Cook Islands Biodiversity Database

Species Page

Back to: «« Search Page | « Results Page

Add to My List

Isospora spp.

Coccidia

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Sorry, there are no multimedia or other resources available for this species yet.

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Coccidia

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: DISTRIBUTION circumglobal

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Recent, Naturalised; S.Group - Rarotonga at least; Land, gut of cats and dogs

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: ; internal parasite of cats and dogs

KEY FEATURES: Microscopic. IN FAECES is the oocyst, minute, ovoid, once passed they mature into infective sporulated oocysts. IN THE HOST sporulated oocysts each release 8 sporozoites which penetrate intestinal-wall cells where they reproduce to make many merozoites, which are released by destroying the host cell. The released merozoites penetrate, reproduce and destroy other cells. As intestinal cells are destroyed in increasing numbers, intestinal function is disrupted, and diarrhoea results. Some merozoite offspring are reproductive cells (=gametes) and after fertilization the resultant cell (=zygote) forms a hard shell and is a oocyst.

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present Makatea:
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
P

Northern Group:
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW

Key to Symbols

blank	no data
-	absent	L	localised
X	extinct 'naturally'	W	widespread
XQi	quarantine intercepted	R	recent
XQe	eradicated	?	query preceding category
P	present	T?	taxonomic query
S	seasonal	nn	present, said to have no name
O	occasional	?1	present, name not investigated
++++	very common	?2	presence not verified, no name recorded
+++	common	N/A	absent, name not expected
++	uncommon
+	rare
Cook Islands islands: RR =Rarotonga, MG = Mangaia, AT =‘Ātiu, MK=Ma‘uke, MT=Miti‘āro, AK=Aitutaki, PL=Palmerston, PN=Penrhyn, MN=Manuae, TK=Takūtea, TN=Tongareva (TS=Tongaleva Spoken, TW=Tongareva Written, they say "el" but write "r"), MH=Manihiki, RK=Rakahanga, PK=Pukapuka, NS=Nassau, SW=Suwarrow. After a Polynesian name: ^=orthography query. Countries and other: FIJ=Fiji, WT=Wallis & Futuna, SAM=Samoa, TON=Tonga, NIU=Niue, CK=Cook Islands, CKM=Cook Islands Māori, FP=French Polynesia, AUS=Australs, SOC=Societies, TAH=Tahiti, TUA=Tuamotus, MQS=Marquesas, MNG=Mangareva, PIT=Pitcain group, EAS=Easter Island, HAW=Hawai‘i, NZ=New Zealand, NZM=New Zealand Māori

Pests & Hosts

View as a Search List
Relationship	Hosts
Parasite - internal	Canis familiaris, Felix catus,

Scientific Taxonomy

Isospora spp.
SYNONYMS: Isospora canis [in dogs]; Isospora felix [in cats]; Isospora rivolta [in cats]

TAXONOMY: PROTOCTISTA (Protozoa); APICOMPLEXA (=sporozoans); COCCIDIOMORPHA (=coccidians); EIMERIIDAE

More Information

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -
NEGATIVE SIGNIFICANCE: internal parasite of cats and dogs. Comments: Coccidia causes the disease coccidiosis in dogs and cats, mainly in pups and kittens (usually 4-12 weeks old). The main symptom of the disease is diarrhoea, mild or severe, with or without blood. It is transmitted from faeces to mouth and takes 13 weeks to develop and cause diarrhoea. IDENTIFICATION: microscopic cysts in the faeces. TREATMENT: drugs that stop reproduction and enable victims immunity to develop. HUMANS: dog and cat coccidia do NOT infect people - humans have their own species of coccidia.

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: fieldspecimens, 2005, vets Morven McGregor and Carolyn Todd, reported in email only, as "coccidia present" species not determined, email 2006/7.

References:
Special Reference: McGregor, Morven & Carolyn Todd (2006) The dogs of Rarotonga, Intervet Connect Bursary Supplement Spring 2006, and pers.comm. Morven McGregor 2006/7 email.

Data Update History (information):
zB06a, zD06a

Web Resources

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2007) Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org.
Please refer to our use policy.

Biodiversity Database: More Options | Help

My List: View List | Edit List | Clear List