Omphalitis risk factor evaluation in charolais breed

C Bricout , C Lemaire , R Deville-Larderat , Marie-Anne Arcangioli (1, 2)

1 VAS - VetAgro Sup - Institut national d'enseignement supérieur et de recherche en alimentation, santé animale, sciences agronomiques et de l'environnement
2 MYCO - Mycoplasmoses des Ruminants - UMR

Umbilical infection is the third most commom neonatal affection, with important economical consequences in suckler herds. We developed a longitudinal study to assess the animal and environmental risk factors for umbilical infections in Charolais breed.MethodsWe followed 133 calves, from the birth to one month old, in 5 charolais farms in France during winters 2016 and 2017. Farmers completed a questionnaire on the practices and conditions of calving for each calf. They measured the length and the width of the umbilical cord, and recorded the calf birth weight. A serum total protein assay was performed during the first week of life to assess the transfer of passive immunity. Omphalitis presence was evaluated by the same observer for all the calves.ResultsOmphalitis had a prevalence of 18% in these farms. Male calves are 2.9 times more at risk to develop omphalitis than females. Occurrence of omphalitis is 3.8 times greater for calves with a width cord greater than 2.5 cm. There is no demonstrated effect of birth weight, calving rank, nor colostrum feeding or calving assistance on omphalitis occurrence. A non-specific calving area was shown as involving 5 times more omphalitis than calving in a reserved area. ConclusionThis study confirmed the importance of omphalitis in charolais breed, and that male calves are more exposed to this affection. It also displayed factors involved in development of omphalitis may change depending of the breed and possibly the zootechnical management of calving. In Charolais farms, hygienic conditions around calving constituted a tool of choice to prevent omphalitis.

Domaines: Médecine vétérinaire et santé animale

C Bricout, C Lemaire, R Deville-Larderat, Marie-Anne Arcangioli. Omphalitis risk factor evaluation in charolais breed. European Buiatric Congress, Oct 2017, Bilbao, Spain. ⟨hal-03455673⟩