A Comparison of Fecal Percent Dry Matter and Number of Cryptosporidium parvum Oocysts Shed to Observational Fecal Consistency Scoring in Dairy Calves

• DOI: 10.1645/ge-2475.1
• Publication Date: 2011-04-29T21:18:46Z
• Authors: Mary L. Bellosa; Daryl V. Nydam; Janice L. Liotta; Jennifer A. Zambr...; Thomas C. Linden; Dwight D. Bowman
• Keywords: Cryptosporidium parvum

Evaluation of dairy calf feces is often used in research and for clinical decision making to assess severity diarrhea. However, this has not been validated agreement between dry matter content observed fecal consistency. Therefore, a comparison consistency score percent Cryptosporidium parvum oocyst shedding was performed the accuracy observational scoring as measure diarrhea its association with number oocysts shed. Fecal samples from 20 calves experimentally infected C. were collected daily post-infection scored on scale 1 4, being normal 4 severe An aliquot each sample analyzed counts by using immunofluorescent microscopy. scores 1, 2, 3, had median 20.9, 16.3, 9.6, 5.8, respectively. Using assessed significantly different other (P < 0.001). A higher also associated greater shed 0 .0001). Scores 0, 1.3 × 106, 2.8 These results suggest that useful proxy calves.