Assessing failure of transfer of passive immunity by gamma-glutamyl-transferase activity and serum refractometry in holstein-friesian calves affected by neonatal diarrhea.

Hardly published data are available to diagnose the failure of transfer of passive immunity (FTPI) in calves affected by neonatal calf diarrhea (NCD). This study evaluated the diagnostic performance and differences among optical serum total protein (STP) concentration and gamma-glutamyl-transferase (GGT) activity for assessing FTPI in diarrheic Holstein Friesian calves. 72 diarrheic and 19 healthy Holstein Friesian calves aged 1 to 10 days were enrolled. Each calf underwent a complete clinical examination and dehydration assessment. The effect of dehydration status and age on the correlation between the two methods under study (STP and GGT) and the gold standard (Immunoglobulin G [IgG] measured with RID) was investigated with Spearman's correlation index R for ranks. Serum total protein concentration and GGT activity were analyzed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis to identify the optimal cut-off point to distinguish between diarrheic calves with or without FTPI, also considering the effects of dehydration and age. The results show that GGT activity was affected by the age of calves, while STP was influenced by dehydration. The cut-offs to distinguish calves with IgG < 10 g/L were < 52 g/L of STP in normohydrated calves, < 58 g/L of STP in dehydrated calves, and < 124 IU/L of GGT in calves with aged between 3 and 10 days. In nondehydrated diarrheic calves, the STP refractometer showed better diagnostic accuracy.In dehydrated calves aged between 3 and 10 days, however, its accuracy drops, and it is advisable to use GGT activity.

Retrospective analysis of iatrogenic diseases in cattle requiring admission to a veterinary hospital.

Iatrogenic diseases in veterinary medicine are often related to malpractice or lack of skill. For this retrospective study, 4262 clinical records of cattle admitted to the veterinary teaching hospital of the University of Milan between 2005 and 2017 were analysed, and 121 cases (2.8 per cent), referred for an iatrogenic-related disease, were selected. The findings showed that iatrogenic diseases were more often caused by farmers (92.6per cent) than by bovine practitioners (7.4 per cent). Iatrogenic diseases were caused mainly by the improper administration of drugs (43.0 per cent), forced extraction during calving (19.8 per cent), forced milk or colostrum feeding, which was often performed by awkward administration using a nipple bottle (14.9 per cent) or by oral oesophageal tubing (15.7 per cent). Moreover, farmers often performed medical, nursing and zootechnical procedures without adequate training. The role of the practitioner is fundamental in farmer education. Clinicians, especially in some professional branches such as neonatology, should not delegate medical procedures to untrained farmers. Effective tutoring and good communication with farmers play a key role in dairy herd health and consequently in public health. This then can lead to a decrease in improper drug administration, the prevention of antibiotic resistance and the reduction of treatment costs.