Records of Eimeria spp. and their patterns of excretion in captive North African Gazelles

Abstract

The species of Eimeria occurring in 3 species of captive gazelles (Gazella dama mhorr, Gazella cuvieri, and Gazella dorcas neglecta) were identified. This is the first report of Eimeria pallida, Eimeria elegans, and Eimeria gazella in these hosts and also the first report of E. elegans and E. gazella in Spain. Feces were collected from each of 9 young gazelles for periods of 3-7 mo to determine their oocyst shedding profile. Most oocysts appeared at 20-25 d, peaked, and decreased to undetectable levels between 40 and 115 d. Eimeria gazella delayed its excretion, which continued at low levels throughout the observation stage. No clinical signs of infection were observed in the gazelles during the study.