Plasma citrulline, arginine, nitric oxide, and blood ammonia levels in neonatal calves with acute diarrhea

Gultekin, Mehmet; Voyvoda, Huseyin; Ural, Kerem; Erdogan, Hasan; Balikci, Canberk; Gultekin, Gamze

This observational case-control study was conducted based on approval of the Aydin Adnan Menderes University Animal Experiments Local Ethics Committee (number: 64583101/121, October 27, 2015) . Informed written consent was obtained from all owners before enrollment. A total of 70 neonatal Holstein calves (<28 days old) of both genders, including 10 healthy and 60 with acute diarrhea, were used in this study. Sixty calves with acute diarrhea were classified into subgroups as follows: infectious and noninfectious based on etiology; mild, moderate, and severe diarrhea according to fecal consistency scores, 23 mild, moderate, and severe dehydration based on dehydration evaluation criteria 24, 25 ; SIRS positive and negative based on SIRS criteria. 26 Faculty of Veterinary Livestock Unit in individual stalls where disinfection was provided by appropriate methods. They received colostrum in 10% of the body weight on each day of the first 2 days of life (first intake within 2 hours after birth). Colostrum immunoglobulin G (IgG) levels were measured by Brix refractometer to assess colostrum quality. On the second day after birth, serum IgG and total protein levels were measured with Brix refractometer to determine the immunity status of the calves. Calves with a serum total protein cut-point of ≤55 g/L were not enrolled in the study. The calves were fed 2 times a day with individual milk bottles. Water was provided ad libitum.