Microscopic and Molecular Identification of <i>Eimeria</i> Species in Domestic Rabbits (<i>Oryctolagus cuniculus</i>) in Romania
Coccidiosis caused by <i>Eimeria</i> spp. is a parasitic disease with high morbidity that affects various animal species, including rabbits. In rabbits, eleven <i>Eimeria</i> species have been primarily identified through microscopic examination of oocysts; however, this tech...
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MDPI AG
2025-04-01
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| author | Beatrice Ana-Maria Jitea (Sîrbu) Sorin Morariu Mirela Imre Tiana Florea Cătălin Bogdan Sîrbu Iasmina Luca Simona Dumitru Gheorghe Dărăbuș |
| author_facet | Beatrice Ana-Maria Jitea (Sîrbu) Sorin Morariu Mirela Imre Tiana Florea Cătălin Bogdan Sîrbu Iasmina Luca Simona Dumitru Gheorghe Dărăbuș |
| author_sort | Beatrice Ana-Maria Jitea (Sîrbu) |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Coccidiosis caused by <i>Eimeria</i> spp. is a parasitic disease with high morbidity that affects various animal species, including rabbits. In rabbits, eleven <i>Eimeria</i> species have been primarily identified through microscopic examination of oocysts; however, this technique has certain limitations that make it challenging to differentiate between <i>Eimeria</i> species. The main objective of this study was to morphologically identify <i>Eimeria</i> species infecting rabbits in Romania, as well as to confirm these identifications using molecular biology techniques, specifically through the ITS-1 rRNA gene. A total of 236 samples were collected from different regions of Romania, of which 77.56% (183/236) tested positive for at least one <i>Eimeria</i> species. The samples were collected from rabbits raised in individual household settings, under various management systems—both in individual cages and in common ground-based enclosures. The areas of origin were chosen randomly, without applying restrictive criteria, specifically to ensure broad representativeness of the farming conditions encountered in practice, regardless of the production system or geographic specificity. The microscopic examination of morphological characteristics identified ten <i>Eimeria</i> species, whereas PCR results confirmed the presence of four species. It was not always possible to identify all the species present in a given sample, likely due to the predominant parasitic load and the DNA quantity of each species. The results of this study confirm that ITS-1 is a useful molecular marker for identifying <i>Eimeria</i> species in domestic rabbits. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c0a5247bc6454ec386e6e9c8d194a88d |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj-art-c0a5247bc6454ec386e6e9c8d194a88d2025-08-20T03:14:14ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152025-04-01158110910.3390/ani15081109Microscopic and Molecular Identification of <i>Eimeria</i> Species in Domestic Rabbits (<i>Oryctolagus cuniculus</i>) in RomaniaBeatrice Ana-Maria Jitea (Sîrbu)0Sorin Morariu1Mirela Imre2Tiana Florea3Cătălin Bogdan Sîrbu4Iasmina Luca5Simona Dumitru6Gheorghe Dărăbuș7Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Life Sciences “King Michael I” from Timisoara, Calea Aradului 119, 300645 Timisoara, RomaniaFaculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Life Sciences “King Michael I” from Timisoara, Calea Aradului 119, 300645 Timisoara, RomaniaFaculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Life Sciences “King Michael I” from Timisoara, Calea Aradului 119, 300645 Timisoara, RomaniaFaculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Life Sciences “King Michael I” from Timisoara, Calea Aradului 119, 300645 Timisoara, RomaniaFaculty of Bioengineering of Animal Resources, University of Life Sciences “King Michael I” from Timisoara, Calea Aradului 119, 300645 Timisoara, RomaniaFaculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Life Sciences “King Michael I” from Timisoara, Calea Aradului 119, 300645 Timisoara, RomaniaVeterinary and Food Safety Department, 4 Surorile Martir Caceu, 300585 Timisoara, RomaniaFaculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Life Sciences “King Michael I” from Timisoara, Calea Aradului 119, 300645 Timisoara, RomaniaCoccidiosis caused by <i>Eimeria</i> spp. is a parasitic disease with high morbidity that affects various animal species, including rabbits. In rabbits, eleven <i>Eimeria</i> species have been primarily identified through microscopic examination of oocysts; however, this technique has certain limitations that make it challenging to differentiate between <i>Eimeria</i> species. The main objective of this study was to morphologically identify <i>Eimeria</i> species infecting rabbits in Romania, as well as to confirm these identifications using molecular biology techniques, specifically through the ITS-1 rRNA gene. A total of 236 samples were collected from different regions of Romania, of which 77.56% (183/236) tested positive for at least one <i>Eimeria</i> species. The samples were collected from rabbits raised in individual household settings, under various management systems—both in individual cages and in common ground-based enclosures. The areas of origin were chosen randomly, without applying restrictive criteria, specifically to ensure broad representativeness of the farming conditions encountered in practice, regardless of the production system or geographic specificity. The microscopic examination of morphological characteristics identified ten <i>Eimeria</i> species, whereas PCR results confirmed the presence of four species. It was not always possible to identify all the species present in a given sample, likely due to the predominant parasitic load and the DNA quantity of each species. The results of this study confirm that ITS-1 is a useful molecular marker for identifying <i>Eimeria</i> species in domestic rabbits.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/8/1109coccidiosis<i>Eimeria</i> spp.rabbitPCRITS-1Romania |
| spellingShingle | Beatrice Ana-Maria Jitea (Sîrbu) Sorin Morariu Mirela Imre Tiana Florea Cătălin Bogdan Sîrbu Iasmina Luca Simona Dumitru Gheorghe Dărăbuș Microscopic and Molecular Identification of <i>Eimeria</i> Species in Domestic Rabbits (<i>Oryctolagus cuniculus</i>) in Romania Animals coccidiosis <i>Eimeria</i> spp. rabbit PCR ITS-1 Romania |
| title | Microscopic and Molecular Identification of <i>Eimeria</i> Species in Domestic Rabbits (<i>Oryctolagus cuniculus</i>) in Romania |
| title_full | Microscopic and Molecular Identification of <i>Eimeria</i> Species in Domestic Rabbits (<i>Oryctolagus cuniculus</i>) in Romania |
| title_fullStr | Microscopic and Molecular Identification of <i>Eimeria</i> Species in Domestic Rabbits (<i>Oryctolagus cuniculus</i>) in Romania |
| title_full_unstemmed | Microscopic and Molecular Identification of <i>Eimeria</i> Species in Domestic Rabbits (<i>Oryctolagus cuniculus</i>) in Romania |
| title_short | Microscopic and Molecular Identification of <i>Eimeria</i> Species in Domestic Rabbits (<i>Oryctolagus cuniculus</i>) in Romania |
| title_sort | microscopic and molecular identification of i eimeria i species in domestic rabbits i oryctolagus cuniculus i in romania |
| topic | coccidiosis <i>Eimeria</i> spp. rabbit PCR ITS-1 Romania |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/8/1109 |
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