Eimeria species are causative pathogens considered as a tremendous threat to the poultry industry in Vietnam. Sufficient assessment of the coccidiosis prevalence is critical for improving the prophylaxis strategies to control the disease. The objective of the current study was to investigate the prevalence of coccidiosis in local chickens (Noi breed) in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. A total of 1200 fecal samples were collected from 20 various farms in Ben Tre and Hau Giang provinces. Using a microscopic examination, the prevalence rates of coccidiosis in local chickens in Ben Tre and Hau Giang provinces were 65.83% and 68.50%, respectively. Eimeria species identification was performed based on morphological characteristics and molecular methods. PCR analysis was conducted by targeting the internal transcribed spacer-1 (ITS-1) region of the Eimeria genome. Four Eimeria species, namely E. mitis, E. acervulina, E. maxima, and E. tenella were found in both methods. By applying PCR, the infection rates of E. mitis, E. acervulina, E. maxima, and E. tenella were 20%, 61.67%, 66.66%, and 83.33%, respectively. The findings can be considered as the first attempt to identify Eimeria species at the molecular level in local chickens (Noi breed) in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam that paves the way for improving the prophylaxis strategies for avian coccidiosis.
Keywords: Eimeria spp., ITS-1, Local chicken, Noi breed, PCR, Vietnam