IgY-based passive immunity therapy significantly reduced neonatal calf diarrhea and Cryptosporidium spp. infection dynamics under field conditions
Abstract
IntroductionNeonatal calf diarrhea (NCD) remains a major challenge in dairy production systems and has One Health relevance because of its impact on animal health, antimicrobial use, and the circulation of zoonotic enteropathogens. Cryptosporidium parvum and bovine group A rotavirus (RVA) are among the most prevalent pathogens affecting neonatal calves. This study evaluated the effects of oral passive immunization with IgY-DNT Plus (Bioinnovo Terneros 2.0), a polyvalent egg yolk immunoglobulin Y (IgY) formulation targeting major NCD pathogens, including the C. parvum antigens P23 and TRAP.MethodsA prospective controlled field intervention trial with systematic alternating allocation included 50 newborn Holstein calves (25 treated and 25 controls) on a commercial dairy farm in Argentina. Treated calves received IgY-DNT Plus during the first 14 days of life, and all calves were followed for 30 days for diarrhea and RVA and C. parvum shedding.ResultsIgY-DNT Plus-treated calves showed delayed onset of diarrhea (10.46 vs 8.96 days; P = 0.0056), fewer days with diarrhea (7.88 vs 11.04; P = 0.0108), and lower cumulative fecal consistency scores (AUC, 21.85 vs 32.80; P < 0.0001). Treated calves also had fewer RVA antigen shedding-positive days by ELISA (3.96 vs 5.60; P = 0.0066), whereas time to first RVA detection, cumulative RVA antigen signal, and corresponding CCIF-based outcomes did not differ significantly between groups. For C. parvum, time to first qPCR detection was delayed in treated calves (median, 11 vs 9 days; HR = 0.41, 95% CI: 0.220.75; P = 0.0002), which also had fewer shedding-positive days (6.08 vs 8.56; P = 0.0126) and lower cumulative molecular shedding (AUC, 17.17 vs 30.04; P = 0.0004).DiscussionOverall, IgY-DNT Plus supplementation was associated with reduced NCD clinical burden and modified C. parvum shedding dynamics under natural-exposure conditions, whereas effects on RVA were more limited. These findings support further evaluation in larger multicenter field studies.
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BibTeX
@article{bok2026igybased,
title = {{IgY-based passive immunity therapy significantly reduced neonatal calf diarrhea and Cryptosporidium spp. infection dynamics under field conditions}},
author = {Marina Bok and Anabela Mira and Maria Cecilia Lang and Juan Cruz Franco and Camila Frydman and Marina Mozgovoj and Lucía Alejandra Rocha and Erica De Conti and Paloma de Alba and Leonhard Schnittger and Alejandro Vivas and Esteban Medina and Diego Wenz and Demian Bellido and Andrés Wigdorovitz and Viviana Parreño},
journal = {Frontiers in Immunology},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.3389/fimmu.2026.1850569},
url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2026.1850569},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - IgY-based passive immunity therapy significantly reduced neonatal calf diarrhea and Cryptosporidium spp. infection dynamics under field conditions
AU - Marina Bok
AU - Anabela Mira
AU - Maria Cecilia Lang
AU - Juan Cruz Franco
AU - Camila Frydman
AU - Marina Mozgovoj
AU - Lucía Alejandra Rocha
AU - Erica De Conti
AU - Paloma de Alba
AU - Leonhard Schnittger
AU - Alejandro Vivas
AU - Esteban Medina
AU - Diego Wenz
AU - Demian Bellido
AU - Andrés Wigdorovitz
AU - Viviana Parreño
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/09
JO - Frontiers in Immunology
DO - 10.3389/fimmu.2026.1850569
UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2026.1850569
AB - IntroductionNeonatal calf diarrhea (NCD) remains a major challenge in dairy production systems and has One Health relevance because of its impact on animal health, antimicrobial use, and the circulation of zoonotic enteropathogens. Cryptosporidium parvum and bovine group A rotavirus (RVA) are among the most prevalent pathogens affecting neonatal calves. This study evaluated the effects of oral passive immunization with IgY-DNT Plus (Bioinnovo Terneros 2.0), a polyvalent egg yolk immunoglobulin Y (IgY) formulation targeting major NCD pathogens, including the C. parvum antigens P23 and TRAP.MethodsA prospective controlled field intervention trial with systematic alternating allocation included 50 newborn Holstein calves (25 treated and 25 controls) on a commercial dairy farm in Argentina. Treated calves received IgY-DNT Plus during the first 14 days of life, and all calves were followed for 30 days for diarrhea and RVA and C. parvum shedding.ResultsIgY-DNT Plus-treated calves showed delayed onset of diarrhea (10.46 vs 8.96 days; P = 0.0056), fewer days with diarrhea (7.88 vs 11.04; P = 0.0108), and lower cumulative fecal consistency scores (AUC, 21.85 vs 32.80; P < 0.0001). Treated calves also had fewer RVA antigen shedding-positive days by ELISA (3.96 vs 5.60; P = 0.0066), whereas time to first RVA detection, cumulative RVA antigen signal, and corresponding CCIF-based outcomes did not differ significantly between groups. For C. parvum, time to first qPCR detection was delayed in treated calves (median, 11 vs 9 days; HR = 0.41, 95% CI: 0.220.75; P = 0.0002), which also had fewer shedding-positive days (6.08 vs 8.56; P = 0.0126) and lower cumulative molecular shedding (AUC, 17.17 vs 30.04; P = 0.0004).DiscussionOverall, IgY-DNT Plus supplementation was associated with reduced NCD clinical burden and modified C. parvum shedding dynamics under natural-exposure conditions, whereas effects on RVA were more limited. These findings support further evaluation in larger multicenter field studies.
SN - 1664-3224
ER -