Abstract
ABSTRACT. Berto B.P., Lopes B. do B., Teixeira Filho W.L., Flausino W. & Lopes C.W.G. [Invertebrates coccidia associated to vertebrates food habit: A brief review of the genera Adelea, Adelina and Barroussia]. Coccídios de invertebrados associados ao hábito alimentar de vertebrados: uma breve revisão dos gêneros Adelea, Adelina e Barroussia. Revista Brasileira de Medicina Veterinária, 32(1):33-41, 2010. Curso de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Veterinárias, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, BR-465 km 07, Seropédica, RJ 23890-000, Brasil. E-mail: bertobp@ufrrj.br Similar to the vertebrates, the invertebrates can be parasitized by coccidia. The most common species belong to the genera Adelea, Adelina and Barroussia, which use advantage of the alimentary habit of some vertebrates for feeding on invertebrate hosts with the purpose to assure their dispersion in the environment. Being thus, these invertebrate coccidia, considered as pseudoparasites of vertebrates, they acquired infection when they fed on vertebrates’ fecal debris containing sporulated oocysts. This habit can be responsible for innumerous erroneous descriptions of new genera and species of coccidia found in the feces of carnivorous and omnivorous vertebrates.