title: The use of non-immune plasma powder in the prophylaxis of neonatal Escherichia coli diarrhoea in calves.
abstract: The protective use of plasma powder from cattle and swine against experimentally induced neonatal E. coli diarrhoea in colostrum-deprived calves was examined. Diarrhoea was induced with a strain expressing F5+ fimbriae and a strain expressing F17+ fimbriae. In all groups supplemented with bovine plasma powder, diarrhoea and fever were less severe than in the control groups. For the groups infected with the F5+ E. coli strain, a reduction in excretion of the challenge strain by 2-4 orders of magnitude and by 1-2 orders of magnitude was seen when supplemented with bovine plasma powder at a dose of 25 g/l milk and 10 g/l milk, respectively. The bovine plasma powder showed also beneficial effects in the F17+ infected groups. No mortality, no septicaemia and no severe clinical signs were observed. Concerning the excretion of the E. coli F17+ strain in the faeces, no significant difference with the control group was found. Swine plasma powder showed little beneficial effect on E. coli diarrhoea in calves in this study.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine and Clinical Biology of Large Animals, University of Gent, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Merelbeke, Belgium.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nollet
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Laevens
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Deprez
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sanchez
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Van Driessche
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Muylle
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001422:Bacterial Adhesion; D001691:Biological Therapy; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000662:veterinary*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000502:physiology; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000662:veterinary*; D010949:Plasma; D013552:Swine