Development of and serologic evaluation of acquired immunity to Cryptosporidium baileyi by broiler chickens

Eighteen 2-wk-old broiler chickens that were inoculated orally with oocysts of Cryptosporidium baileyi (Group B) became infected, shed large numbers of oocysts in their feces on Days 6 to 12 post inoculation (PI), and suddenly cleared the parasites from the mucosal epithelium of the bursa of Fabricius (BF), cloaca, or both BF and cloaca on Days 14 to 16 PI. Eighteen uninoculated birds (Group A) did not shed oocysts during this time period. Five days after all birds in Group B stopped shedding oocysts, the 36 chickens comprising both groups were challenged orally with C. baileyi oocysts. At the time of necropsy, 10 days after oral challenge, all Group A birds (previously uninfected, challenged) had heavy C. baileyi infections in the mucosal epithelium of the BF or cloaca. No parasites were found in the BF or cloaca of the Group B birds (previously infected, recovered, challenged) at the time of necropsy. These data demonstrate that a single intestinal infection with C. baileyi can elicit an immune response of sufficient magnitude to clear the parasite from the intestinal (BF and cloaca) mucosa and to make broiler chickens resistant to subsequent oral challenge with oocysts of the same species. Development of resistance to reinfection was accompanied by the appearance of serum antibodies to C. baileyi that were detectable by two Cryptosporidium-specific assays; an indirect immunofluorescent antibody assay and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent antibody assay (ELISA). The ELISA described herein can now be incorporated into serologically based health monitoring programs.