Eimeria and Cryptosporidium in Estonian dairy farms in regard to age, species, and diarrhoea
Introduction
Eimeria and Cryptosporidium are unicellular parasites commonly found in cattle herds causing problems especially, but not exclusively, in younger animals (Henriksen and Korsholm, 1984, Levine, 1985, Cornelissen et al., 1995). Watery diarrhoea can be associated with the symptoms of coccidiosis, although bloody diarrhoea is associated with eimeriosis (Daugschies and Najdrowski, 2005). Diagnosis of the correct pathogen causing diarrhoea in calves and heifers, can be difficult due to overlapping patent periods and other infectious agents with similar symptoms (Anderson, 1998). Diarrhoea may also be absent even in heavily infected animals and clinical symptoms are normally present in the last phase of the life cycle of the parasite when the oocysts are shed with the faeces (Daugschies and Najdrowski, 2005). More commonly the infection cause less obvious signs such as weight loss, reduced weight gain, and loss of appetite, resulting in potentially long lasting effects (Fitzgerald, 1980, Sartin et al., 2000, Mundt et al., 2005). Our best estimate to date is a 30-year-old calculation by Fitzgerald (1980) who approximated an annual loss caused by coccidiosis in cattle farms between $346 million and $1.385 billion.
Previously Karis (1987) found Eimeria spp. in all investigated Estonian dairy farms with a sample prevalence of 35%, and identified five species. Cryptosporidium was first reported by Talvik and Daugschies (2004) who discovered it when investigating a case of heavy diarrhoea in young calves. This study remains the only Estonian literature source on Cryptosporidium. The case study also identified Eimeria in the samples and added E. pelita to the list of identified species.
Currently the attention to coccidia is very low in Estonia. The Estonian Veterinary and Food Laboratory only received a total of 42 bovine faecal samples for parasitological investigations in 2006 and 2007. For comparison, 113,100 cows were estimated to be in the Estonian dairy production in 2005 (Pentjärv et al., 2005). Six faecal samples were tested for Eimeria spp. and 1 for Cryptosporidium spp. (Veterinaar-ja Toidulaboratoorium, 2006, Veterinaar-ja Toidulaboratoorium, 2007). The modest numbers of voluntary investigations sent to the central diagnostic laboratory and other veterinary parasitological institutions indicate either few problems or low awareness to coccidia. In addition to the need of information on coccidia in Estonian cattle, it is necessary to look as far as Sweden and Poland to find recent investigations for comparison (Svensson, 1995, Höglund et al., 2001, Klockiewicz et al., 2007).
It is our opinion that Cryptosporidium and Eimeria present an important, but overlooked, group of pathogens with impacts on animal health, welfare, and production in Estonia. Basic research in national circumstances is necessary to clarify the present situation concerning these parasites, as the first step in elaborating appropriate preventive measures. In this study we examine the levels of Eimeria and Cryptosporidium in Estonian dairy farms on herd level and in categorized age groups. Secondarily, we aim to establish an overview of the species found in dairy cattle, and the relationship between infection status in regard to age and occurrence of diarrhoea. Prevalence of mixed infections with both coccidia will also be examined.
Section snippets
Population and sample collection
Sample size of the herds needed to be included in the study was calculated by Win Episcope 2.0 to a minimum of 35 herds (population size: 814 registered farms in 2005 (Pentjärv et al., 2005) at the Estonian Animal Recording Centre (EARC), confidence level 95%, accepted error 10%, expected prevalence 90%). The study ended up including 45 herds that were visited between August 2006 and September 2007. EARC represents about 90% of the dairy herds, and mainly farms >20 animals. The herds to be
Eimeria spp. in Estonian dairy herds
All Estonian farms investigated (N = 45, 100%) had cattle shedding Eimeria (Table 1). Within the herd prevalence varied between 4 and 80%.
Eimeria spp. according to age categories
Out of 887 samples investigated 37% were positive for Eimeria spp. (Table 1). Both G0 (35%, p < 0.001) and G2 (17%, p < 0.05) had less animals producing Eimeria oocysts in their individual age group. On the contrary, animals in G1 (63%, p < 0.001) were dominantly positive for Eimeria (Table 1). Examination of the relationship between age categories and infected
Herds with Eimeria
This is the first time a full scale investigation of both Eimeria and Cryptosporidium in Estonia is published. Eimeria was found in all Estonian cattle farms investigated and the situation seems very similar to the one reported 20 years ago (Karis, 1987). European prevalence studies of coccidia for comparison are sporadic, but we estimate Estonia is located in the high end (Raynaud et al., 1981, Wacker et al., 1999, Klockiewicz et al., 2007). We found on average 40% of the herds infected with
Conclusions
Estonian dairy herds were infected with both Eimeria and Cryptosporidium. Medium and high shedding of oocysts are uncommon, but a large number of animals shed coccidia oocysts frequently. More Eimeria species may have entered Estonian herds over the last 20 years and 3–9 different species can be found per farm. Diarrhoea was only associated with Cryptosporidium in young calves <3 months, and a negative association was found with Eimeria. Mixed coccidia infections were found in 10% of the
Conflict of interest
Help was given by an Estonian Magnum Medical employee who volunteered assisted in contacting veterinarians and farms for this experiment in areas selected by us. No money was exchanged.
Acknowledgements
The authors thank veterinarians, especially Liina Laaneoja, who assisted in sample collection and the farms that participated. Research funding was provided by Estonian Ministry of Education and Research (project 0170165), and EU (project 1.0101-0167) Graduate School in Biomedicine and Biotechnology, coordinated by SA Innove. Special thanks to Charlotte Hyttel and Boi-Tien Thi Pham for help with methods, PCR analysis and genotyping.
References (49)
Bovine T cell responses to Cryptosporidium parvum infection
Int. J. Parasitol.
(1998)Cryptosporidiosis in bovine and human health
J. Dairy Sci.
(1998)- et al.
Associations among body condition score, body weight, somatic cell count, and clinical mastitis in seasonally calving dairy cattle
J. Dairy Sci.
(2007) - et al.
An observational study of Eimeria species in housed cattle in Dutch dairy farms
Vet. Parasitol.
(1995) - et al.
Cryptosporidium andersoni from a Danish cattle herd: identification and preliminary characterisation
Vet. Parasitol.
(2002) - et al.
Intestinal coccidiosis in cattle
Clin. N. Am.: Food Anim. Pract.
(1986) - et al.
Cryptosporidium muris: prevalence, persistency, and detrimental effect on milk production in drylot dairy
J. Dairy Sci.
(1995) - et al.
T cell responses in calves to a primary E. bovis infection: phenotypical and functional changes
Vet. Parasitol.
(1999) - et al.
A field survey on the status of internal parasites in calves on organic dairy farms in southwestern Sweden
Vet. Parasitol.
(2001) - et al.
Prevalence of Cryptosporidium infection in calves in France
Vet. Parasitol.
(2000)
Cryptosporidium and Giardia in different age groups of Danish cattle and pigs—occurrence and management associated risk factors
Vet. Parasitol.
Pathology and treatment of Eimeria zuernii coccidiosis in calves: investigations in an infection model
Parasitol. Int.
Cytokines and immunological control of Eimeria spp
Int. J. Parasitol.
Comparison of an acid-fast stain and a monoclonal antibody-based immonofluorescence reagent for the detection of Cryptosporidium oocysts in faecal specimens from cattle and pigs
Vet. Parasitol.
Relationships among body condition score, body weight, and milk production variables in pasture-based dairy cows
J. Dairy Sci.
A longitudinal study of cryptosporidiosis in dairy cattle from birth to 2 years of age
Vet. Parasitol.
Prevalence and age-related variation of Cryptosporidium species and genotypes in dairy calves
Vet. Parasitol.
Reduced growth of calves and its reversal by use of anabolic agents
Domest. Anim. Endocrinol.
Lüpsikarja tervise seiremudel ning selle rakendamine loomade tervise hindamisel ja parandamisel
Infektion med Eimeria-arter hos kalve. Vurdering af risikofaktorer og sammenhæng mellem diarré og oocystudskillelse
Dansk VetTidskr.
A microsatellite marker reveals population heterogeneity within human and animal genotypes of Cryptosporidium parvum
Trends Parasitol.
Eimeriosis in cattle: current understanding
J. Vet. Med.
Results of continous low-level inoculations with Eimeria bovis in calves: a histopathological study
Can. J. Comp. Med.
The economic impact of coccidiosis in domestic animals
Adv. Vet. Sci. Comp. Med.
Cited by (51)
Eimeria spp. in dairy calves in Uruguay. Identification, dynamics of oocyst excretion and association with the age of calves
2021, Veterinary Parasitology: Regional Studies and ReportsCryptosporidium outbreak in calves on a large dairy farm: Effect of treatment and the association with the inflammatory response and short-term weight gain
2018, Research in Veterinary ScienceCitation Excerpt :Cryptosporidium can be found in cattle herds worldwide (O'Handley and Olson, 2006) and has also been found in Estonian dairy farms (Lassen et al., 2009).
Intestinal pathogens, diarrhoea and acute phase proteins in naturally infected dairy calves
2015, Comparative Immunology, Microbiology and Infectious DiseasesCitation Excerpt :After the collection the faecal samples were sent with cooling element packs to either the Finnish Food Safety Authority Evira on the day of the farm visit, or stored refrigerated and sent in weekly batches to the Estonian University of Life Sciences. Eimeria oocysts were concentrated, floated, and counted in a reading chamber constructed from glass slides as previously described [15–17] and the species were identified according to Levine [18]. The presence of Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia spp. was examined using fluorescein staining (fluorescein isothiocyanate antibody, Crypto/Giardia Cel, Cellabs, Pty Ltd, Australia) at the Estonian University of Life Sciences.
- 1
Main contributor to this work.