E.W. Fisher

Serum immune globulin concentrations of calves left with their dams for the first two days of life

Abstract The serum immune globulin concentrations of 30 two-day-old calves were estimated using the zinc sulphate turbidity test. These calves had been born in loose boxes and left with their dams for the first two days of life. Dairy calves suckling their dams before eight hours post partum almost always attained high serum immune globulin concentrations, whereas dairy calves not suckling before this time were invariably deficient in serum immune globulins. Moreover, in the fifteen dairy calves which did suckle during the first eight hours of life, a significant negative correlation was found between the time of first suckling and the 48-hour serum immune globulin concentration. The beef calves in the series gave far less consistent results. No difference was found between the serum immune globulin concentrations of those dairy calves born during the summer and those born during the winter.

CARDIOVASCULAR LESIONS IN CATTLE

A great variety of cardiovascular lesions have been described by many authors, in many parts of the world. I t is not our intention in this communication to present a review of the world literature because this would in all probability be incomplete, due to our own limitations in foreign languages and a lack of diligence in searching through the world literature. However, we do intend to make comparisons and reference to the extensive work of others when describing our own findings. An intensive study of cardiovascular lesions of cattle has been carried out in Glasgow during the years 1961-63, and is still continuing in 1964. We have found that about 12 per cent of bovine animals on which post-mortems have been carried out have had cardiovascular lesions. The majority of these animals have had clinical or other evidence of cardiovascular dysfunction before death; but a proportion exhibited no evidence in life of cardiovascular abnormality. In addition, there was a small group of cattle in which evidence of cardiovascular abnormality in life was not correlated with a detected postmortem lesion. In our series the lesions have involved principally the heart and great vessels in close proximity to the heart. These lesions will be described first in the descending order of the frequency of occurrence, followed by those animals in which there was antemortem but no post-mortem evidence of disease. Finally, the purely vascular lesions will be described.

Changes in Blood Chemistry, Body Weight and Haematocrit of Calves Affected With Neonatal Diarrhoea

SUMMARY The effects of diarrhoea were investigated in 60 experimental calves. It was found that diarrhoeic calves had significant losses in body weight and significant changes in the concentrations of plasma sodium, potassium and chloride and of blood urea. Changes in the haematocrit occurred infrequently. It was concluded that under the experimental conditions in which the calves were reared, diarrhoea caused isotonic and hypotonic dehydration.

DEATH IN NEONATAL CALF DIARRHOEA.

SUMMARY In experiments comparing dying and surviving diarrhoeic calves it was found that when the milk intake was maintained during diarrhoea death was associated with significant rises in plasma potassium and blood urea and significant falls in plasma pH and bicarbonate. In the dying calves brachycardia was observed to a greater extent than in surviving calves and in addition cardiac arrhythmias were recorded in 30 per cent of the dying calves. It is postulated that under the conditions of the experiments, diarrhoea produced a primary cardiac failure.

HYDROGEN ION AND ELECTROLYTE DISTURBANCES IN NEONATAL CALF DIARRHEA

Diarrhea in the newborn calf is not uncommon and almost certainly a number of factors can be involved in its initiation, its progression, and whether or not the effects upon the calf are deleterious. The part played by Escherichia coli is the subject of some disagreement in some circumstances. In other circumstances, E. coli has been proved to play a part; diarrhea can occur, as a result of which there may be body fluid disturbances. Known specific serotypes of E. coli infect agammaglobulinemic calves to produce colisepticemia. Death can take place with no evidence of diarrhea and without a detectable body fluid disturbance. Diarrhea, however, may be present with colisepticemia, and when it is, it may cause a body fluid disturbance. However, death occurs before this body fluid disturbance becomes severe. In TABLE 1 the plasma parameters of a normal, nondiarrheic calf are compared with the extreme values obtained from a calf that recovered from diarrhea spontaneously without treatment, a dying diarrheic calf, and a calf that had severe diarrhea when affected with colisepticemia but which died from the colisepticemia. Other specific serotypes of E. coli have been demonstrated to be noninvasive, yet to produce severe diarrhea and to kill calves.* The body fluid changes produced by these enterotoxic strains have not been extensively studied. Our own observations of the body fluid changes as a result of diarrhea after infection with these specific strains were extremely limited in that it was not always possible to reproduce the condition in hypogammaglobulinemic calves. On a few occasions, however, severe diarrhea and death occurred. The extreme values of plasma parameters obtained from these diarrheic calves are compared in TABLE 2 with values from a normal nondiarrheic calf and a calf over seven days of age that died from neonatal calf diarrhea. Death in these two calves given known enterotoxic strains of E . coli could have been attributed to the body fluid disturbances. The major diarrheic problem in newborn calves would appear to be unassociated with colisepticemic or enterotoxic strains of E. coli. In those diarrheas occurring in the neonatal period in calves over three days of age, the role of E. coli is in dispute. Many different serotypes of E. coli can be isolated

Death in Neonatal Calf Diarrhoea. Pt. II: The Role of Oxygen and Potassium

SUMMARY In an attempt to find an explanation for the arrhythmias observed in acidotic, diarrhoeic dying newborn calves, measurements were made of oxygen carriage by the blood and myocardial potassium content. It was found that there was no significant lowering of the oxygen content as a result of acidosis but that there was a marked lowering of myocardial potassium. It would appear that the lower than normal myocardial potassium, together with a higher than normal extracellular potassium, would provide a basis for alterations in depolarization and hence the arrhythmias observed in such calves.

Studies of Neonatal Calf Diarrhoea IV. Serum and Faecal Immune Globulins in Neonatal Salmonellosis

SUMMARY Quantitation of immune globulin classes IgG, IgM and IgA in calves with salmonellosis revealed a linear correlation between serum IgM concentration and faeces output. Immune globulin hypercatabolism occurred in dying calves leading to intravascular IgM depletion. It is suggested that high serum immune globulin levels, particularly of IgM, protect calves against death from neonatal salmonellosis and furthermore this protection is non-specific.

Studies of Neonatal Calf Diarrhoea. II. Serum and Faecal Immune Globulins in Enteric Colibacillosis

SUMMARY The specific immune globulins IgG, IgM and IgA in calves with enteric colibacillosis, showed certain interesting relationships. Faecal excretion of IgG was greatest in those dying calves which had the highest faeces output, suggesting that an intraluminal leak occurred. The faecal excretion of IgG was inversely related to serum IgG and IgA levels. It appears these last two immune globulins could, if present in serum in sufficient quantities, afford protection against fatal diarrhoea.

The relationship between the zinc sulphate turbidity test, serum immune globulins and the susceptibility of calves to diarrhoea.

SUMMARY Correlations were found with the ZST test and the immune globulins IgG, IgM and IgA of the sera of neonatal calves with the poorest correlation between IgA and ZST at one to two weeks of age. Since diarrhoea due to colibacillosis is commonest after one week of age, it was suggested that relative deficiency of IgA at this age could be responsible. The persistence of IgG suggested also that survival from diarrhoea could be a function of high IgG concentration.

Studies of neonatal calf diarrhoea. I. Fluid balance in spontaneous enteric colibacillosis.

SUMMARY Fluid balance studies on calves with a defined enteric colibacillosis, demonstrated that when fluid input was maintained, there was no significant difference between the total fluid output of healthy non-diarrhoeic calves, surviving diarrhoeic calves and dying diarrhoeic calves. The kidney was thus able to compensate for excess faecal fluid loss. Plasma volume was maintained but losses took place from the extravascular pool in diarrhoeic animals which manifested as a loss of weight. Comparisons made with the work of other authors demonstrated some differences in results obtained. These can be attributed to the manner in which diarrhoea was induced, in the doses of infectious agents and whether fluid intake was maintained.