Research on coccidiosis in dairy calves is being conducted by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) Regional Veterinary Laboratories, Teagasc, and University College Dublin (UCD).
The research will find out what dairy farmers are currently doing to control, prevent and treat coccidiosis.
Farmers can participate in the study by clicking on the link at the bottom of the article; will take approximately three minutes to complete and is entirely anonymous.
Coccidiosis
Coccidiosis in calves is an issue that many farmers have to deal with and unfortunately, there is currently no vaccination for the disease.
With the spring-calving season underway on farms it is time to focus on coccidiosis, which continues to be a concern on many calf-rearing farms.
Coccidiosis mainly causes clinical disease in calves from the third week of life onwards.
The coccidia parasites damages the intestinal wall which can lead to diarrhoea (scours), dysentery (bloody diarrhoea), dehydration, tenesmus (straining), loss of condition and possibly death.
The most recent All-Island Animal Disease Surveillance Report records that the percentage of samples submitted to Regional Veterinary Laboratories returning positive results for coccidial oocysts rises throughout the spring, reaching a peak in May.
According to the DAFM, this reflects the infection pressure of increasing numbers of calves in spring-calving production systems – especially while the calves are housed.
Coccidia are excreted in the dung and are ingested by a susceptible calf in dung-contaminated bedding, feed or water.
A single ingested coccidia oocyst develops into thousands of new parasites, each of which destroys the calf’s gut lining resulting in very rapid and severe damage to the gut and scouring.
Infective coccidia oocysts are highly resistant to environmental conditions, both in housing and on pasture, so premises and fields can remain contaminated for a year or more.
Calves are commonly infected through ingestion of coccidia oocysts from bedding or pasture, which previously have carried infected cattle (possibly including adult cows).
DAFM survey
Stressors, such as weaning, turnout, change of diet and poor weather may cause outbreaks of disease.
As warm, damp conditions are necessary to allow oocysts to become capable of infecting animals, it is important to avoid dampness in bedding or around water bowls/drinking or feeding troughs.
It is also important to remember that a lot of the damage and clinical signs can be seen in calves before coccidia oocysts appear in the faeces.
Therefore, sampling of a number of calves in the affected group is important including comrades which have not yet developed clinical disease, as this might help the detection of coccidial oocysts and help in diagnosing the cause of the clinical signs seen.
To take part in the department’s survey, click here.