ABSTRACT
Coccidiosis in rabbits is of historical and economic importance. Historically, Eimeria stiedai, the causative agent of rabbit liver coccidiosis, is thought to be the first protozoan recognized in 1674. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using oocyst antigen proved to be the best tool for early diagnosis of hepatic coccidiosis and can be used in field studies to assess coccidiosis seroprevalence in rabbit farms. Rabbit coccidia are typically strictly host specific, but E. stiedai was experimentally transmitted to European hares in which it completed its development and caused macroscopic lesions and clinical signs of coccidiosis. Under natural conditions, young rabbits after weaning are the most susceptible to coccidiosis. Preventive chemotherapy with anticoccidial drugs is the main strategy to control rabbit coccidiosis. Vaccination with a precocious line of Eimeria magna elicits immunity sufficient to protect young rabbits against challenge with a wild strain. New trends and methods have been applied in the research of rabbit coccidia.
