Synonyms

No known synonym

Name of the disease in English

Coronavirus diarrhea of calves

The disease in brief

Coronaviruses are agents of calf diarrhea, important due to their frequency and the risks of mortality in the nursery; Diarrhea appears in the first days of the calf's life; these diarrheas are part of the group of diarrheas of the 2nd week of the calf's life, with rotaviruses and cryptosporidia. The disease is often collective, and lethality can be significant in certain enzootics. Clinical suspicion should encourage laboratory confirmation. This virus also has a respiratory tropism.

Clinic & diagnosis

A coronavirus infection is suspected if one of the following situations occurs:

- Hemorrhagic diarrhea or diarrhea causing high mortality (more than 1/3 of patients) in calves aged 4 days to 14 days.

-Sticky, mucousy diarrhea (any color) in calves showing watering, sputum, or a weak, quiet cough that “comes from deep down.”

- Collective diarrhea in the 2nd week of life, with limited mortality (less than 1/4 of patients, if care is given)

Typical sign of the disease

No description

Pictures

See below

Diagnostic formulas

No description

Differential diagnosis

-Mixed diarrhea in the 2nd week of life of the calf:INFO -VX12.1

-Milky indigestion in bucket-fed calves VX17.1

-White Diarrhea of Suckling Calves VX18

-VX11 rotavirus calf diarrhea

-Cryptosporidial calf diarrhea VX12

-Calf coliform diarrhea-other type of colibacillus VX10.1

Confirm a suspicion?

Field tests exist (e.g. the Bio-X Kit)

Prognosis and treatment

The treatment of coronavirus diarrhea includes 2 essential parts: Symptomatic treatment of diarrhea and rehydration adapted to the general condition of the calf:

The prognosis depends essentially on the level of control of possible dehydration in the breeding, therefore on the monitoring of the caregiver and the possible means of perfusion.

Prevention

Controlling diarrhea is essential because it causes losses through mortality and generates additional and difficult work for the farmer. This prevention requires an analysis of the risk factors of the farm and interventions in the management of the farm, the livestock buildings and nutrition; when diarrhea is prevalent, often at the end of winter (vitamin A deficiency), we should not hope to stop the problem, but take the decision to organize prevention for the following season; it will concern:

-Providing sufficient quantity of quality colostrum is one of the key points.

- Calf housing

-Breastfeeding

Vaccines exist

A supply of colostrum

References

-Veterinary Medicine-Pocket companion -9th Edition BLOOD DC-page 399