Endoparasitoses em bezerros leiteiros no norte de Minas Gerais, Brasil

Endoparasitosis in dairy calves in semiarid region

Abstract

Cattle farming plays an important role in the economy of large farms and also in the sustainability of small family producers. However, to obtain good productive results, it is necessary to be attention to all phases of the production system, highlighting the breeding phase. At this stage, calves can suffer infections that have direct impacts on production, such as gastrointestinal illnesses caused by parasites. Coccidiosis is considered one of the main diseases in the breeding and rearing phase of cattle and causes economic losses due to mortality and to reduce the animal performance. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the oocyst count of Eimeira spp, (OOPG) in calves from dairy herds raised in the North of Minas Gerais and correlate it with the helminth egg count (OPG) and age of these animals. A total of 129 animals, 19 to 180 days, were evaluated from four dairy farms. All properties evaluated presented positive animals for the presence of oocysts, with an occurrence of 32.55% of the calves evaluated. The OOPG did not show significant correlations with age and OPG for the evaluated herds. However, the OPG of the different helminths evaluated and the age of the animals showed significant and positive correlations. Infections by Eimeiria spp., Moniezia spp. Trichuris spp. and Trichostrongylides were detected for all farms analyzed and was be considered low; however with high variability, and these infections were associated with differences in the installations and health management practices used on the properties.