Serum Zonulin Levels and Fecal Scoring as Probable Early Predictor of Intestinal Inflammation Among Calves with Diarrhea: Cohort Study

Objective: Zonulin, probably very well known protein, modulate the integrity of intercellular connections within the gut. The objective of this present field study was to validate the relationship among fecal scores and circulating zonulin levels as probable early indicator of intesinal inflammation among calves with diarrhea. Material and Methods: Upon arrival at a milk-fed veal facility, 34 calves were scored for fecal consistency on a scale of 0 to 3. Calves with a fecal score of 2 (loose feces)-3 (watery feces) were classified as diarrheic, with score of 0 and 1 were denoted as apparently healthy calves. Commercially available specific Bovine Zonulin ELISA test kits were used. The present study was approved by the local ethic committee of Aydın Adnan Menderes University-HADYEK and ethical guidelines were stricly followed up with written owner consent was available for all calves enrolled. Results: The mean zonulin levels (ng/mL) diarrheic calves with score 2 and score 3 were detected as 41.04±4.5 and 61.27±4.80, respectively presenting statistically significant alterations in contrast to healthy calves 20.35±2.93 (p<0.05). Conclusion: It should not be unwise to draw take home messages that intestinal inflammation and thus circulating zonulin levels should in correlation with fecal scoring be interpreted on field conditions for prognosis and available treatment practices.