Key result
Dairy calves show ~110% higher Rotavirus A detection frequency compared to beef calves.
Why the study?
Rotavirus A is the main pathogen associated with neonatal calf diarrhea causing significant economic losses, but its infection frequency and genetic diversity in Uruguayan calves needed evaluation.
Cross-Sectional (n=833)
Absolute Event Rate: 59.5% vs 28.4%
p-value: p=<0.001
The study demonstrates a high frequency of Rotavirus A in Uruguayan calves, particularly in dairy herds, and identifies common and uncommon genotypes suggesting potential interspecies transmission.
High Rotavirus A burden in dairy calves supports targeted surveillance; leaves open optimal prevention and transmission studies.
Uruguay is one of the main exporters of beef and dairy products, and cattle production is one of the main economic sectors in this country. Rotavirus A (RVA) is the main pathogen associated with neonatal calf diarrhea (NCD), a syndrome that leads to significant economic losses to the livestock industry. The aims of this study are to determine the frequency of RVA infections, and to analyze the genetic diversity of RVA strains in calves in Uruguay. A total of 833 samples from dairy and beef calves were analyzed through RT-qPCR and sequencing. RVA was detected in 57.0% of the samples. The frequency of detection was significantly higher in dairy (59.5%) than beef (28.4%) calves (p < 0.001), while it did not differ significantly among calves born in herds that were vaccinated (64.0%) or not vaccinated (66.7%) against NCD. The frequency of RVA detection and the viral load were significantly higher in samples from diarrheic (72.1%, 7.99 log10 genome copies/mL of feces) than non-diarrheic (59.9%, 7.35 log10 genome copies/mL of feces) calves (p < 0.005 and p = 0.007, respectively). The observed G-types (VP7) were G6 (77.6%), G10 (20.7%), and G24 (1.7%), while the P-types were P[5] (28.4%), P[11] (70.7%), and P[33] (0.9%). The G-type and P-type combinations were G6P[11] (40.4%), G6P[5] (38.6%), G10P[11] (19.3%), and the uncommon genotype G24P[33] (1.8%). VP6 and NSP1-5 genotyping were performed to better characterize some strains. The phylogenetic analyses suggested interspecies transmission, including transmission between animals and humans.
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Castells et al. (2020) conducted a cross-sectional in Rotavirus A infection (n=833). Dairy farming vs. Beef farming was evaluated on Frequency of RVA detection (p=<0.001). Rotavirus A was detected in 57.0% of calf samples, with a significantly higher frequency in dairy (59.5%) compared to beef (28.4%) calves (p<0.001).
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