coccidiosis

n.
A parasitic disease of many animals, including cattle, swine, sheep, dogs, cats, and poultry, but rarely of humans, resulting from infestation of the alimentary canal by protozoans of the order Coccidia.

[New Latin Coccidia, order name, pl. of Coccidium, coccidium; see coccidium + -OSIS.]

(kŏk-sĭd'ē-ō'sĭs)
n.

An intestinal disease caused by a coccidium.

Infection by coccidia causes enteritis in all species. The clinical picture varies between species. In calves it is a serious diarrhea and dysentery and death may occur because of the blood and protein loss and the dehydration. In sheep the effects are poor production and poor weight gain, although diarrhea and dysentery may occur. The clinical disease is rare in pigs and horses but outbreaks, similar clinically to those in cattle, may occur in young animals. In dogs and cats, infection is most common in young puppies and kittens where it can be the cause of severe diarrhea and even death. Adults usually experience only mild and self-limiting infections. All poultry species suffer severe outbreaks of the disease characterized by diarrhea and dysentery. Subclinical infections causing reduced productivity are a feature of the disease in birds. Affected fish are cachectic and trail long mucoid fecal casts.
The disease in all species except fish is caused by eimeria, isospora or cystoisospora. In fish the species involved is Eimeria (Epieimeria), Goussia, Cryptosporidium spp.

• nervous c. — a small number of calves in an outbreak of classical coccidiosis may develop severe nervous signs including hyperesthesia, nystagmus, tremor, orthotonus and convulsions and die within a few hours. There is no detectable lesion in the brain.

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The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: (veterinary medicine) infestation with coccidia

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