Synonyms

No known synonym

Name of the disease in English

Rotavirus diarrhea of calves

The disease in brief

Rotaviruses are agents of calf diarrhea, present all over the world, important by their frequency; Diarrhea appears after the 4th day of life of the calf, in the group of diarrheas of the 2nd week of life of the calf, with coronaviruses and cryptosporidia. The calf infected by rotaviruses recovers in a few days if it is in sufficient comfort with a well-managed suckling and if it has received enough quality colostrum; on the contrary, with comfort or suckling or a deficient colostral intake the disease can be fatal, especially if other pathogens associate with rotaviruses. The disease is often collective, and the morbidity rate increases from the beginning to the end of winter-spring, during the stay in the stable. They can also be found in the feces of healthy calves and, as such, they can play a non-specific preventive role with regard to other viral infections.

Clinic & diagnosis

Rotavirus infection is suspected when sticky, mucousy diarrhea (any color) occurs in a calf aged 4 days to less than 1 month.

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

-VX11.1 coronavirus calf diarrhea

-Cryptosporidial calf diarrhea VX12

- E. coli diarrhea in calves - other type of E. coli VX10.1

Confirm a suspicion?

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

Prognosis and treatment

Treatment of rotavirus diarrhea includes 2 essential parts: Symptomatic treatment of diarrhea and rehydration adapted to the general condition of the calf.

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 rampant, often at the end of winter, 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

References

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