Study of diarrhea in foals

• Grant number: 20/11957-8
• Support type: Regular Research Grants
• Duration: November 01, 2021 - October 31, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Animal Clinics and Surgery
• Principal researcher: Alexandre Secorun Borges
• Grantee: Alexandre Secorun Borges
• Home Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil
• Assoc. researchers: João Pessoa Araújo Junior ; José Paes de Oliveira Filho ; Marcio Garcia Ribeiro

Abstract

Diarrhea syndrome in foals is an important cause of morbidity and mortality, affecting about 80% of animals in the first six months of life. It is an important problem in farms in Brazil and particularly in the State of São Paulo, in properties with high population density. The syndrome causes serious economic losses related to the animals' developmental delay, mortality and treatment expenses. The etiology of neonatal diarrhea is complex and involves infectious agents, management, nutrition, environmental conditions and the host's immune status. Infectious agents such as Salmonella spp., Clostridium difficile and Clostridium perfringens, Lawsonia intracellularis, Rotavirus, Coronavirus, Criptosporidium sp. and Giardia sp. were previously described, however, studies including a greater number of animals and properties are still scarce in our country. Although some agents are known to be more pathogenic and associated with higher mortality, such as Salmonella spp., C. dificille or C. perfringens¸, the etiological diagnosis is complex, since coinfections can occur. This work has as main objective to determine the presence of genetic material by real-time PCR or the isolation of the main pathogens related to diarrhea syndrome in rural properties in the States of São Paulo. Microbial resistance evaluations will also be carried out in Salmonella spp. and C. difficile and complete genome sequencing of these bacteria and evaluation of the detection of Salmonella spp. by digital PCR to quantify the bacterial load. For this purpose, fecal samples were collected from foals up to one-year-old, with diarrhea (n=100) and healthy (n=100), from properties located in the state of São Paulo. In this way, this project will provide information to support therapeutic and prophylactic decisions in the approach of this syndrome, which is highly relevant and brings serious damage to national equidae culture (AU)