Therapeutic efficacy of an azithromycin-based drug in calf cryptosporidiosis

Vologda State Dairy Farming Academy named after N.V. Vereshchagin, 160555, Vologda, Russia

^* Corresponding author: kamarnett@mail.ru

Abstract

Cryptosporidiosis is currently a significant problem in veterinary medicine. This disease is the cause of death of calves and other animals, mainly in the dairy period of life. Currently, scientists around the world are studying various chemotherapeutic drugs to combat this pathology. In our research, a drug based on azithromycin was tested for safe use and to identify possible side effects in the treatment of calves. In April 2023 in the Vologda region in the conditions of a large livestock complex, fecal samples were taken from calves aged 3 days up to 1 month with signs of acute diarrhea, which were delivered to the laboratory, where using native mask methods with pretreatment of samples according to the Breese method, followed by Ziehl-Neelsen staining and light microscopy, detection and identification of protozoa of Cryptosporidium genus were carried out. After confirmation of this diagnosis, groups of animals were formed. Animals of experimental groups No. 1 and No. 2 were intramuscularly injected with the drug for 5 and 7 days, respectively. Animals of the control group (No.3) were not administered the tested drug; they were treated with standard treatment for 7 days. Blood was also taken for studying hematological parameters before drug administration in animals of experimental groups and after its application. As a result of research, it was found that in the experimental groups, where the drug based on azithromycin was used, the effectiveness against Cryptosporidium was 100%, the period of manifestation of diarrhea significantly decreased compared to the control group, as well as the normalization of a number of hematological indicators compared to baseline data was recorded.