Field evaluation of chicken egg yolk immunoglobulins specific for bovine rotavirus in neonatal calves

Abstract

The oral efficacy of chicken egg yolk immunoglobulins (yIg) specific for bovine rotavirus (BRV) serotypes G6 and G10 in protecting neonatal calves was examined in a herd of cattle under field conditions. In one of the three trials, yIg-treated calves tested under high relative humidity (RH) showed a significantly increased mean body weight (P < 0.05) and a decrease in number of calves shedding high titer of BRV (G6) in stool compared to control calves (P < 0.01), suggesting that our yIg product was effective in a field condition with an epidemic outbreak of BRV diarrhea.