Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Prevalence of Cryptosporidium infection in calves in France.
- Journal:
- Veterinary parasitology
- Year:
- 2000
- Authors:
- Lefay, D et al.
- Affiliation:
- Protocole · France
Plain-English summary
Researchers in France studied how common a parasite called Cryptosporidium is in young calves. They looked at two groups of calves: the first group included 1,628 calves aged 4 to 12 days from various dairy-calf centers, and they found that about 18% were infected, but only a small number showed signs of diarrhea. In the second group, which included 440 calves aged 4 to 21 days from 189 farms, they found that 43% were infected, and most of these calves had diarrhea. The study showed that while the infection is quite common, it didn't seem to depend much on the breed of the calves or how they were housed, although there were some differences based on the region and time of year. Overall, the findings indicate that Cryptosporidium infection is widespread among young calves in France.
Abstract
Two multicentre surveys were conducted in France to estimate the prevalence of Cryptosporidium infection in calves using qualitative ELISA for detection of Cryptosporidium coproantigens and oocysts. The first survey involved 4-12-day-old calves in six dairy-calf distribution centres, collecting calves from seven Administrative Regions (Aquitaine, Bretagne, Franche-Comté, Lorraine, Normandie, Nord, Pays de Loire). For each region, 20 calves were selected every month for 12 consecutive months (October 1995-September 1996). Prevalence of Cryptosporidium infection was 17.9% (Confidence Intervals (C.I.) 95%=[16.1%; 19.8%]) among the 1628 selected calves, of which only 5.3% had diarrhoea. The second survey conducted between November 1995 and May 1996 involved 4-21-day-old calves examined by veterinary practitioners who selected 189 livestock farms of dairy- or suckler-type in ten Administrative Departments (Allier, Cantal, Creuse, Doubs, Ille-et-Vilaine, Maine-et-Loire, Manche, Pas-de-Calais, Saône-et-Loire, Vendée). Cryptosporidia were detected in 105 (55.6%) of the farms. Among the 440 calves examined, of which 398 (90.5%) presented diarrhoea, cryptosporidia were found in 191 animals, i.e. a prevalence of 43.4% (C.I. 95%=[38. 8%; 48.0%]). Breed of calves and type of housing had very little impact on prevalence in this survey. Some regional variations could be noticed, even if cryptosporidia infection is widespread. Monthly variations could be related to seasonal peaks in calving with a lower infection rate during summer.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10729640/