Effects of lasalocid on coccidial infection and growth in young dairy calves.

Effects of lasalocid on coccidial infection and on calf growth were examined in 16 Holstein bull calves. Calves were assigned randomly to a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement of starter ration containing 0 or 40 mg of lasalocid/kg of starter, beginning when calves were 3 days old (SE = 0.046), and single oral inoculation with 0 or 30,000 sporulated oocysts (Eimeria bovis) at 28 days. Pelleted calf starter was fed ad libitum from day 1; milk replacer was fed at a rate of 3.6 kg/d until day 28. Mean daily gain, dry-matter intake, and body weight were increased in calves fed lasalocid and decreased in those inoculated with coccidia. Addition of lasalocid to the feed improved gains by 8% in uninoculated calves and by 50% in inoculated calves. Fecal oocyst numbers were reduced when lasalocid was fed to inoculated calves. Feces were more abnormal in calves inoculated with coccidia. Respiration rates, rectal temperatures, PCV, and serum sodium and potassium concentrations were unaffected by treatment. On the basis of findings in this study, lasalocid minimized effects of coccidial challenge inoculation and increased growth of calves.     

Performance and ruminal changes of early-weaned calves fed lasalocid

Twenty-two neonatal calves were assigned to a control or lasalocid-fed group and weaned at 3 wk of age. They were fed a prestarter diet from 3 d of age until they consumed 227 g/d and then a mixture of 227 g prestarter daily and starter diet in ad libitum amounts. The lasalocid-fed group received lasalocid in milk at 1 mg/kg body weight daily from 4 to 7 d and at .5 mg/kg body weight daily in milk and medicated prestarter diet (88 mg lasalocid/kg) during the 2nd wk. After 2 wk, lasalocid-fed calves were given medicated prestarter and starter (44 mg lasalocid/kg) diets. Four calves in each group were ruminally cannulated at 3 to 5 d of age, and ruminal contents were obtained at weekly intervals to monitor microbial activity. Rectal fecal samples were collected from all calves and examined for coccidial oocysts. Lasalocid-fed calves had a greater weekly feed intake and weight gain than control calves after 6 wk of age. Total ruminal volatile fatty acid concentrations were higher, but the acetate:propionate ratio was lower in lasalocid-fed calves than in control calves. Total viable anaerobic and amylolytic bacterial counts were higher in lasalocid-fed calves than in control calves. No significant treatment effect was found for ruminal NH3-N concentration or ruminal lasalocid-resistant, lactobacilli, lactate-utilizing, cellulolytic or methanogenic bacterial numbers. No evidence of coccidiosis was detected in either group. In general, lasalocid-fed calves had greater feed intake, weight gain and ruminal microbial activity than the calves fed no lasalocid in the diet.     

Effect of lasalocid or salinomycin administration on performance and immunity following coccidia vaccination of commercial broilers

Coccidiosis vaccines and feed medications have traditionally been used in the poultry industry to control or prevent coccidiosis; however, little information exists on the use of these products jointly to reduce the deleterious effects of coccidiosis on bird performance. Vaccination allows preferential cycling of drug-sensitive strains and development of immunity to coccidiosis, whereas medications halt or minimize intestinal damage due to this parasitic disease and help control secondary bacterial infections. The goal of using both products is to allow the bird's immunity to be established while optimizing performance. Lessening the effect of coccidiosis on bird performance could result in substantial economic benefits to the poultry industry. This study was designed to investigate the potential benefits of giving the ionophores, lasalocid or salinomycin, to in ovo coccidia-vaccinated chickens. Utilizing either of these medications in conjunction with the vaccine resulted in improved feed conversion while maintaining immunity to coccidia challenge, with performance and economic advantages seen when the ionophores were included in the finisher diet or in both the grower and finisher diets.     

Salmonellosis in young calves

The isolation of three strains of porcine parvovirus from aborted foetal piglets is recorded and the role of this virus as a cause of reproductive failure in pigs is discussed.     

Exacerbation of experimental parvoviral enteritis in calves by coccidia and weaning stress

The disease induced in calves following oral dosing with bovine parvovirus (BPV) was found to be substantially exacerbated when the animals had subclinical coccidiosis. Low levels of passive serum antibody appeared to have little influence on the response to BPV. Imposition of weaning stress on coccidia-infected calves which had apparently recovered from prior infection with BPV, was found to induce severe diarrhoea with recrudescence of BPV excretion in faeces. This was in marked contrast to the relatively mild diarrhoea which was found following weaning of control animals and animals infected with either agent alone. It was concluded that BPV activity and damage in the intestinal tract was probably enhanced as a consequence of the extra mitotic activity induced in the region by coccidial infection and the local effects of weaning. On the basis of these and previous findings in the field, it is suggested that BPV may play a significant role in the aetiology of post-weaning diarrhoea in calves.     

Evaluation of decoquinate, lasalocid, and monensin against experimentally induced sarcocystosis in calves

Effects of decoquinate, lasalocid, and monensin against experimentally induced sarcocystosis (Sarcocystis bovicanis) were evaluated in 12 calves, 3 of which were inoculated, nontreated controls. Three additional calves were noninoculated, nontreated controls. Drugs were administered in the feed (33 mg/kg of feed) of the treated calves (3 calves/group) for 87 days. Eight of the 12 inoculated calves died from acute sarcocystosis during the experiment (the 3 inoculated, nontreated controls, the 3 calves given decoquinate, and 2 of the 3 calves given lasalocid). Large numbers of sarcocysts were found in tissues from inoculated calves that survived in the experiment (1 of the 3 calves given lasalocid and the 3 calves given monensin). Although large numbers of sarcocysts developed in the muscles of monensin-treated calves, monensin may have an ameliorating effect on acute sarcocystosis.     

Aetiology of diarrhoea in young calves

Faeces samples were collected from 302 untreated calves on the day of onset of diarrhoea and from 49 healthy calves at 32 farms experiencing outbreaks of diarrhoea. At least four diarrhoeic calves were sampled on each farm, and samples were examined for rotavirus, coronavirus, cryptosporidium, enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli and Salmonella species. Although all these enteropathogens were excreted more frequently by the diarrhoeic than by the healthy calves, the difference was significant overall only for rotavirus. Rotavirus was excreted by 18 per cent of healthy calves, coronavirus by 4 per cent, cryptosporidium by 14 per cent, and no enterotoxigenic E coli or Salmonella species were detected. The most common enteropathogen in diarrhoeic calves was rotavirus, which was excreted by more than half the diarrhoeic calves on 18 farms. Coronavirus was excreted at a similar high prevalence on one farm, cryptosporidium on five farms and enterotoxigenic E coli on three farms. Concurrent infection with two or more microorganisms occurred in 15 per cent of diarrhoeic calves. There was no difference in the isolation rate of campylobacters between diarrhoeic and healthy calves.     

Evaluation of lasalocid and decoquinate against coccidiosis resulting from natural exposure in weaned dairy calves

Eighteen female Holstein calves, raised as natural herd additions under conditions typical of a well-managed midwestern United States dairy farm, were used in a natural-exposure study to determine the anticoccidial efficacies of lasalocid and decoquinate. Calves were allotted to 6 treatment blocks of 3 calves each as they were weaned. Within each block, calves were randomly assigned to be given either lasalocid or decoquinate or to remain as a nonmedicated control. Calves were given medication for 90 days and remained separated from other calves for 120 days. Adjusted weight gains were consistently greater in calves that were given medication; however, differences were not statistically significant. Fecal specimens were obtained from calves at weekly intervals during the study. Overall, oocyst shedding was low. During the medication period, quantitative mean fecal shedding of oocysts was reduced eightfold in calves given decoquinate and four-fold in calves given lasalocid, as compared with nonmedicated control calves. During the period following the medication period, calves that had been controls shed fewer oocysts than did calves that had previously been given medication. A pairwise comparison of the proportion of specimens that were oocyst-positive was made to assess qualitative oocyst shedding among treatment groups. During the medication period, qualitative oocyst shedding (all species, Eimeria bovis, E zuernii, species other than E bovis and E zuernii) was greater in controls than in either lasalocid-or decoquinate-treated groups. Like-wise, lasalocid-medicated calves shed oocysts more frequently than did the decoquinate-medicated group. After medication, qualitative findings were reversed. Little diarrhea was noticed in treatment or control calves during the study.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Focal symmetrical encephalomalacia in young calves

Three cases of focal symmetrical encephalomalacia diagnosed in calves Diffuse fibrosing alveolitis diagnosed in an adult cow Review of abortion in sheep Erysipelas septicaemia in outdoor-reared piglets Fine sawdust bedding associated with pneumonia in layer chicks These are among matters discussed in the disease surveillance report for May from SAC Consulting: Veterinary Services (SAC C VS).