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With an average dairy herd size of 100-150 animals on a New England farm, even a few heifers becoming ill can have serious operational and financial impacts, especially when the disease infects calves. One such disease is coccidiosis, which affects both livestock and poultry farms worldwide. Commonly found in calves and heifers, the disease causes diarrhea, internal bleeding and, if left untreated, death, and it accounts for $400鈥�$700 million in annual losses within the global cattle and bison industry. However, a new supplemental preventative for coccidial infections may offer an alternative to the antibiotics commonly used to treat the disease, according to new research from the (NHAES).

Station scientist , professor of dairy management in the , has found evidence that the compound sodium butyrate鈥攁 nutrient that people obtain by consuming beans, peas and other legumes, but that can also be added to animal feed鈥攃ould be used as a coccidiosis preventative in cattle. Erickson and a team of UNH researchers鈥搃ncluding professor , graduate student Katrina Klobuchar and undergraduate student Rachel Badger鈥搑eported on their findings in a .

鈥淪odium butyrate in animals has an effect on epithelial, or intestinal, development and health,鈥� described Erickson, who began investigating the potential uses of the compound in dairy operations in 2016. 鈥淚t improves the integrity of the epithelial lining. Conversely, coccidiosis destroys the lining 鈥� and if it鈥檚 destroying that lining, which is where nutrients are absorbed, the infected animal is not going to grow.鈥�

To test the effectiveness of the butyrate compound compared to the known anticoccidial parasite effects of monensin, researchers exposed lab-grown E. bovis sporozoites鈥攖he infectious agent of the parasite鈥攖o sodium butyrate. The researchers found that the antibiotic and the sodium butyrate treatment both reduced the number of live sporozoites and also similarly decreased the amount of cellular damage to the bovine epithelial cells.

In addition to investigating the effect听sodium butyrate has on infected bovine cells, the scientists also assessed the possible treatments on the sporozoites alone, described Foxall, a professor of biological sciences in the UNH College of Life Sciences and Agriculture.

Ultimately, what they found was that when applied to the isolated form of the sporozoites, the sodium butyrate was not very effective. However, the butyric acid was just as effective at killing the sporozoites as monensin was, meaning that when sodium butyrate breaks down in the calves鈥� stomach, the resulting acid will fight the infection and/or improve intestinal health.

The butyric acid was just as effective at killing the sporozoites as the antibiotic monensin was, meaning that when sodium butyrate breaks down in the calves鈥� stomach, the resulting acid will fight the infection and/or improve intestinal health.

鈥淥ur results demonstrated that butyric acid had similar anticoccidial activity as the monensin and decreased the damage from sporozoites to the bovine epithelial cells,鈥� added Foxall.

Used as a feed supplement for calves, sodium butyrate can also aid in the developmental growth in young cattle, according to studies. that haven鈥檛 given birth yet. Additionally, . Sodium butyrate has not yet received FDA approval as a coccidia preventative for cattle.