What is the Difference Between Eimeria and Isospora

Thekey differencebetweenEimeriaandIsosporais thatEmeriais a genus ofapicomplexanparasitethat causes coccidiosis in livestock and wild animals, whileIsosporais a genus of apicomplexan parasite that causes coccidiosis in humans, dogs, and cats.

EmeriaandIsoporaare two genera of apicomplexan parasites that cause the disease coccidiosis in various animals. The species of bothEimeriaandIsosporagenera are highly host-specific. The species ofIsosporamay use a paratenic host in their life cycle, whereas the species ofEimeriado not use a paratenic host in their life cycle.

CONTENTS

1.Overview and Key Difference
2.What is Eimeria
3.What is Isospora
4.Similarities – Eimeria and Isospora
5.Eimeria vs. Isospora in Tabular Form
6.Summary – Eimeria vs. Isospora

What is Eimeria?

Eimeriais a genus of parasitic protozoans. The species of this genus are spore-producing and belong to the phylum Apicomplexa.Eimeria speciescause coccidiosis in livestock and wild animals. These species mainly infect the cells of the digestive tract, although they can also attack the liver and the bile duct cells. The species of this genus can produce typical symptoms in affected animals, such asdiarrhea, weight loss, and general weakness. The common pathogenic species of this genus areE. necatrixandE. tenella(infect poultry),E. stiedae(infects rabbits),E. bovis, E. ellipsoidalis,andE. zuernii(infect cattle).

The infection caused by Eimeria species can be diagnosed through history, clinical signs, and fecal flotation to detect oocysts in combination with characteristic necropsy findings. Furthermore, treatment options for the infection caused byEimeriaspecies are supportive therapy (stress reduction) and anticoccidial therapy, such as sulfaquinoxaline, in drinking water to ward off secondary infections.

What is Isospora?

Isosporais a genus of parasitic protozoans that belong to the sporozoan subclassCoccidia.Isosporaspecies usually cause coccidiosis in humans, dogs, and cats. The species that specifically attack humans areI. hominisandI. Belli. These speciesattack the digestive tract and are usually endemic and distributed in areas of southern Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Oceania in the world. The symptoms in humans after the infection byIsosporaspecies are weight loss, digestive disturbances, and fever. Dogs and cats are infected by theIsosporaspecies ofI. bigemina, I. rivolta,andI. felis.Isosporaspecies produce symptoms such as loose bowel movement, severe, malodorous diarrhea, or bloody diarrhoea in dogs and cats.

Diagnosis of the infection caused byIsosporaspecies is through detecting characteristic oocysts in stool or intestinal biopsy specimens. Furthermore, treating the infection caused byIsosporaspecies may include administrating trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole.

What are the Similarities Between Eimeria and Isospora?

• EmeriaandIsoporaare two genera of apicomplexan parasites that cause coccidiosis in various animals.
• Both genera belong to the family
• The species of both genera are highly host-specific.
• The infections by species of these genera may cause similar symptoms such as diarrhoea, weight loss, etc.
• The infections by species of these genera may be diagnosed by examining stool specimens for oocysts.
• The infections by species of these genera may be treated through antiparasitic drugs.

What is the Difference Between Eimeria and Isospora?

Emeriaspecies cause coccidiosis in livestock and wild animals, whileIsosporaspecies cause coccidiosis in humans, dogs, and cats. Thus, this is the key difference betweenEimeriaandIsospora. Furthermore, thespecies of Eimeria属不使用paratenic主机在他们的生活cycle, while thespecies ofIsosporauses a paratenic host in their life cycle.

The infographic below presents the differences betweenEimeriaandIsosporain tabular form for side-by-side comparison.

Summary – Eimeria vs. Isospora

EimeriaandIsosporaare two genera of pathogenic parasites that cause coccidiosis in animals. They belong to the phylumApicomplexaand the familyEimerridae.Eimeriaspecies cause coccidiosis in livestock and wild animals, whileIsosporaspecies cause coccidiosis in humans, dogs, and cats. Moreover, the species of theEimeria属不使用paratenic主机在他们的生活cycle, whereas thespecies ofIsosporauses a paratenic host in their life cycle. So, this summarizes the difference betweenEimeriaand Isospora.

Reference:

1. “Eimeria – An Overview.” ScienceDirect.
2. “Isospora.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Eimeria life cycle” By USDA – USDA ARS, (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Isospora belli 2” ByUFRGS–(CC BY 4.0)via Commons Wikimedia