Fatal Intestinal Coccidiosis in a Three-Week-Old Buffalo Calf (Bubalus bubalus)
Abstract The water buffalo (Bubalus bubalus) is important to the economy of several countries, especially in Asia and South America. Little is known regarding the impact of coccidiosis in buffaloes. Cattle and buffaloes are considered to have common species of Eimeria, but critical cross-transmissions have not been made because it is difficult to raise these hosts coccidian free. Clinical coccidiosis was confirmed post mortem in a 22-day-old buffalo calf that died after a 3- to 4-day illness. Oocysts morphologically identical to Eimeria bareillyi were found in the feces and in sections of small intestine. Oocysts were often pyriform, sometimes with asymmetrical sides. The shorter end was flattened and approximately 5–6 μm wide. Unsporulated oocysts in feces were 23.2–29.5 × 16.5–22 μm, with an average of 27.2 × 19.3 μm. Schizonts, gamonts, and oocysts were identified in sections of small intestine where they were located in enterocytes of the jejunum and ileum. No coccidian stages were seen in sections of colon. This is one of the first confirmed cases of clinical coccidiosis in water buffalo.
Identification of enteropathogens from buffalo calves with and without diarrhoea in the Ribeira Valley, State of São Paulo, Brazil
Faecal samples of 106 buffalo calves aged 3 to 45 days were collected sequentially, once a week, during six weeks for parasitologic examination. For bacteriologic and virologic exams, faecal samples were collected from all diarrhoeic and the same amount on non-diarrhoeic calves. Blood samples from calves were collected at 3 to 10 days of age for serum IgG determination. Eimeria spp, Strongyloides papillosus and Toxocara vitulorum were the most common parasites. E. coli, Enterobacter cloacae and Klebsiella pneumoniae were the enteropathogens most frequently found (alone or in association with other microrganisms). Heat-stable (STa) enterotoxin was detected in 5 out of 34 samples of E. coli isolated from diarrhoeic calves. Among the antimicrobials tested susceptibilities to norphloxacin, chloramphenicol and gentamycin were the most common. None of the samples had characteristic rotavirus RNA bands in PAGE-electrophoresis. No association was observed between low levels of IgG and diarrhoea.
The life cycle stages of Eimeria bovis affected by the immune reaction in calves.
Summary Three experiments were conducted to determine whether schizonts of E. bovis are appreciably influenced by the immune reaction in calves. Each experiment involved two groups each of four to six calves. Each calf in one group was given an immunizing inoculation of 60,000 to 100,000 oocysts, and after 30 to 35 days each calf in both groups was given a challenging inoculation of 800,000 to 5 million oocysts. One calf in each group was killed on successive days beginning 15 to 17 days after the second inoculation. Numbers of schizonts in the small intestine were estimated by examination with a dissecting microscope and frequency of sexual stages in the cecum and colon was observed in sections. No consistent difference was found in concentration, estimated total number, or size of schizonts in the two groups, although non-immunized calves had a much higher frequency of sexual stages. The results indicate that the schizonts and preceding stages are not appreciably influenced by the immune reaction, so that immunity must chiefly affect the merozoites or sexual stages.