
Date: 14 November 2015, At: 12:29
Br. Poult. Sci., 20: 317-322
1979
Longman: printed in Great Britain
COCCIDIAL INFECTION WITH EIMERIA TENELLA AND CAECAL DEFAECATION IN CHICKS PETER L. CLARKE The Molteno Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EE, England
Downloaded by [Universite Laval] at 12:29 14 November 2015
Received for publication 11th August 1978
1. The periodicity of caecal defaecation was investigated in chicks infected with Eimeria tenella. The birds were illuminated for 12 h/d (07.0019.00) and faeces were collected at 3-h intervals for up to 21 d. 2. In uninfected birds caecal faeces were never collected during the dark period. During the periods 07.00-10.00 h, 10.00-13.00 h, 13.0016.00 h and 16.00-19.00 h, caecal defaecation occurred on approximately 44, 19, 55 and 9 1 % of the total number of days respectively. 3. In infected birds production of haemorrhagic caecal faeces began from between 90 and 156 h after infection and continued during both light and dark periods for between 12 and 48 h. After this period, no caecal faeces were observed for between 39 and 120 h. Normal caecal defaecation resumed from between 198 and 264 h.
INTRODUCTION
The caeca of the domestic fowl are two blind-ended sacs opening from the junction between the small intestine and rectum (Clarke, 1978). They provide the habitat of many micro-organisms and parasites (Crompton and Nesheim, 1976). Study of the relationships between these organisms and their host is hampered because knowledge of the functions and physiology of the caeca is inadequate (McNab, 1973). One aspect of caecal function that is probably an important feature of host-parasite relationships is the frequency and extent of the discharge of the contents of the organs. Caecal evacuation may cause fluctuations in the environment of the organisms living in the caeca by altering factors such as oxygen tension and nutrient concentration. It may also be an important means for the dispersal of organisms living in these organs. However, parasitic infections may affect caecal defaecation; Eimeria tenella causes extensive physical damage to the caecal tissues (Long, 1973) and alters the motility of the organ (Schildt and Herrick, 1955; Oikawa and Kawaguchi, 1974). Casual observations suggest that caecal faeces are found more frequently at certain times but there is little quantitative information about this (Roseler, 1929; Herrick and Edgar, 1947). The aim of the present study was to investigate changes in the pattern of caecal defaecation which accompany infection with E. tenella. 317
318
PETER L. CLARKE
Downloaded by [Universite Laval] at 12:29 14 November 2015
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Caecal contents and caecal faeces are easily distinguished from intestinal faeces. Caecal faeces from healthy uninfected fowl are light to dark brown in colour, soft, sticky and have a distinctive smell. Information about the frequency of caecal defaecation has been obtained by visual examination of droppings collected at regular time intervals by using an automatic collection cage (Harriss et al., 1978). The cage was housed in a light-proof room with controlled light (07.00-19.00 h) and dark (19.00-07.00 h) periods. Droppings were collected during 3-h intervals (01.0004.00 h, 04.00-07.00 h, etc.). The trays were inspected once every 24 h, during the light period. Light Sussex birds, grown under specific pathogen-free conditions at Houghton Poultry Research Station, were used. Birds were 3 to 4 weeks old at the beginning of each experiment and were allowed water and food ad libitum. The diet, which was formulated by the Coccidiosis Discussion Group (Ryley and Beits, 1973) contained 6 mg vitamin K/kg. It is important to note that the presence of this vitamin is considered to reduce the degree of haemorrhage during infection (Baldwin et al., 1941; Ryley and Hardman, 1978). Two birds were housed in the cage at the same time, separated by a blank metal partition. In two experiments, both birds were uninfected. In six other experiments one bird was infected orally at 16.00 h with about 2 000 sporulated oocysts of the Houghton strain of E. tenella, while the other bird served as an uninfected control. Oocysts were prepared by standard techniques (Long et al., 1976) and were less than 3 weeks old when used for infection. All uninfected birds were examined at regular intervals for evidence of coccidial infection. The ten uninfected and six infected birds were studied for periods of between 14 and 21 d. Individual caecal droppings were not counted, the presence of one or more caecal droppings in a given time period being recorded as a single defaecation event during that period. Data from all uninfected birds were combined (Table 2) for statistical analysis. This consisted of a chi-square analysis (Fisher, 1967; Fisher and Yates, 1970) calculated on the basis of equal expectation for time periods and birds. The total chi-squared was partitioned into the main effects due to differences between birds, differences between time periods and the interaction between birds and time periods. These chi-squared values were further partitioned using orthogonal comparisons which allows the identification of the sources of variation. The total number of defaecation events for each 3-h period in the light period was partitioned using orthogonal components and three different hypotheses; that the first 6 h was different from the last 6 h, that the first and last 3-h periods were different from the middle 6 h, and for sequential differences during the day.
RESULTS
A recording for a single uninfected bird is shown in Table 1 and the results for all uninfected birds are shown in Table 2. Caecal faeces were never observed in trays which had been changed during the dark period (19.00-07.00 h), in contrast to intestinal faeces. Although no evidence was obtained to suggest the existence of a strict rhythm of caecal defaecation, over the duration of the experiments, the number
319
CAECAL DEFAECATION AND E. TENELLA
TABLE 1 Pattern of caecal defaecation for a single bird uninfected over a 21-d period. X indicates that normal caecal faeces were collected during the period indicated {bird E4, Table 2)
Downloaded by [Universite Laval] at 12:29 14 November 2015
Period (h) 01.00-04.00 04.00-07.00 07.00-10.00 10.00-13.00 13.00-16.00 16.00-19.00 19.00-22.00 22.00-01.00
Day 1
2
3
X
X
X
X X
X X
X
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
X X X X
12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 X
X
X X
X
X
X X
X X
X X
X
X
X
X
X X
X
X
X
X X
X X
X
TABLE 2 The distribution of caecal defaecations in uninfected birds during the experiment
Bird number Period (h) 01.00-04.00 04.00-07.00 07.00-10.00 10.00-13.00 13.00-16.00 16.00-19.00 19.00-22.00 22.00-01.00 Duration (d)
E4 0 0 6 2 9 21 0 0
21
E5 0 0 11 5 11 19 0 0 21
El
0
E2 0
0 2 1 11 16 0 0 20
9 6 14 19 0 0 20
0
2A 0 0 17 2 9 16 0 0 20
2B 0 0 1 2 12 17 0 0 20
E7 0 0 5 7 14 17 0 0 19
3A 0 0 10 4 8 14 0 0 14
3B 0
0 13 4 9 14 0 0 14
E6 0 0 6 1 4 13 0 0 14
Days1 (%) 0 0 43-71 18-57 55-19 90-71 0 0 • ••
Refers to proportion of days on which a caecal defaecation occurred in a given time period.
of caecal defaecation events in each of the four 3-h periods was significantly different (P< 0-001) on the basis of the three null-hypotheses listed above. There was no significant difference (P
