The supernatant was checked microscopically

for unpelleted oocysts before discarding. The sample from the above step was transferred into a 2.0 ml microfuge tube, taking care to mix the sample and rinse the sides up to ∼3 cm from the base of the 50 ml tube. The microfuge Selleck MI-773 tube was then centrifuged at ∼6000 × g for 5 min and the supernatant was discarded after microscopic screening for unpelleted oocysts. The pelleted oocysts were suspended in 1.0 ml distilled or molecular grade water. After through mixing, 10 μl of this sample was drawn from the microfuge tube and mixed with saturated salt solution up to the 1 ml mark for estimating the final oocyst concentration (oocysts per gram of faeces, OPG) in the sample using McMaster chambers. The eimerian oocysts were then allowed to sporulate in 2% w/v potassium dichromate solution at 27 ± 2 °C for three days. Following

sporulation, the oocysts were thoroughly washed thrice in autoclaved distilled or molecular grade water for taking photomicrographs and pelleted for DNA isolation. For the identification of eimerian oocysts, photomicrographs of at least 50 individual sporulated oocysts were randomly taken from each sample at 10×/40× using a dry high power objective with a photomicrographic camera (Moticam5, Hong Kong) attached to a trinocular research microscope (Motic Trinocular Research Microscope BA210, Hong Kong). The identification of Eimeria spp. of chickens was done using COCCIMORPH software (http://www.coccidia.icb.usp.br/coccimorph/). VX-770 order The software was downloaded from the Internet and the oocyst images (400× magnification) were uploaded for species identification as described online. The Eimeria spp. identified by the software in each sample was recorded. For isolation of genomic DNA, only samples found to contain more than 500 (India) or

200 (Egypt, Libya SB-3CT and UK) OPG were selected for processing. Total genomic DNA was isolated using a QIAamp DNA Stool mini kit (Qiagen, Germany) as per the manufacturer’s protocol with some modifications from (i) oocysts purified as described above or (ii) purified oocysts supplemented with 100 mg oocyst-negative faecal material collected from a specific pathogen free chicken to mimic the absence of a flotation step. Briefly, to the pelleted oocysts an equal volume of autoclaved glass ballotini beads measuring ∼0.25–0.5 mm in diameter (Sigma–Aldrich, USA) were added and covered with a minimum volume ASL buffer (out of total 1.4 ml to be used for DNA isolation) supplied with the DNA extraction kit or sterile TE buffer. The oocysts were then disrupted by vortexing (India; Spinix Vortex Shaker, Tarsons, India; maximum speed) or beadbeating (Egypt, Libya and UK, Mini Beadbeater-8, Biospec Products, Bartlesville, USA; set to homogenise) for two minutes. Then, the remaining buffer ASL was added to the tube and thoroughly mixed. The suspension was then heated for 5 min at 70 °C and processed as per the QIAamp DNA Stool kit protocol.