Study of the economic impact of cryptosporidiosis in calves after implementing good practices to manage the disease on dairy farms in Belgium, France, and the Netherlands

Maud Roblin; Evi Canniere; Anne Barbier; Yvonne Daandels; Martine Dellevoet-Groenewegen; Pedro Pinto; Anastasios Tsaousis; Hélène Leruste; Julii Brainard; Paul R Hunter; Jérôme Follet

doi:10.1016/j.crpvbd.2023.100149

Study of the economic impact of cryptosporidiosis in calves after implementing good practices to manage the disease on dairy farms in Belgium, France, and the Netherlands

Curr Res Parasitol Vector Borne Dis. 2023 Oct 10:4:100149. doi: 10.1016/j.crpvbd.2023.100149. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Junia, Group for Research and Concerted Studies on Agriculture and Territories, F 59000, Lille, France.
² Inagro vzw, Repursue 87, 8800, Rumbeke-Beitem, Belgium.
³ SELAS CVE, Salome, France.
⁴ Southern Agricultural and Horticultural Organisation (ZLTO), Onderwijsboulevard 225, 5223, DE, 's-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands.
⁵ Laboratory of Molecular and Evolutionary Parasitology, RAPID Group, School of Biosciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK.
⁶ Junia, Animal Behaviour and Farming Systems, F 59000, Lille, France.
⁷ The Norwich School of Medicine, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, England, UK.
⁸ University of Lille, CNRS, Centrale Lille, Junia, Université Polytechnique Hauts de France, UMR 8520, IEMN Institut D'Electronique de Microélectronique et de Nanotechnologie, F 59000, Lille, France.

Abstract

Cryptosporidium spp. are widespread parasitic protozoans causing enteric infections in humans and animals. The parasites cause neonatal diarrhoea in calves, leading to a high mortality rate in the first three weeks. Losses are significant for farmers, but the cost of cryptosporidiosis remains poorly documented. In the absence of a vaccine, only preventive measures are available to farmers to combat the infection. This study, conducted between 2018 and 2021, aimed to evaluate the economic impact of Cryptosporidium spp. on European dairy farms and monitor changes in costs after implementing disease management measures. First, a field survey was carried out and questionnaires administered to 57 farmers in Belgium, France, and the Netherlands. The aim of the survey was to assess the losses associated with the occurrence of diarrhoea in calves aged between 3 days and 3 weeks. The economic impact of diarrhoea was calculated based on mortality losses, health expenditures, and additional labour costs. To refine the cost estimation specifically for Cryptosporidium spp., stool samples were collected from 10 calves per farm. The prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. was determined, and the economic impact of diarrhoea was adjusted accordingly. The assumption was made that a certain percentage of costs was attributed to cryptosporidiosis based on the prevalence. These protocols were repeated at the end of the study to observe changes in costs. In the three years, the cost of diarrhoea for the 28 farms that stayed in the panel all along the study improved from €140 in 2018 to €106 on average per diarrhoeic calf in 2021. With a stable prevalence at 40%, the cost of cryptosporidiosis per infected calf decreased from €60.62 to €45.91 in Belgium, from €43.83 to €32.14 in France, and from €58.24 to €39.48 in the Netherlands. This represented an average of €15 saved per infected calf. The methodology employed in this study did not allow us to conclude that the improvement is strictly due to the implementation of preventive measures. However, with 11 million calves raised in the Interreg 2 Seas area covered by the study, it provided valuable insights into the economic burden of Cryptosporidium spp.

Keywords: Cryptosporidiosis; Dairy calves; Diarrhoea; Economic impact.