FMV Research Projects

PN III Program 2, Subprogram 2.1.- Innovation Checks

OPTIMIZATION OF PRODUCTIVE PARAMETERS IN AGROADISI DAIRY COW FARM THROUGH IMPROVEMENT OF THE DIAGNOSTIC ALGORITHM FOR E. COLI INFECTIONS IN NEWBORN CALVES AND COWS WITH METRITIS

Acronym: DGECOLI

Project Manager (Service Provider) – Faculty of Veterinary Medicine

Lecturer Dr. Pascu Corina

Research Team - Faculty of Veterinary Medicine

Prof. Dr. Herman Viorel

Prof. Dr. Catana Nicolae

Assistant Dr. Iancu Ionica Mihaela

Project Manager – Beneficiary

Dr. Mihai Florin

S.C. AGROADISI SRL Timisoara

Considering that, relatively recently, in our country and beyond, cases of illness with bovine-origin E. coli strains in humans, especially children, with extremely severe evolution have been recorded, we considered it opportune to investigate the E. coli strains isolated from cattle in the dairy farm using several diagnostic methods.

The objectives of the project are:

Conducting bacteriological examinations for the isolation and identification of E. coli strains from calves and cows with metritis in the farm according to specific methodology.

Determining the prevalence of E. coli in the farm by quantifying cases of neonatal diarrhea in calves, as well as by isolating E. coli from the uterus of cows in postpartum, before the onset of postpartum metritis.

Determining the antibiotic sensitivity profile of E. coli strains isolated from calves with diarrhea and cows with metritis.

Genotyping the strains, having multiple uses: identifying prevalent strains and pathotypes, selecting strains for obtaining autovaccine, identifying new virulent strains introduced in the farm, highlighting genes that encode virulence factors in the isolated E. coli strains.

Obtaining an autovaccine (bacterin type) with virulent strains isolated from the outbreak.

The innovative aspects of the project are:

- demonstrating the existence/absence of a correlation between the presence of metritis cases and neonatal diarrhea cases in calves;

- assessing whether the bacteriological examination performed at the beginning of the postpartum period can identify cows predisposed to metritis;

- improving the diagnostic methodology of E. coli infections, using, in addition to classical bacteriological examinations, some tests that allow the identification of E. coli bacteria in the farm (rapid tests) and screening of multiple markers that make it possible to determine the genetic profile and pathogenicity factors of a single strain;

- obtaining an autovaccine that can be used to prevent neonatal diarrhea in calves.

The concurrent evolution of colibacillary enteritis in calves and cows with metritis in the farm justified us to consider that there is a correlation between the two entities, although this aspect is not mentioned in the specialized literature. Identifying postpartum cows with subclinical uterine infections with E. coli using rapid tests will limit the spread of the infection to other cows or newborn calves.

By using the autovaccine instead of commercial vaccines, a better protection of newborn calves against E. coli infection is pursued, the autovaccine being relatively easy to obtain, low-cost, well tolerated by animals, and with good immunogenic capacity.

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