Patent ID: 7846685

Claim:
A method for isolating viable oocysts comprising: collecting manure from host animals wherein said manure contains viable oocysts known to cause coccidiosis; diluting said manure in an aqueous medium to create a slurry; separating unwanted fecal matter from said slurry and collecting the aqueous fraction containing viable oocysts; subjecting said aqueous fraction to separation by a hydrocyclone, and collecting the solid phase; combining a dense aqueous liquid with said collected solid phase wherein said dense liquid has a density greater than about 1.09 g/ml and wherein the viable oocysts are buoyant; subjecting the combination of said dense aqueous liquid and collected solid phase to centrifugation and collecting the dense liquid fraction containing viable oocysts; diluting said dense liquid fraction to a specific gravity wherein the viable oocysts are no longer buoyant; separating viable oocyst solids from said liquid fraction by means of a hydrocyclone and re-collecting the solid phase.