Retrospective study of bovine neonatal mortality: cases reported from INTA Balcarce, Argentina

A retrospective study was performed on 169 beef and dairy calves aged from 1 to 7 days old submitted to the Diagnostic Laboratories at INTA Balcarce, Argentina. Bacterial culture was performed for aerobic and microaerophilic organisms. Samples from spleen and lymph nodes, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells were also cultured for viral isolation on cell culture. Bovine rotavirus was detected by direct-ELISA. Multiple tissue samples were fixed in 10% formalin, routinely processed and Stained with hematoxylin and eosin for microscopic examination. Etiological diagnosis was made in 70 of the 169 calves. Infectious agents were identified in 49 cases, the most common being Escherichia coli. When the histopathological examination was performed in cases with undetermined diagnosis, it was noted that 44 specimens had histological lesions, which suggested the presence of an infectious agent. In order to characterize the causes of bovine neonatal mortality, the protocols and methodology should be improved in further works.