Causes of calf mortality in peri-urban area of Nairobi, Kenya

Abstract

The study reported data from 507 post-mortem records in the Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Nairobi, Kenya. The records were from carcasses obtained from the peri-urban area of Nairobi during a 20-year period between 1990 and 2009. Approximately 80% (393/507) of the calf carcasses had their diagnosis made through post-mortem examination, while the rest (114/507) were inconclusive. Just less than half (48.3%) of the calf carcasses presented had their age specified by the owners compared to 51.7% whose age was not specified. For calf carcasses whose age was specified by the owners, those indicated as more than 3 months were one-and-a-half times as many as those below 3 months old. The proportion of female carcasses (53.8%, 273/507) presented for post-mortem were slightly higher than the male carcasses (46.2%, 234/507). Diseases or conditions of the respiratory system were the most common 17.7% (97/507) while gastrointestinal tract (GIT) was second and affected 16.1% (88/507) of the cases. Another small number, 3.3% (18/507), died from bloat giving the total cases associated with GIT as 19.4% (106/507). Severe calf malnutrition and septicaemia were the third most reported causes of calf mortality in similar proportions at 14.3% (78/507) and 14.4% (79/507), respectively. Other minor causes of calf mortality were tick-borne diseases 8.6% (47/507), helminthiasis and poisoning, 2.9% (16/507) and 1.8% (10/507), respectively.

Assessment of Major Causes of Calf Mortality in Urban and Periurban Dairy Production System of Ethiopia

“…Mortality as a result of diarrhea was 63% (46.4, 79.4) and 17% (was related to respiratory problems). e major causes of calf mortality reported worldwide are diarrhea (calf scours) and respiratory diseases [4,18]. Previous studies in Ethiopia, which involved a longitudinal follow-up, also showed diarrhea as the first important disease of calves [6,7], and its prevalence appears to be management-related, especially when calves are housed in unhygienic conditions [7].…”

Prevalence of Abortion, Calf Mortality and Proportion of Cattle Population in Commercial Dairy Farms of Bangladesh

“…Abortion is a condition where fetus is delivered live or dead before reaching survivable stage visualized by naked eye (Sarder et al, 2010). The success of any commercial dairy farms mainly depends on the survival rate of calf crop produced by the dairy farms, but most of the dairy farms are confronted with acute problems of calf morbidity & mortality (Wudu et al, 2008;Gitau et al, 2010). Abortions cause significant…”

Prevalence of Cryptosporidia, Eimeria, Giardia, and Strongyloides in pre-weaned calves on smallholder dairy farms in Mukurwe-ini district, Kenya

“…Gastrointestinal (GI) and respiratory diseases are the leading causes of calf morbidity and mortality in Kenya and Elsewhere [ 1 - 3 ]. GI diseases in calves can be caused by protozoa such as Cryptosporidium , Coccidia , and Giardia; bacteria such as Escherichia coli ; and viruses such as rotavirus and coronavirus [ 4 , 5 ].…”