Assessment of the Immune Response of Clinically Infected Calves to Cryptosporidium parvum Infection

Wael El-Deeb, Olimpia Iacob, Mahmoud Fayez, Ibrahim Elsohaby, Abdulrahman Alhaider, Hermine V. Mkrtchyan, Abdelazim Ibrahim and Naser Alhumam
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Wael El-Deeb: Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia
Olimpia Iacob: Clinics Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, 700490 Iasi, Romania
Mahmoud Fayez: Al Ahsa Veterinary Diagnostic Lab, Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia
Ibrahim Elsohaby: Department of Animal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig 44511, Egypt
Abdulrahman Alhaider: Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia
Hermine V. Mkrtchyan: School of Biomedical Sciences, University of West London, St Mary’s Rd, London W5 5RF, UK
Abdelazim Ibrahim: Department of Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia
Naser Alhumam: Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, College of Veterinary Medicine, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia

Agriculture, 2022, vol. 12, issue 8, 1-13

Abstract: Cryptosporidium parvum ( C. parvum ) infection is one of the main causes of diarrhea in calves. The current study assessed the role of blood biomarkers (acute-phase proteins (APPs), procalcitonin, neopterin, cytokines, and oxidative stress in the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and prognosis of calves naturally infected with C. parvum . Fifty-seven calves, aged from 10 to 45 days, were detected positive for C. parvum and were allotted into the diseased group; twenty healthy calves were selected as a control group. Serum amyloid A, haptoglobin, cytokines, neopterin, procalcitonin, and stress biomarkers were tested in the diseased and healthy groups. The serum levels of APPs, cytokines, neopterin, procalcitonin, and malondialdehyde increased, whereas antioxidant levels were significantly decreased in diseased calves compared to the healthy group. Moreover, all examined biomarkers were significantly altered towards normal values in infected calves following different treatment protocols. All biomarkers examined were highly effective in discriminating between C. parvum -infected calves and healthy individuals. Furthermore, the area under the curve (AUC) showed that all tested parameters had a higher degree of prognostic accuracy in predicting the treatment response of calves naturally infected with C. parvum . Our data suggest the usefulness of the examined biomarkers in the immune pathogenesis of the C. parvum infection in calves, contributing to diagnosis and treatment efficacy.

Keywords: procalcitonin; neopterin; cytokines; Cryptosporidium; haptoglobin; malondialdehyde (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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