Cryptosporidia is one of the most common scours-causing pathogens in preweaned calves, surpassing coronavirus, salmonellae, and E. coli, according to Lea Poppe, Regional Technical Manager for German feed additive manufacture EW Nutrition.
One of the reasons those other organisms are on the decline may be that dams can be vaccinated for each of them, with passive immunity passed to calves through colostrum. But in the case of cryptosporidium, which is a parasite, Poppe said neither dams nor calves can be effectively immunized with a vaccine.
Left unprotected, calves are highly susceptible to cryptosporidium infection in the first 3 weeks of life. According to Poppe, scours caused by crypto are typically watery, greenish-yellowish, foul-smelling, and can persist for 1-2 weeks, robbing young calves of critical hydration and nutrition.
January 5, 2024
