Coccidiosis in preruminating calves the effect of management and short-term treatment on the spread of infection and reinfection.
In farms with large numbers of individually-housed calves, the spread of coccidia is slow. In group pens, however, all the calves became infected within 3-4 weeks of being housed together. At the beginning of group housing no oocysts were found in the faeces of any of the calves. Sulphadimidine (SDM) was administered for 3 or 12 days at different doses and different times. Administration of the drug on Days 3-5 of group housing had no effect. Given between Days 11 and 13 or 17-19, the drug lowered (for a short period) the number of animals found to be excreting oocysts. SDM given between Days 6 and 17 kept the animals oocyst-free during that period. Within 2-3 weeks after the treatment all animals were excreting oocysts.
D000822:Animal Husbandry; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission; D003048:Coccidiosis / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission / Q000662:veterinary*; D004539:Eimeria; D007549:Isospora; D013418:Sulfamethazine / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D013418:Sulfamethazine