Differential induction of host cell autophagy by virulent and precocious strains of Eimeria tenella in vitro and in vivo

The highly virulent <i>E. tenella</i> strain Tsx causes intense and prolonged autophagy in host cells, while the less aggressive PTsx strain triggers a milder autophagic response. The level of autophagy activation is directly related to the parasite's virulence and infection dose. These results show that excessive autophagy plays a significant role in intestinal damage during <i>E. tenella</i> infection and highlight that reducing host autophagy activation is crucial for developing more effective live attenuated coccidiosis vaccines.