(Brookings, SD) – When a calf develops diarrhea early in life, it sets that animal up for reduced efficiency, poor gain and lower productivity over its lifetime, including reduced milk production. Medgene, a livestock vaccine company based in South Dakota, now offers the only vaccine for cattle in the U.S. that can help protect calves from one of the worst parasitic diseases that causes diarrhea—cryptosporidiosis caused by Cryptosporidium parvum (C. parvum). This is a zoonotic organism and can infect humans, birds, and other mammals.
“Medgene’s vaccine will be a game changer for the beef and dairy industries,” said Bob Gentry, DVM. “Crypto can impact calves at a very young age—when they’re only days old—and this is the only vaccine available to help veterinarians and producers manage this disease.”
Cryptosporidiosis is caused by a protozoa (C. parvum) and can cause lethargy and poor growth rates in neonatal ruminants, in addition to diarrhea. Four cryptosporidium species have been isolated from cattle, with C. parvum being the most common. Cryptosporidial oocysts have been detected in the feces of 70 percent of 1 to 3-week-old dairy calves.
Historically, calves with cryptosporidiosis would suffer from mild to moderate diarrhea that would persist for several days, regardless of treatment. If a calf is older when they catch the disease, the duration of diarrhea has tended to be a few days longer than diarrhea caused by other pathogens, such as rotavirus, coronavirus, or enterotoxigenic E. coli.
Medgene’s cryptosporidiosis vaccine can be given to cows and heifers prior to calving, providing protection to calves through their colostrum. The development of the cryptosporidiosis vaccine involved collaboration with key cattle veterinarians, use of Medgene’s Spice™ bioinformatics technology and Medgene’s extensive regulatory acumen. Medgene vaccines are made using proprietary platform technology which creates highly targeted, clean vaccines free from ingredients of animal origin.
The cryptosporidiosis vaccine will be available from Medgene in mid-May.
