title: Veal Calves Produce Less Antibodies against C. Perfringens Alpha Toxin Compared to Beef Calves.
abstract: Enterotoxaemia is a disease with a high associated mortality rate, affecting beef and veal calves worldwide, caused by C. perfringens alpha toxin and perfringolysin. A longitudinal study was conducted to determine the dynamics of antibodies against these toxins in 528 calves on 4 beef and 15 veal farms. The second study aimed to determine the effect of solid feed intake on the production of antibodies against alpha toxin and perfringolysin. The control group only received milk replacer, whereas in the test group solid feed was provided. Maternal antibodies for alpha toxin were present in 45% of the veal calves and 66% of the beef calves. In beef calves a fluent transition from maternal to active immunity was observed for alpha toxin, whereas almost no veal calves developed active immunity. Perfringolysin antibodies significantly declined both in veal and beef calves. In the second study all calves were seropositive for alpha toxin throughout the experiment and solid feed intake did not alter the dynamics of alpha and perfringolysin antibodies. In conclusion, the present study showed that veal calves on a traditional milk replacer diet had significantly lower alpha toxin antibodies compared to beef calves in the risk period for enterotoxaemia, whereas no differences were noticed for perfringolysin.
authors.affiliation: Department of Large Animal Internal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium. bonnie.valgaeren@ugent.be.
authors.forename: Bonnie R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Valgaeren
authors.affiliation: Department of Large Animal Internal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium. bart.pardon@ugent.be.
authors.forename: Bart
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Pardon
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Bacteriology and Avian Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium. evy.goossens@ugent.be.
authors.forename: Evy
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Goossens
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Bacteriology and Avian Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium. stefanie.verherstraeten@ugent.be.
authors.forename: Stefanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Verherstraeten
authors.affiliation: Unit for Coordination of Veterinary Diagnosis, Epidemiology and Risk Assessment (CVD-ERA), Veterinary and Agrochemical Research Centre (VAR-CODA-CERVA), Groeselenberg 99, 1180 Uccle, Brussels, Belgium. sophie.roelandt@coda-cerva.be.
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Roelandt
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Bacteriology and Avian Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium. Leen.Timbermont@ugent.be.
authors.forename: Leen
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Timbermont
authors.affiliation: Department of Large Animal Internal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium. nicky.vandervekens@ugent.be.
authors.forename: Nicky
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Van Der Vekens
authors.affiliation: Department of Large Animal Internal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium. sabrina.stuyvaert@ugent.be.
authors.forename: Sabrina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Stuyvaert
authors.affiliation: Department of Large Animal Internal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium. linde.gille@ugent.be.
authors.forename: Linde
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gille
authors.affiliation: Department of Large Animal Internal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Van Driessche
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Bacteriology and Avian Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium. Freddy.Haesebrouck@ugent.be.
authors.forename: Freddy
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Haesebrouck
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Bacteriology and Avian Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium. Richard.Ducatelle@ugent.be.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ducatelle
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Bacteriology and Avian Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium. Filip.vanimmerseel@ugent.be.
authors.forename: Filip
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Van Immerseel
authors.affiliation: Department of Large Animal Internal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium. piet.deprez@ugent.be.
authors.forename: Piet
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Deprez
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood*; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000276:immunology*; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*; D003016:Clostridium perfringens / Q000276:immunology* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D004767:Enterotoxemia / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*; D007112:Immunity, Maternally-Acquired / Q000276:immunology*; D010738:Type C Phospholipases / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; D010738:Type C Phospholipases; C040649:alpha toxin, Clostridium perfringens
keywords: Clostridium perfringens; alpha toxin; antibodies; enterotoxaemia; perfringolysin; veal