Microbiology of diarrhea in young beef and dairy calves in Argentina

BELLINZONI, RODOLFO; BLACKHALL, JORGE; TERZOLO, H.; MOREIRA, A.; AUZA, N.; MATTION, NORA; MICHEO, G.; LA TORRE, JOSE; SCODELLER, EDUARDO

REVISTA ARGENTINA DE MICROBIOLOGíA

AAM

Año: 1990 vol. 22 p. 130 - 137

0325-7541

Rotavirus, Cryptosporidium sp, and Salmonella spp. were investigated in the faeces of 452 diarrhoeic calves from 36 beef and 33 dairy herds. Animals surveyed were from a few days of age up to approximately 1 month of life. Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) was studied in 212 calves, aged 15 days or less. The animals were from the Provinces of Buenos Aires (59% of the calves), Cordoba (18%), Santa Fe (16%), Entre Rios (5%) and La Pampa (2%). A minimum of 4 calves were sampled on each farm. In beef calves rotavirus was excreted by 45.1% of the animals. Cryptosporidium by 30.5% and Salmonella serovars Arechabaleta, Livingstone, Panama and Typhimurium by 1.9%. In dairy calves Cryptosporidium was excreted by 29.6%, rotavirus by 23% and Salmonella serovar Dublin by 1.6%, ETEC was not detected in any calf. Rotavirus was the most widespread agent, detected in 32 (88.9%) beef herds and excreted by more than 50% of the calves in half of these herds. In contrast, rotavirus was only detected in 19 (57.5%) dairy herds and was excreted by more than 50% of the calves in 6 of these herds. Crytosporidium oocysts were identified in 27 (75%) beef and in 23 (69.7%) dairy farms. Salmonellosis due to serovar Dublin was associated with diarrhoea in 2 dairy herds. Concurrent infection with two or three agents occurred in 36 (8%) calves and 38 (55.1%) farms; the combination rotavirus-Cryptosporidium was found in 32 (6.9%) calves an in 33 (47.8) farms.