Abstract :
Coccidiosis is a protozoan disease characterized by acute or chronic diarrhea in lambs and
kids. It causes important economical losses. The disease is generally seen in young animals
and may result in death because of the hemorrhagic enteritis. Inflammatory mediators
play an important role in the pathogenicity of the disease. Numerous studies are available
on the serum activities of cytokines, chemokines and acute phase proteins that provide
important knowledge about the pathogenesis of the disease. In this study coccidiosis was
examined clinically, parasitologically, cytologically, pathologically and immunohistochemically
in lambs and kids. This study showed a relation between oocyst count and severity
of cytological or histopathological findings. Lesions were generally localized in the small
intestines, especially in the villus epithelium. The cytokine reaction at the gut lesions was
examined by immunohistochemical methods. Marked increases were observed in all of
the examined cytokine and chemokines. The most abundant expression was observed in
interleukin-1 and interferon- , followed by interleukin-10, interleukin-1 , tumor necrosis
factor- , tumor necrosis factor- , interferon- , interleukin-6 and interleukin-2. This
study indicates that cytokines and chemokines play an important role and may be used for
therapeutic or prophylactic purposes in coccidiosis.
