No effect of bovine interferon-τ for control of calf diarrhea and immunomodulation in calves

Abstract

Newborn calves received a low dose of bovine interferon-τ (boIFN-τ) orally for 4 weeks and calves that had developed diarrhea received a low dose of boIFN-τ orally for 5 days. No effects of boIFN-τ were seen in the duration of the diarrhea, or in daily weight gain. Calves received a high dose of boIFN-τ subcutaneously 3 times and they were then stimulated with bovine herpesvirus type 1 vaccine. No adverse effects were observed after the administration of boIFN-τ and lymphocyte subsets from calves did not change after the stimulation. Our results suggest that boIFN-τ does not seem protecting for preventing calves from diarrhea, recovering the health of calves with diarrhea or immunomodulation, although the treatment itself is not toxic.