High Genetic Variation in the COI Gene Complicates Molecular Identification of Eimeria Species in Goats from South Korea.
- 1Institution of Animal Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 52828, Republic of Korea.
- 2Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea.
- 3Biosafety Research Institute, College of Veterinary Medicine, Jeonbuk National University, Iksan 54596, Republic of Korea.
Abstract
Despite the growth in South Korea's goat industry, epidemiological data on goat coccidiosis-an intestinal disease caused by Eimeria spp., causing diarrhea and productivity losses, particularly in kids-remain limited. In 2025, fecal samples from 67 farms across 12 regions in Gyeongsangnam-do were analyzed for oocyst detection, oocysts per gram (OPG) quantification, and cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) sequencing. Farm-level prevalence was high at 83.6% (56/67; range, 66.7-100%), with a mean OPG of 1136 (range: 250-7033) among positive samples. Morphologically, the observed oocysts resembled E. christenseni, E. arloingi, and E. hirci. COI-based BLAST analysis showed high identity with E. christenseni and E. arloingi, whereas phylogenetic analysis revealed affinities extending to E. hirci and sequences from cattle (E. bovis, E. zuernii) and sheep (E. ahsata). However, substantial COI heterogeneity, pooled sampling, and potential preferential amplification during Sanger sequencing limited confident species assignment. Here, findings demonstrate farm-level Eimeria detection but do not establish clinical or subclinical coccidiosis since clinical status was not systematically assessed. Nevertheless, these data establish a useful epidemiological and genetic baseline and highlight the need for multi-locus analysis (18S rRNA, internal transcribed spacer [ITS], and COI) to improve species-level resolution for surveillance and control strategies.
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BibTeX
@article{je2026high,
title = {{High Genetic Variation in the COI Gene Complicates Molecular Identification of Eimeria Species in Goats from South Korea.}},
author = {Hyunjin Je and Daeun Kim and Rochelle A Flores and Binh T Nguyen and Aaron Paul R Serdeña and Won Gi Yoo and Ho-Seong Cho and Wongi Min and Woo H Kim},
journal = {Animals : an open access journal from MDPI},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/ani16193102},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42883071},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - High Genetic Variation in the COI Gene Complicates Molecular Identification of Eimeria Species in Goats from South Korea.
AU - Hyunjin Je
AU - Daeun Kim
AU - Rochelle A Flores
AU - Binh T Nguyen
AU - Aaron Paul R Serdeña
AU - Won Gi Yoo
AU - Ho-Seong Cho
AU - Wongi Min
AU - Woo H Kim
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/02
JO - Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
DO - 10.3390/ani16193102
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42883071
AB - Despite the growth in South Korea's goat industry, epidemiological data on goat coccidiosis-an intestinal disease caused by Eimeria spp., causing diarrhea and productivity losses, particularly in kids-remain limited. In 2025, fecal samples from 67 farms across 12 regions in Gyeongsangnam-do were analyzed for oocyst detection, oocysts per gram (OPG) quantification, and cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) sequencing. Farm-level prevalence was high at 83.6% (56/67; range, 66.7-100%), with a mean OPG of 1136 (range: 250-7033) among positive samples. Morphologically, the observed oocysts resembled E. christenseni, E. arloingi, and E. hirci. COI-based BLAST analysis showed high identity with E. christenseni and E. arloingi, whereas phylogenetic analysis revealed affinities extending to E. hirci and sequences from cattle (E. bovis, E. zuernii) and sheep (E. ahsata). However, substantial COI heterogeneity, pooled sampling, and potential preferential amplification during Sanger sequencing limited confident species assignment. Here, findings demonstrate farm-level Eimeria detection but do not establish clinical or subclinical coccidiosis since clinical status was not systematically assessed. Nevertheless, these data establish a useful epidemiological and genetic baseline and highlight the need for multi-locus analysis (18S rRNA, internal transcribed spacer [ITS], and COI) to improve species-level resolution for surveillance and control strategies.
SN - 2076-2615
ER -