Long-term use of yeast fermentation products in comparison to halofuginone for the control of cryptosporidiosis in neonatal calves

Abstract

A B S T R A C TThe objective of this study was to compare the effect of non-GMO Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation products (SCFP) with that of a halofuginone treatment against Cryptosporidium parvum infection in pre-weaned calves on a commercial dairy farm. A total of 123 neonatal female calves, housed in individual hutches, were enrolled sequentially based on date of birth in 41 blocks of 3 animals each. Calves within each block were allocated to one of 3 treatments: remaining untreated, fed with SCFP (Diamond V SmartCare ® at 1 g/d in milk and NutriTek ® at 5 g/d in starter grain) for the first 63 days of life, or treated with halofuginone (0.1 mg/kg/d) for the first 7 days of life. Fecal samples collected on days 4-21 post-partum were examined for both Cryptosporidium oocysts and coproantigen. The presence and intensity of diarrhea were monitored by scoring daily for the first 4 weeks of life. Calves were weighed at 0, 21, 42 and 63 days of age. Almost all calves were Cryptosporidium-positive at least once during the study. Halofuginone significantly reduced the number of Cryptosporidium-positive fecal samples as compared to the two other groups. Based on the coproantigen scores, both halofuginone and SCFP feeding significantly reduced the intensity of Cryptosporidium infection as compared to the untreated group. Diarrhea was recorded in almost all calves at least once. Neither the proportion of diarrheic calves nor the intensity and duration of diarrhea differed among the 3 treatment groups significantly. The mean daily weight gain during the first 3 weeks of life was significantly lower in halofuginone treated calves than in both other groups; however, at the end of the study period the total weight gain did not significantly differ among the 3 treatment groups. In conclusion, the clinical results and weight gains of pre-weaning supplementation with the SCFP were neither better nor worse than the 7-day halofuginone treatment suggesting that the SCFP feeding may be from the clinical point of view a natural alternative measure, instead of halofuginone treatment, in bovine cryptosporidiosis.

Metabolic Signatures of Cryptosporidium parvum-Infected HCT-8 Cells and Impact of Selected Metabolic Inhibitors on C. parvum Infection under Physioxia and Hyperoxia

“…Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts were obtained from experimentally infected calves kept at the large animal stable facility of the Institute of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Leipzig, Germany, as reported elsewhere [ 47 ]. The C. parvum strain used here belonged to the subtype 60-kDa glycoprotein (gp60) IIaA15G2RI, which is the most commonly zoonotic subtype to be found in Germany as well as in most other industrialized countries [ 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 ]. Oocyst stocks were stored in sterile phosphate buffered saline (PBS, pH 7.4) supplemented with 100 UI penicillin and 0.1 mg streptomycin/mL (P4333, Sigma-Aldrich, Darmstadt, Germany) at 4 °C for a maximum of three months to guarantee infectivity of sporozoites.…”

Supplementing a Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation product modulates innate immune function and ameliorates bovine respiratory syncytial virus infection in neonatal calves

“…Supplementation of SCFP has been shown to have positive impacts on performance, health, and immunity in humans and multiple animal species, including swine, poultry, and cattle ( Moyad et al, 2009 ; Shen et al, 2011 ; Brewer et al, 2014 ; Alugongo et al, 2017 ). In preweaned calves, SCFP added to the milk and starter grain have beneficial effects on rumen development and the gut microbiota and improve the outcome of Salmonella enterica challenge and Cryptosporidium parvum infection ( Brewer et al, 2014 ; Vázquez Flores et al, 2016 ; Vélez et al, 2019 ). Anecdotal reports from the field have suggested that SCFP supplementation may also improve the outcome of BRD in young calves, in dairy heifers when transitioning to group pens and freestalls, and in feedlot animals.…”

Efficacy of halofuginone products to prevent or treat cryptosporidiosis in bovine calves: a systematic review and meta-analyses

“…Four trials were assessed to have a low risk of bias (De Waele et al ., 2010; Trotz-Williams et al ., 2011; Al Mawly et al ., 2013; Vélez et al ., 2019). Diagnosis of C. parvum infection was mostly based on clinical presentation, sometimes informed by herd history.…”

“…Healthy animals should be attended before sick animals as part of daily husbandry routines. Whether higher nutritional planes can make calves more resistant to morbidity from cryptosporidiosis has been tested in other experiments without conclusive advantages for any specific nutritional strategy (Meganck et al ., 2014; Wells and Thomson, 2014; Vélez et al ., 2019; Brainard et al ., 2020 a ).…”