Key Findings
New research shows that sodium butyrate—a nutrient that people obtain by consuming beans, peas and other legumes, but that can also be added to animal feed—could be used as a coccidiosis preventative in cattle. Coccidiosis is a disease that affects both livestock and poultry farms worldwide, causing diarrhea, internal bleeding and, if left untreated, death.
About the Co-AuthorS
Peter Erickson, Professor of Agriculture, Nutrition, and Food Systems
Contact information: Peter.Erickson@unh.edu
603-862-1341, Peter Erickson Lab website
Thomas Foxall, Professor of Biological Sciences
Contact information: Tom.Foxall@unh.edu
603-862-2354
This research first published in the Journal of Animal Science.
Researchers: K. Klobucher, R. Badger, T. Foxall, and P. Erickson
Pete Erickson, professor of dairy management in the UNH College of Life Sciences and Agriculture, found evidence that the compound sodium butyrate could be used as a coccidiosis preventative in cattle. Erickson and a team of UNH researchers–including professor Tom Foxall, graduate student Katrina Klobuchar and undergraduate student Rachel Badger–reported on their findings in a recent paper in the Journal of Animal Science.
Commonly found in calves and heifers, coccidiosis accounts for $400–$700 million in annual losses within the global cattle and bison industry. In cattle, coccidia protozoa is a parasite that attacks the intestinal tract of infected animals, feeding on and rupturing the intestinal lining. The parasite then passes its eggs on through the feces of infected animals. The disease typically affects calves, from 3 weeks to 1-2 years old. Stressful conditions, like being transported, exposure to extreme weather and wide fluctuations in temperature, can make calves more susceptible to the disease. During infection, resulting damage to the intestinal lining can inhibit nutrient absorption, thus slowing or stopping growth in young cattle. Common preventatives for coccidial infections, like the feed-grade antibiotic monensin, are banned in many countries, including by the European Union nations, for use in cattle. In the U.S., monensin is commonly used as a feed supplement at conventional dairies and as a coccidiosis preventative.
“Sodium butyrate in animals has an effect on epithelial, or intestinal, development and health,” described Erickson, who began investigating the potential uses of the compound in dairy operations in 2016. “It improves the integrity of the epithelial lining. Conversely, coccidiosis destroys the lining – and if it’s destroying that lining, which is where nutrients are absorbed, the infected animal is not going to grow.”
[Sodium butyrate] improves the integrity of the epithelial lining. Conversely, coccidiosis destroys the lining – and if it’s destroying that lining, which is where nutrients are absorbed, the infected animal is not going to grow.
Used as a feed supplement for calves, sodium butyrate can also aid in the developmental growth in young cattle, according to studies. Erickson previously published research on the advantages of feeding sodium butyrate to post-weaned (no longer nursing) heifers that haven’t given birth yet. Additionally, the compound is known to support gut health and bacteria in humans. Sodium butyrate has not yet received FDA approval as a coccidia preventative for cattle.
This material is based on work supported by the NH Agricultural Experiment Station through joint funding from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (under Hatch award numbers 1016574) and the state of New Hampshire. Funding also came from Adisseo USA, Inc. (Alpharetta, GA, USA). Co-authors include K. Klobuchar, R. Badger, T. Foxall and P. Erickson.
This material is based on work supported by the NH Agricultural Experiment Station through joint funding from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (under Hatch award numbers 1016574) and the state of New Hampshire. Funding also came from Adisseo USA, Inc. (Alpharetta, GA, USA). Co-authors include K. Klobuchar, R. Badger, T. Foxall and P. Erickson.
