<i>Cryptosporidium</i>infections in suckler herd beef calves

Björkman, Camilla; Lindström, Lisa; Oweson, C.; Ahola, Harri; Troell, Karin; Axén, Charlotte

doi:10.1017/s0031182015000426

Cited by 54 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 40 publications

(78 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Our data also confirms that neonatal cryptosporidial diarrhoea in calves is primarily caused by C. parvum (de Graaf et al, 1999;Santín et al, 2004). In contrast to a previous reports (Björkman et al, 2015), no mixed infections were detected in the present study, which could be attributed to the significant C. parvum presence as opposed to other Cryptosporidium species which may represent smaller subpopulations. Speciesspecific multiplex PCR or real-time PCR could be used to detect any low-level infections (Tanriverdi et al, 2003).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

Molecular characterization of Cryptosporidium isolates from diarrheal dairy calves in France

Mammeri

Chevillot

Chenafi

et al. 2019

Veterinary Parasitology: Regional Studies and Reports

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A B S T R A C TCryptosporidium is an obligate intracellular protist parasite infecting a wide range of vertebrate hosts and causes significant intestinal disease in both animals and humans, as some species are zoonotic. Cattle and especially calves have been identified as one of the most common reservoirs of this protist. However, little is known about the genetics of Cryptosporidium in calves in some regions of France. The aim of this study was to detect and isolate Cryptosporidium spp. in faecal samples from naturally infected pre-weaned calves (≤45 days-old) in France. A total of 35 diarrhoeic pre-weaned calf faecal samples were collected from 26 dairy cattle farms in six departments (French administrative provinces). Cryptosporidium presence was established by microscopically screening samples for oocystes with an immunofluorescent (DFA) staining method. DFA-positive samples were then analysed by PCR-RFLP and 18S rRNA gene sequencing to determine species. Cryptosporidium parvum-positive samples were subtyped via nested PCR analysis of a partial fragment of the 60 kDa glycoprotein (gp60) gene product. Data were then integrated into phylogenetic tree analysis. DFA revealed the presence of Cryptosporidium oocysts in 31 out of 35 (88%) samples. Combined with 18S rRNA gene analysis results, C. parvum was detected in 30 samples. Subtyping analysis in 27/30 samples (90%) of the C. parvum isolates revealed two zoonotic subtype families, IIa (24/27) and IId (3/27). Four subtypes were recognised within the subtype family IIa, including the hypertransmissible IIaA15G2R1 subtype that is the most frequently reported worldwide (21/ 27), IIaA17G3R1 (1/27), IIaA17G1R1 (1/27), and IIaA19G1R1 (1/27). Two subtypes were recognised within the IId subtype family including IIdA22G1 (2/27) and IIdA27G1 (1/27). These findings illustrate the high occurrence of Cryptosporidium in calves in dairy herds and increase the diversity of molecularly characterised C. parvum isolates with the first description of IIaA17G3R1, IIaA19G1R1, and IId subtypes in France. The presence of zoonotic C. parvum subtype families (IIa, IId) in this study suggests that pre-weaned calves are likely to be a significant reservoir of zoonotic C. parvum, and highlights the importance of animal to human cryptosporidiosis transmission risk. Further molecular studies in calves and small ruminants from other French regions are required to better understand the epidemiology of cryptosporidiosis in France.However, due to strong inter-species similarities in microscopic size and shape, species within this genus require additional identification via genetic characterization. Molecular biology techniques have enabled the description of species that are highly host-specific, as well as others that are capable of infecting many hosts. Cryptosporidium parvum is considered to be the most prevalent species worldwide and a major zoonotic transmission risk (Xiao, 2010). Using molecular approaches to genetically characterise Cryptosporidium spp. has facilitated an

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

Molecular characterization of Cryptosporidium isolates from diarrheal dairy calves in France

Mammeri

Chevillot

Chenafi

et al. 2019

Veterinary Parasitology: Regional Studies and Reports

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This was described in other studies also, were BRV shedding occurred up to 11 d after infection, whereas diarrhea only lasts 7 d (Vega et al, 2015). Similarly, C. parvum detection in feces was shown to be not always connected to diarrhea in the corresponding animals (Bjorkman et al, 2015). In the nonrecovering group, 2 animals showed a BRV infection at the second sampling time point, which had not been apparent at the first sampling time point.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 68%

Serum interleukin-6 as a prognostic marker in neonatal calf diarrhea

Fischer

Bauerfeind

Czerny

et al. 2016

Journal of Dairy Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Neonatal calf diarrhea is still one of the most important diseases in calf rearing, and severe diarrhea has a marked effect on animal welfare. Furthermore, significant economic losses can result from this disease due to high mortality rates, high medical costs, and low weight gain. To avoid a fatal outcome of the disease, it is crucial that vulnerable calves are identified as early as possible. Interleukin-6 is described as an early and reliable prognostic marker in several diseases. In this study, 20 scouring calves were tested by ELISA for their IL-6 serum concentrations. Samples were collected twice, at the beginning of diarrhea and 7 to 10d later. Regarding the clinical outcome after 7 to 10d, calves were classified as recovered or nonrecovered. A receiver operating characteristic analysis was conducted to determine the prognostic value of IL-6 for the progress of clinical symptoms. At the beginning of diarrhea, the IL-6 concentration was significantly higher in nonrecovering calves compared with those that recover 7 to 10d after the onset of diarrhea. Interleukin-6 proved to be a useful additional parameter in the clinical examination. High initial IL-6 values can support the decision for closer monitoring and an adapted therapeutic strategy for the respective calves. This may help to prevent unnecessary animal suffering and reduce economic losses.

show abstract

“…This is in agreement with previous studies showing that neonatal calves are highly susceptible to Cryptosporidium infections because of their immature immune system and high exposure to manure or equipment contaminated with oocysts of the parasite (e.g. Foster and Smith, 2009;Murakoshi et al, 2013;Björkman et al, 2015). A puzzling finding was the poor performance delivered by the commercial CpAg-ELISA used in the present study, which was able to detect only a small fraction (16%) of the microscopy-positive samples.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Cryptosporidium-associated diarrhoea in neonatal calves in Algeria

Ouakli

Belkhiri

Lucio

et al. 2018

Veterinary Parasitology: Regional Studies and Reports

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A B S T R A C TNeonatal calf diarrhoea triggered by the enteric protozoan parasite Cryptosporidium is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in calves aged 1-month-old or younger globally. Infected cattle in general and calves in particular have also been demonstrated as major contributors of zoonotic C. parvum oocysts in the environment and have been linked to a number of waterborne outbreaks of human cryptosporidiosis. Little is known on the occurrence, geographical distribution, and molecular diversity of Cryptosporidium infections affecting bovine populations in Algeria. In this study faecal specimens were randomly collected from 460 cattle aged between two days and 18 months on 10 farms located in the provinces of Aïn Defla, Blida, Sétif, and Tizi Ouzou between the autumn of 2015 and the spring of 2016. Faecal samples were microscopically examined using the modified Ziehl-Neelsen acid-fast technique as screening method. Microscopy-positive samples were confirmed by a commercial coproantigen enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (Bio-X Diagnostics). The identification of Cryptosporidium species and sub-genotypes in confirmed samples was conducted by PCR and sequence analyses of the small subunit ribosomal RNA (ssu rRNA) and the 60 kDa glycoprotein (gp60) genes of the parasite. Overall, 52.2% (240/460) of the investigated cattle tested positive to Cryptosporidium by microscopy. The infection was widespread in all 10 farms surveyed, but was significantly more prevalent in those from Blida in the central part of the country. Bovine cryptosporidiosis affected cattle of all age groups but with different outcomes. Pre-weaned (up to one month old) calves typically presented with diarrhoea, whereas older animals mostly harboured subclinical infections. The commercial ELISA used only detected 15.8% (38/240) of the samples that previously tested positive by microscopy, demonstrating a poor performance in field epidemiological surveys. Sequence analysis of the 29 isolates generated at the ssu rRNA loci confirmed the presence of four Cryptosporidium species including C. parvum (72.4%), C. bovis (13.8%), C. andersoni, (3.4%), and C. ryanae (3.4%). Two additional isolates (7.0%) could only be identified at the genus level. Eight out of the 21 isolates assigned to C. parvum were identified as sub-genotype IIaA16G2R1 at the gp60 locus. C. parvum was almost exclusively found infecting preweaned calves, whereas C. ryanae and C. andersoni were only detected in asymptomatic animals. Bovine cryptosporidiosis is highly endemic in the surveyed area and represents a veterinary public health concern that should be adequately tackled by Algerian veterinary health authorities and policy makers.

show abstract

Cryptosporidiuminfections in suckler herd beef calves

Cited by 54 publications

References 40 publications

Molecular characterization of Cryptosporidium isolates from diarrheal dairy calves in France

Molecular characterization of Cryptosporidium isolates from diarrheal dairy calves in France

Serum interleukin-6 as a prognostic marker in neonatal calf diarrhea

Cryptosporidium-associated diarrhoea in neonatal calves in Algeria

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About