Objective: Coccidiosis is a protozoan infection that can result in hemorrhagic diarrhea, depres¬sion, weakness, weight loss, and even mortality in young animals. β-defensin-1 is an antimicro¬bial peptide produced largely by epithelial cells in the skin and mucosa. It possesses antifungal, antibacterial, antiparasitic, and antiviral properties. The goal of this study was to evaluate how β-defensin-1 levels changed in coccidiosis-infected calves.
Materials and Methods: The sample included 10 coccidiosis-positive calves and 7 healthy calves, for a total of 17 calves of diverse breeds and older than 15 days. To assess the level of β-defen¬sin-1, blood samples were obtained from the vena jugularis of the animals. The concentrations of β-defensin-1 in the serum were measured using a commercial ELISA kit.
Results: Although the serum β-defensin-1 level decreased in infected animals, the drop was not statistically significant when compared to the control group.
Conclusion: According to the studys findings, there was no significant change in the serum β-de¬fensin-1 level in coccidiosis-infected calves. We believe that it will be advantageous to conduct additional studies with a larger sample size in order to acquire more precise results.
Key words: β-defensin-1; calf; coccidiosis; level; serum
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