Occurrence of Eimeria species parasites on small-scale commercial chicken farms in Africa and indication of economic profitability.

ABSTRACT: Small-scale commercial poultry production is emerging as an important form of livestock production in Africa, providing sources of income and animal protein to many poor households, yet the occurrence and impact of coccidiosis on this relatively new production system remains unknown. The primary objective of this study was to examine Eimeria parasite occurrence on small-scale commercial poultry farms in Ghana, Tanzania and Zambia. Additionally, farm economic viability was measured by calculating the farm gross margin and enterprise budget. Using these economic measures as global assessments of farm productivity, encompassing the diversity present in regional husbandry systems with a measure of fundamental local relevance, we investigated the detection of specific Eimeria species as indicat

SUBMITTER: Fornace KM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3877271 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature