General Overview

• Coccidiosis is a parasitic disease in the intestinal tract. The parasite, coccidian, attaches to the epithelia lining in the intestines.  
   
• Coccidia infects a variety of animals and there are many different species of coccidia. Two of these forms are believed to affect sheep.  
   
• Coccidia is transmitted orally.
   
• It is directly related to contamination of lambing areas and pastures with coccidia eggs present.
   
• It is most common in lambs 3 – 6 weeks old that are infected right after birth.
   
• It also has a seasonal affect being more common in the wet winter months.
   
• The infection can occur from residual contamination of the environment or from parasites being shed by ewes.  

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