Challenges in the successful control of the avian coccidia

Eimeria species infect livestock in a host-specific manner and are the cause of the disease, coccidiosis. Control of Eimeria species is essential and is currently dominated by chemotherapy; with vaccination using formulations of live wild-type or attenuated parasites an increasing option. A new generation of subunit, live-vector or DNA vaccination strategies is being sought and determining the identity of suitable antigens remains difficult. Some past and present methods of controlling avian coccidia are discussed briefly and we describe progress with a novel approach to identify immunoprotective antigens as vaccine candidates.