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CRYPTOSPORIDIOSIS IN YOUNG CALVES Cryptosporidium parvum is a small single-celled intestinal parasite capable of infecting all mammals, and is closely related to coccida, writes Mícheál Casey, head of regional veterinary laboratories, Backweston Laboratory Campus, Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Cryptosporidium parvum multiples in the gut of infected animals, and damages the lining of the lower end of the small intestine, resulting in mild to serve diarrhoea (‘scour’). It can cause death, especially in younger calves. It is highly infectious and is very difficult to eradicate once established in calf housing. While the focus here is on bovine cryptosporidiosis, the disease it causes in calves, it is also a noteworthy human parasite and can produce life-threatening illness, especially in the young, the old, or people whose immune system is compromised in any way. It affects calves in their first month of life, with peak incidence in the second week. It is capable of causing severe, occasionally fatal, disease on its own. More severe cases are typically mixed infections, most frequently from a combination of cryptosporidium and rotavirus. Infection is by the faecal-oral route, through the ingestion of the infectious stage of the parasite (oocysts) passed in the faeces of infected animals oocysts may be present in faecal matter in the calf’s environment and may be transmitted by utensils or dirty protective clothing. Older calves that have recovered can be a significant source of oocysts. Diagnosis In any calf scour outbreak, it is really important to confirm whether or not you are dealing with cryptosporidiosis at an early stage. In young live calves, it is not possible to distinguish cryptosporidiosis from the other causes of scour like rotavirus, coronavirus, Escherichia coli and Salmonella on clinical signs alone as these are non-specific tests to be carried out either by a veterinary laboratory or your veterinary practitioner. Faecal samples (collected in sterile plastic containers) from untreated, scouring calves should be submitted to the nearest suitable laboratory during the early stages of an episode of diarrhoea in a group of calves. Where death occurs before a diagnosis is made, freshly dead calves should be referred to your nearest Regional Veterinary Laboratory for post mortem examination as soon as possible after death. Treatment of affected calves No routine drug regimen has proven consistently successful, so treatment is primarily aimed at supporting the calf and improving its own ability to fight the infection. Optimal animal husbandry and good nursing skills are required. Affected calves should be isolated and housed in a clean, warm and dry area. Continue to feed milk or milk replacer as usual (isolate affected suckler calves with their dam), and give one or two extra feeds (2L each) of a good quality oral rehydration solution (see the Animal Health Ireland [AHI] leaflet). Affected suckler calves should be left with their dams but separate from other young calves. Treat the calves with halofuginone lactate of C parvum infection. Although this drug has had mixed results in treating sick calves, it may reduce the severity of disease if administered early in the course of infection. Please note that as this product is a prescription-only medicine (POM) a prescription from your veterinary practitioner is required to obtain it. Where there are mixed infections (more than one pathogen or ‘bug’ identified) control measures appropriate for each specific agent should be put in place, which would include vaccination in the case of rotavirus. Prevention High standards of animal management are key. Providing calves with a good-quality, dry, warm environment and optimising their care and nutrition (especially colostrum feeding) will reduce the level of challenge from this parasite while also improving their ability to fight it. It is also important to quarantine any affected calves and administer halofuginone lactate to their unaffected contacts, which will help to prevent spread of infection. Calving pens and calf-rearing pens/ houses should be thoroughly cleaned (which means power hosing or steam cleaning back to bare and clean metal/ concreate surfaces). Wooden and other absorbent surfaces are not easily disinfected and should be removed/ replaced. It should then be disinfected and left free of animal for at least three or four months before the new calving season. Effective disinfectants suggested by AHI include the amine-based Keno Cox (CIDLines NV, Belgium), p-chloro-m-cresol (Neopredisan [Vertriab GMBH, Germany]) hydrogen peroxide with peracetic acid (Ox-Virin, [Ox-Oxcta, Spain]), and 3 per cent hydrogen peroxide.