The effect of white scours on the sodium and potassium concentration in the serum of newborn calves

Abstract

Calves that die from white scours associated with Escherichia coli infection show two distinct but related conditions at post-mortem examination Calves that die after being deprived of colostrum usually scour slightly, but with few exceptions show an E. coli septicaemia at post-mortem, whereas the majority of those that die after being given sufficient colostrum to protect against the septicaemic form of death scour profusely, become dehydrated and show a localized intestinal infection in which E. coli can be isolated only from the intestinal tract in very large numbers, and occasionally in small numbers from the mesenteric lymph nodes. The loss of body-weight is very pronounced but little information is available on the resultant change in electrolyte concentration in the blood.