182 Buletin USAMV-CN, 63/2006 (182-185) ISSN 1454-2382 EVALUTION OF THE ANTIEIMERIAN EFFECT OF SOME PLANT EXTRACTS IN QUAIL EIMERIOSIS Horea Baciu, Maria Truta, M. Cernea, V. Cozma University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, 3-5, Mănătur Street, 400372, Cluj-Napoca, Romania, email: baciuhorea@yahoo.com Key words: oocysts, eimeriosis, plant extracts, quails. Abstract: The intensive breeding of quails knows large development perspectives. The japonese quail Coturnix coturnix japonica, the smallest tamed avian specie is used not only for egg production but also for meat production. Fast growing ritm, early sexual maturity, short period between generations, great egg production small fadder needs, and small space comparativ to other bird species exploited for the same purpose, are the main characteristics of this avian specie. This study is the gathering of data regarding the evolution and pathogeny of eimeriosis in quail, as well as the establishment of some phitoterapeutical programs in order to reduce as much as posible the incidence of this diseases in quail breeding compexes. INTRODUCTION Eimerioses are diseases of the digestive system and adnexal glands characterized by acute or chronic enterocolytis. They are induced by protozoan parasites from the Order Coccidia, Family Eimeridae and evoluate in all animal species, with different clinical signs determining important losses in bird populations, especially chicken. The importance of eimeriosis is due to the economic losses produced by high mortality, growth delay and low weight gain rate. The researches performed until the present had the purpose to determine the ethiologic agent of eimeriosis, the epidemiological factors of the disease, the clinical signs, the anatomopathologic patherns, the prevention and treatment schemes applied in the infected animals (Cozma, 1996). The attempt of taming some feral birds and their husbandry in specialized farms for meat and egg production, has growing interest in the last decades. These kind of birds like the quail, are searched for their meat, because it has good taste, specific to that of feral animals. In the last years, business men and traditional animal breeders from Romania are more and more interested in such feral birds, in order to raise them on specialised farms or near their residence. The quail belongs to PHASIANIDAE family, like the chicken, turkey, pearl hen, pheasant and partridge. From the 5 or 6 subspecies of the common migrating quails, Coturnix coturnix, that live in Europe, Asia and Africa, the Coturnix coturnix japonica subspecies was domesticated and it is spread through Japan, Jakhalin Islands and Indochina (Alexandru, 2001). Following domestication, the quails suffered a series of morpho-productive changes. Their color diversified, existing lot of colors (white, black, red, silver or versicolored), the body weight has grown in the broilers reaching 300g, the egg production has grown from 8-12 to 300 pieces in the specialized lines for egg production.