Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015 Feb;203(2):155-60.
doi: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2015.01.010. Epub 2015 Jan 13.

Risk factors for neonatal calf diarrhoea and enteropathogen shedding in New Zealand dairy farms

J Al Mawly  1 , A Grinberg  2 , D Prattley  1 , J Moffat  3 , J Marshall  1 , N French  1
Affiliations

Risk factors for neonatal calf diarrhoea and enteropathogen shedding in New Zealand dairy farms

J Al Mawly et al. Vet J. 2015 Feb.

Abstract

To investigate the risk factors for neonatal calf diarrhoea, a cross-sectional study was conducted on 97 New Zealand dairy farms. Faecal specimens from 1283 calves were scored as liquid, semi-solid or solid, and analysed for bovine rotavirus (BRV) and coronavirus (BCV), enterotoxigenic K99(+)Escherichia coli (K99), Salmonella spp. and Cryptosporidium parvum. Calf- and farm-level data were collected by means of a questionnaire and the odds of liquid faeces calculated using mixed effects logistic regression models. Among the infectious agents, only C. parvum (odds ratio [OR] = 2.6; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.3-5.6; P = 0.02), BRV (OR = 2.7; 95% CI, 1.3-5.9; P = 0.01) and co-infection with more than one agent (compared with mono-infection: OR = 2.5; 95% CI, 1.3-4.8; P = 0.01) were associated with increased odds of liquid faeces in calves which were 9 to 21 days old. Housing of calves in open barns so exposing them to the weather was also associated with increased odds of liquid faeces compared with closed barns (OR = 2.1; 95% CI, 1.1-12.2; P = 0.03). Vaccinating cows against calf enteropathogens (OR = 0.2; 95% CI, 0.1-0.9; P = 0.03), administering waste milk (from mastitis and/or containing antibiotics; OR = 0.4; 95% CI, 0.1-0.8; P = 0.01), the sex of calves (females compared to males OR = 0.2, 95% CI, 0.07-0.7; P <0.01), and the use of straw for bedding (OR = 0.2; 95% CI, 0.03-0.9; P = 0.03) decreased the odds of liquid faeces. Conversely, in calves that were 1 to 5 days old, only K99 was associated with liquid faeces (OR = 4.6; 95% CI, 1.2-16.1; P = 0.02). In this age group, the odds of liquid faeces were smaller on farms where females took care of the calves, compared with males (OR = 0.4; 95% CI, 0.01-0.9; P = 0.04).

Keywords: Calf diarrhea; Coronavirus; Cryptosporidium parvum; Risk factors; Rotavirus; Salmonella.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Spatial distribution of the sampled farms (yellow dots) in the North and South Island of New Zealand. In brackets, the number of sampled farms for each region.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Al Mawly J., Grinberg A., Prattley D., Moffat J., French N. Prevalence of endemic enteropathogens of calves in New Zealand dairy farms. New Zealand Veterinary Journal. 2014 doi: 10.1080/00480169.2014.966168. In press. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Bartels C.J.M., Holzhauer M., Jorritsma R., Swart W.A.J.M., Lam T.J.G.M. Prevalence, prediction and risk factors of enteropathogens in normal and non-normal faeces of young Dutch dairy calves. Preventive Veterinary Medicine. 2010;93:162–169. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bazeley K. Investigation of diarrhoea in the neonatal calf. In Practice. 2003;25:152–159.
    1. Bellinzoni R.C., Blackhall J., Baro N., Auza N., Mattion N., Casaro A., La Torre J.L., Scodeller E.A. Efficacy of an inactivated oil-adjuvanted rotavirus vaccine in the control of calf diarrhoea in beef herds in Argentina. Vaccine. 1989;7:263–268. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bellows R.A., Short R.E., Richardson G.V. Effects of sire, age of dam and gestation feed level on dystocia and postpartum reproduction. Journal of Animal Science. 1982;55:18–27.

Publication types

MeSH terms