In Japan, gastro-intestinal diseases in cows cause serious economic consequences. The causative agents of gastro-intestinal diseases in cows can be broadly divided into two categories: infectious and non-infectious. Infectious agents include enteric pathogens such as viruses, bacteria, parasites, and protozoa. Gastro-intestinal diseases caused by enteric pathogens are often exacerbated by other non-infectious factors, such as the environment, other etiologic agents, and host factors. To our knowledge, few long-term systematic surveillance studies have investigated the causative pathogens of gastro-intestinal diseases in cows used for dairy and beef in Japan. In the present study, we performed a surveillance of enteric pathogens in 302 faecal samples collected in the Yamagata Prefecture from 2002 to 2011. Out of 123 and 40 samples from adult dairy and beef cows, a high incidence of the bovine coronavirus (BCV) was observed in 71 (57.7%) and 25 (62.5%) samples, respectively. Furthermore, bovine rotaviruses (RVs) were identified in 24 samples of adult dairy cows. Alternatively, Eimeria spp were often detected in adult beef cows. Out of 36 and 103 samples of dairy and beef calves, bovine RVA infections, including complex infections with other pathogens, were detected most frequently in 14 (38.9%) and 18 (17.5%) samples, respectively. Subsequently, pathogenic E. coli and BCV were frequently identified in both dairy and beef calves. No causative pathogens were detected in 14 (38.9%) and 58 (56.2%) cases of dairy and beef calves, respectively. The findings of this study can aid in the diagnosis and prevention of gastro-intestinal diseases in cows.
(Viral Disease and Epidemiology Research Division)
References:
Mawatari, T. et al (2014) Microbiol. Immunol. 58:530-535
