An overview of calf diarrhea - infectious etiology, diagnosis, and intervention

Cho, Yong-il; Yoon, Kyoung-Jin

The primary function of colostrum is to enhance the calf's immune system through the passive transfer of both antibody and cell-mediated immunity. Ideally, calves should receive colostrum from their dams although colostrum from several cows is often mixed and administered or purchased. One caution of colostrum feeding is the transmission of BVDV, bovine leukemia virus, and Johne's disease that can be spread by infected or purchased colostrum [88, 130] . In particular, Mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis (Johne's disease) transmission is the number one risk factor associated with colostrum acquired from dairy cattle and administered to beef cattle. Therefore, colostrum from dairy farms of unknown infection status should be avoided. It is recommended that supplemental colostrum should be obtained from the farm of origin or a historically disease-free facility. If animals on a farm have been suffering from specific pathogens such as BRV, BCoV, C. perfringens, and E. coli K99 + , vaccination of the dams could increase the concentration of specific antibodies against targeted pathogens in the colostrum [22] . Currently, commercial multivalent vaccines for these pathogens are available. Most vaccines contain either live modified or killed organisms, or a combination of the two. Some vaccines are specific for cows while the others are designed for calves.