Chicken coccidiosis is a parasitic disease caused by Eimeria species, leading to significant economic losses for the poultry industry worldwide. Rapid detection and accurate identification of Eimeria parasites are essential to implement effective prevention and control measures. In this study, five cross-priming amplification strategy-assisted lateral flow immunoassay ( CPA-LFIA ) biosensors were developed for the detection of chicken Eimeria parasites. The one for genus-level detection exhibited a sensitivity of 10 2 copies/µL of plasmid DNA, specifically recognized seven Eimeria species, and accurately distinguished PCR-confirmed Eimeria -positive fecal samples from negatives. Regarding the biosensors designed to identify the four most economically important species, each could detect 10 1 copies/µL of plasmid DNA; for the CPA-LFIA- E. tenella biosensor designed to identify E. tenella , it could detect five unsporulated oocysts and one sporulated oocyst; each of the four biosensors could distinguish its target species from the non-target Eimeria species and other related protozoans; each biosensor accurately distinguished between PCR-positive and -negative fecal samples. In addition, the CPA-LFIA- E. tenella biosensor could detect E. tenella infection in chickens as early as the fourth day post-infection, even under low-dose challenge conditions. Our results showed good performance of the five biosensors, highlighting their potential as effective tools for both genus-level detection and species identification (four key Eimeria species), particularly in areas with limited laboratory infrastructure or in chicken farms.
Wang et al. (Wed,) studied this question.