ISSUE #2
News from the Field
DATELINE : BEEF
Seasoned beef cattle producers know the importance of controlling coccidiosis. If left unchecked, the parasitic disease can cause bloody diarrhea, dehydration, depression and, of course, bad performance.
But how early should you begin your control program?
Probably sooner than you think, cattle specialists say. They also warn that calves don’t have to show coccidiosis symptoms to be losing ground to subclinical infections of the protozoan disease.
"Coccidiosis stalks young beef calves from birth through adolescence," explains Dr. Denny Hausmann, a technical service veterinarian for Alpharma Animal Health who has worked closely with the disease.
The first big threat hits at weaning, when stress from location changes, new feed rations and intermingling threatens to overcome the calf's immune system. The opportunistic organisms that cause the disease thrive in wet conditions caused by weather or feedlot-production systems.
"Not only is coccidiosis a threat to the calf's health, but it also opens the door to secondary infections and respiratory disease," Hausmann adds.
According to Dr. Gene Parker, Jr., food animal quality specialist with the Oklahoma State University Extension Service in Duncan, subclinical coccidiosis can be a huge problem in beef calves.
"If we see signs of acute coccidiosis in a pen of calves, we estimate that two-thirds of that pen has subclinical coccidiosis," he says.
‘Once the calf's gut lining is
damaged by coccidiosis, it
may never recapture its full
absorptive potential’
Bovine coccidiosis is caused primarily by two highly prolific species of microscopic protozoa parasites, Eimeria bovis and Eimeria zuernii. For every single oocyst ingested by a calf, these two parasites are capable of more than 15 million oocysts during a single 3- to 4-week life cycle.
Coccidiosis-causing oocysts are found everywhere cattle are found. Shed in feces, oocysts are able to survive in moist, shaded areas for several years. Animals become infected by ingesting infected fecal material in soil, feed, water or by licking other animals.
It is estimated that a single cow passes more than 50 million oocysts each summer in her manure. Ingesting only 50,000 oocysts, or 0.1 percent, can cause severe intestinal disease especially in young calves.
Unfortunately, a significant portion of the intestinal damage contributed to coccidiosis occurs before clinical signs appear.
"Once clinical signs are present, the disease is more than half way through its life cycle," explains Dr. Bert Stromberg, professor of parasitology at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. "Unfortunately, once the calf's gut lining is damaged by coccidiosis, it may never recapture its full absorptive potential."
"Cow/calf producers experience coccidiosis outbreaks when the animals are confined or kept closed-in during winter months or during warm, moist conditions normally found in late spring and early summer," points out Dr. Dave Sparks, area food animal health specialist with the Oklahoma State University Extension Service.
Sparks encourages beef producers to remember that the organism is always present in the environment and through carrier animals - just waiting for the right conditions to strike.
"Beef producers need to keep an open mind when it comes to diagnosing coccidiosis," says Sparks. "Atypical signs with or without diarrhea warrant a microscopic examination of the fecal sample and a veterinarian diagnosis."
‘There is plenty of research
showing that it’s much more cost
effective to prevent coccidiosis
than to try to treat an outbreak.’
Today, top beef producers start calves on a feeding program that includes a pelleted anticoccidial as soon as possible. "These producers recognize the value in preventing not only coccidiosis, but also reducing the respiratory diseases that strike a calf with a weakened immune system," says Parker.
"These 500- to 700-pound weaned animals need the anticoccidial to enhance feed conversion during the acclimation process when they’re under stress and fighting off respiratory infections," he adds. Feeding an anticoccidial also helps reduce the oocyst load found in fecal matter, which lowers the chances for reinfection.
"Weather, shipping and new diets are stressors that beef producers have little control over," notes Hausmann, "but using an anticoccidial in these situations helps prevent outbreaks making cattle less susceptible to other diseases."
©2006, Alpharma Inc.
One Executive Drive
Fort Lee, New Jersey 07024
1.800.645.4216
www.AlpharmaAH.com
For more information about the new Aureomycin-Bovatec combination, producers should contact their feed supplier or Alpharma representative, or call
1.800.645.4216 or go to www.AlpharmaAH.com.
Aureomycin®, Bovatec® and Deccox® are registered trademarks of Alpharma Inc.
DATELINE: BEEF - ISSUE #2 CD0546
News from the Field
DATELINE : BEEF
Why Wait?
Good coccidiosis control starts early, before symptoms show
FAST FACTS
|
Seasoned beef cattle producers know the importance of controlling coccidiosis. If left unchecked, the parasitic disease can cause bloody diarrhea, dehydration, depression and, of course, bad performance.
But how early should you begin your control program?
Probably sooner than you think, cattle specialists say. They also warn that calves don’t have to show coccidiosis symptoms to be losing ground to subclinical infections of the protozoan disease.
"Coccidiosis stalks young beef calves from birth through adolescence," explains Dr. Denny Hausmann, a technical service veterinarian for Alpharma Animal Health who has worked closely with the disease.
The first big threat hits at weaning, when stress from location changes, new feed rations and intermingling threatens to overcome the calf's immune system. The opportunistic organisms that cause the disease thrive in wet conditions caused by weather or feedlot-production systems.
"Not only is coccidiosis a threat to the calf's health, but it also opens the door to secondary infections and respiratory disease," Hausmann adds.
According to Dr. Gene Parker, Jr., food animal quality specialist with the Oklahoma State University Extension Service in Duncan, subclinical coccidiosis can be a huge problem in beef calves.
"If we see signs of acute coccidiosis in a pen of calves, we estimate that two-thirds of that pen has subclinical coccidiosis," he says.
Back to basics
Coccidiosis ranks as one of the top five most economically important diseases in the U.S. cattle industry, according to the Oklahoma Extension Service. Little data have been generated in recent years to weigh its economic impact, but a 2002 article in Veterinary Parasitology cited a 1994 U.S. report estimating that cattle ranchers lose an estimated $400 million dollars a year. With inflation, that’s well over $560 million a year in 2005 dollars.Bovine coccidiosis is caused primarily by two highly prolific species of microscopic protozoa parasites, Eimeria bovis and Eimeria zuernii. For every single oocyst ingested by a calf, these two parasites are capable of more than 15 million oocysts during a single 3- to 4-week life cycle.
Coccidiosis-causing oocysts are found everywhere cattle are found. Shed in feces, oocysts are able to survive in moist, shaded areas for several years. Animals become infected by ingesting infected fecal material in soil, feed, water or by licking other animals.
It is estimated that a single cow passes more than 50 million oocysts each summer in her manure. Ingesting only 50,000 oocysts, or 0.1 percent, can cause severe intestinal disease especially in young calves.
Unfortunately, a significant portion of the intestinal damage contributed to coccidiosis occurs before clinical signs appear.
"Once clinical signs are present, the disease is more than half way through its life cycle," explains Dr. Bert Stromberg, professor of parasitology at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. "Unfortunately, once the calf's gut lining is damaged by coccidiosis, it may never recapture its full absorptive potential."
Setting up for success
Management strategies that reduce stress and target hot spots for oocyst production also help to reduce coccidiosis outbreaks. (See accompanying checklist.)"Cow/calf producers experience coccidiosis outbreaks when the animals are confined or kept closed-in during winter months or during warm, moist conditions normally found in late spring and early summer," points out Dr. Dave Sparks, area food animal health specialist with the Oklahoma State University Extension Service.
Sparks encourages beef producers to remember that the organism is always present in the environment and through carrier animals - just waiting for the right conditions to strike.
"Beef producers need to keep an open mind when it comes to diagnosing coccidiosis," says Sparks. "Atypical signs with or without diarrhea warrant a microscopic examination of the fecal sample and a veterinarian diagnosis."
EIGHT WAYS TO PROTECT YOUR HERDCattle disease specialists recommend these steps for better coccidiosis control in beef cattle:
|
Improving backgrounder performance
"There is plenty of research showing that it’s much more cost-effective to prevent coccidiosis than to try to treat an outbreak," stresses OSU’s Parker. Yet, many calves aren’t fed an anticoccidial until they receive a starter ration upon arrival at the feed yard.Today, top beef producers start calves on a feeding program that includes a pelleted anticoccidial as soon as possible. "These producers recognize the value in preventing not only coccidiosis, but also reducing the respiratory diseases that strike a calf with a weakened immune system," says Parker.
"These 500- to 700-pound weaned animals need the anticoccidial to enhance feed conversion during the acclimation process when they’re under stress and fighting off respiratory infections," he adds. Feeding an anticoccidial also helps reduce the oocyst load found in fecal matter, which lowers the chances for reinfection.
"Weather, shipping and new diets are stressors that beef producers have little control over," notes Hausmann, "but using an anticoccidial in these situations helps prevent outbreaks making cattle less susceptible to other diseases."
©2006, Alpharma Inc.
One Executive Drive
Fort Lee, New Jersey 07024
1.800.645.4216
www.AlpharmaAH.com
For more information about the new Aureomycin-Bovatec combination, producers should contact their feed supplier or Alpharma representative, or call
1.800.645.4216 or go to www.AlpharmaAH.com.
Aureomycin®, Bovatec® and Deccox® are registered trademarks of Alpharma Inc.
DATELINE: BEEF - ISSUE #2 CD0546
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