Coccidia (subclass Coccidiasina)

Coccidia are a large subclass of microscopic, spore-forming, single-celled protozoan parasites obligately living and reproducing within animal cells. They predominantly infect the cells lining the intestines of vertebrates and some invertebrates, causing the disease known as coccidiosis, which presents clinically with diarrhea, weight loss, and other gastrointestinal symptoms, particularly in young or immunocompromised hosts[1][3][5][7]. Key genera within Coccidia include *Eimeria*, *Isospora*, *Toxoplasma*, *Sarcocystis*, and *Neospora*. Their life cycles involve both free-living oocyst stages and intracellular sporozoite stages, with both sexual and asexual reproductive phases[3]. Treatment of infections is primarily with antiprotozoal drugs and coccidiostats, and diagnosis is commonly made by identification of oocysts in feces or through molecular methods[7][2][8]. Coccidia are considered important pathogens in veterinary and human medicine, but as a group of organisms, they are not considered a classical therapeutic "target" such as a molecule or receptor.

Other names

Coccidiasinacoccidium (singular)apicomplexan protozoa

Drugs inhibit growth and replication of intracellular protozoan parasites