Meaning & use
coccidiosis
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountablemedicalspecialist
A disease of the intestines in animals and sometimes humans, caused by tiny parasites called coccidia.
Grammar: Uncountable; used with a singular verb: Coccidiosis is common in young birds.
Patterns
- coccidiosis in something
- cause coccidiosis
- treat coccidiosis
The vet diagnosed coccidiosis in the young puppies after testing their stool.
Coccidiosis spreads quickly in crowded poultry houses where hygiene is poor.
Farmers often use medicated feed to prevent coccidiosis in their flocks.
Common combinations
- avian coccidiosis
- Avian coccidiosis is a major concern for chicken farmers.
- intestinal coccidiosis
- Intestinal coccidiosis causes severe diarrhea in infected animals.
- outbreak of coccidiosis
- An outbreak of coccidiosis swept through the rabbitry last spring.
- treat coccidiosis
- Vets treat coccidiosis with specific antiparasitic drugs.
Word family
- coccidian noun
- The parasite that causes coccidiosis.
- coccidial adjective
- Relating to coccidia or coccidiosis.
Commonly confused: coccidiosis or coccidioidomycosis?
coccidiosis vs coccidioidomycosis
A different fungal infection, often called valley fever, not caused by coccidia.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'coccidiosis' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Coccidiosis is an uncountable noun for a parasitic disease, so 'an outbreak of coccidiosis' is correct. 'Coccidiosis are' is wrong because it is uncountable and not a plural. Antibiotics do not treat coccidiosis (it is parasitic, not bacterial), and it is not typically caught from undercooked pork.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “coccidiosis”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.