ETIOPATHOLOGICAL PROFILING AND THERAPEUTIC STUDIES OF NEONATAL CALF DIARRHOEA
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Date
2018
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COLLEGE OF VETERINARY AND ANIMAL SCIENCES-MANNUTHY,THRISSUR
Abstract
Neonatal calf diarrhoea (NCD) is an economically important disease in
dairy sector all over the world. Both infectious and non-infectious etiologies are
reported for the disease. Major infectious etiological agents include rotavirus,
coronavirus, E. coli and Cryptosporidium parvum. Present study was conducted to
identify the associated risk factors, etiological agents responsible and the
haemato-biochemical changes in NCD among calves reared in and around
Thrissur district. Fifty diarrhoeic and twenty normal neonatal calves formed the
study group. Among 50 diarrhoeic faecal samples, five were positive for
Cryptosporidium spp. under acid fast staining and 19 were positive under genus
specific nested PCR. Positive samples were identified as C. bovis by molecular
methods. Virulence factors of pathogenic E. coli were targeted using specific
primers against K99, F41, STa, intimin, Stx1 and Stx2 genes. Fifteen samples were
found to possess genes for intimin, Stx1 and Stx2 together or alone as virulence
factors and suggestive of the presence of EHEC/ STEC. A multi-purpose
commercial sandwich antigen ELISA gave positive result for rota virus in a single
sample and negative results for corona, Cryptosporidium parvum and E. coli K99
in all. Microscopic examination of faecal sample by concentration method
detected the presence of ova of Strongyloid, Toxocara and unidentified nematode
larvae in one sample each. Haemato-biochemical values of diarrhoeic animals
when compared with normal, showed significant difference in WBC, lymphocyte
count, monocyte count, serum albumin level and serum globulin levels. Since
commonest pathogens found in this study are C. bovis, EAEC and EHEC in NCD,
therapeutic management should aim at removal of these pathogens and correction
of associated haemato- biochemical changes. Feeding of more quantities of
colostrum should also be recommended.
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