Control of coccidiosis in farmed dairy cows

Bovine coccidiosis is a parasitic disease caused by several species of coccidiosis belonging to Eimeria, which is characterized by acute enteritis and bloody dysentery. Bovine coccidiosis occurs mostly in calves.

Symptoms: Incubation period is 2~3 weeks, calves are generally acute, the course of disease is 10~15 days. When bovine coccidiosis parasitizes and reproduces in the large intestine, a large number of intestinal mucosal epithelium are destroyed and shed, mucosal bleeding and ulceration are formed; at this time, the clinical manifestations are hemorrhagic enteritis, abdominal pain, and blood feces often contain mucosal fragments. After about 1 week, the stomach is sluggish, intestinal motility is enhanced, diarrhea, and death occurs due to excessive consumption of body fluids. In chronic cases, chronic diarrhea, anemia, and eventually death due to extreme emaciation.

Diagnosis: When calves appear bloody diarrhea and fecal odor clinically, saturated saline flotation method can be used to examine the feces of the affected calves, and coccidial oocysts can be detected.

In clinical practice, attention should be paid to the differentiation between bovine coccidiosis and colibacillosis. The former usually occurs in calves over 1 month old, while the latter occurs mostly in calves born within a few days after birth and with enlarged spleen.

Prevention and control: ① Calves and adult cattle are raised in groups to avoid coccidial oocysts contaminating calf feed. (2) The feces and bedding grass of the cattle fed in the house should be disinfected intensively or fermented by bio-thermal compost. When the disease occurs, 1% Clyolin can be used to disinfect the cattle house and feeding trough once a week. Treatment: ① Aminoproline, 20~50 mg/kg body weight, once orally taken for 5~6 days.② Salinomycin, 2 mg/kg body weight per day for 7 days.