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Journal of Integrative Agriculture  2026, Vol. 25 Issue (9): 3511-3526    DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2025.07.028
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Current insights into neonatal calf diarrheal etiology and the therapeutic role of probiotics

Shuyao Zhu1*, Shuhao Bian1*, Liangliang Li1, Mudassar Iqbal2, Faisal Ayub Kiani3, Abdul Asim Farooq3, Haiju Dong1, Xiangqian Zhang1, Hongyu Dai1#, Fang Liu1#, Aoyun Li1#

1 College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450046, China

2 Faculty of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur 63100, Pakistan

3 Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan 60800, Pakistan

 Highlights 
This review systematically analyzes the multifactorial etiology of neonatal calf diarrhea (NCD), highlighting the critical role of gut microbiota dysbiosis in driving pathogen invasion and intestinal barrier damage.
It demonstrates that probiotics exhibit safety and efficacy superior to traditional antibiotics through a multi-dimensional collaborative mechanism of “pathogen inhibition-intestinal barrier repair-immune regulation-metabolic improvement”.
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摘要  

新生犊牛因胃肠道屏障功能未成熟和免疫系统发育不全,极易受到各种肠道病原体的感染,由此引发的新生犊牛腹泻已成为畜牧业的重大健康挑战。这不仅导致犊牛生长受阻,且会造成严重的经济损失。犊牛腹泻的致病机制复杂,涉及感染性与非感染性因素。病毒(如牛轮状病毒、冠状病毒)、细菌(如肠毒素性大肠杆菌、沙门氏菌)和寄生虫(如隐孢子虫)等病原微生物通过破坏肠绒毛上皮细胞、分泌毒素或侵袭淋巴组织引发肠道损伤。非感染性因素包括母体营养失衡、初乳摄入不足、环境应激及饲养管理不当等。尽管抗生素长期用于临床治疗,但滥用现象已引发细菌耐药性增强、肉品抗生素残留等公共卫生问题,因此探索安全有效的替代疗法迫在眉睫。近年来,益生菌凭借改善肠道微环境、增强机体免疫力等优势,已被开发为提升动物健康与生产性能的新型制剂。通过补充益生菌维持肠道菌群稳态以防治犊牛腹泻,正成为该领域的新兴研究方向。研究发现,益生菌可通过多途径发挥治疗作用:在抑制病原体方面,可竞争黏附位点、分泌抗菌物质以降低病原体丰度;在增强肠屏障功能方面,能调节紧密连接蛋白表达,减少肠黏膜通透性;免疫调节方面,可抑制促炎因子释放,促进免疫球蛋白分泌;在代谢调节中,其发酵产生的短链脂肪酸为肠上皮细胞供能,并调节肠道 pH 值,同时促进营养物质转运蛋白表达以改善吸收。综上,本综述系统整合了多因素致病路径,揭示益生菌通过 “抑制病原 - 修复屏障 - 调节免疫 - 改善代谢” 的多维度协同机制,展现出优于传统抗生素的安全性与有效性,证实单一或复合益生菌在调节菌群多样性及缩短病程中的优势。未来研究可聚焦菌株特异性筛选及作用靶点的分子机制解析,推动益生菌在犊牛腹泻防治中的精准应用。



Abstract  Neonatal calves exhibit heightened susceptibility to infections caused by various gut microbiota, primarily due to their immature gastrointestinal barrier functions and underdeveloped immune systems during the pre-weaning period.  Calf diarrhea poses a significant risk to the health of juvenile ruminants and can result in substantial financial losses within the livestock sector.  Therefore, diarrhea is a significant disease that requires improved management practices and preventive measures in cattle rearing.  Antibiotics are commonly administered to combat diarrhea and promote calf growth.  However, their misuse has led to increased bacterial resistance and higher levels of antibiotic residues in meat.  Consequently, finding advanced and alternative ways to treat newborn calf diarrhea for enhanced livestock production and public health is a significant challenge.  Probiotic administration can offer significant advantages such as improving the internal microenvironment of the gut and enhancing the host’s immune response, thereby reducing the likelihood of gastrointestinal diseases.  Additionally, probiotic supplements have been formulated as alternatives to antibiotic treatment to upgrade animal health and productivity, and are essential for maintaining the balance of the gut microbiota.  The treatment of calves with probiotic supplementation has emerged as a significant area of research.  This review highlights the research progress on the pathogenesis of neonatal calf diarrhea and the mechanism of action of probiotics to provide new insights into the prevention and treatment of diarrhea in calves.

Keywords:  neonatal calf diarrhea       pathogenesis        gut microbiota        probiotics        mechanism of action  
Received: 08 April 2025   Accepted: 05 June 2025 Online: 29 July 2025  
Fund: 

The study was supported by the 14th Five-Year Plan of National Key R&D Program of China (2023YFD1801304-8), 
the 2026 Xizang Autonomous Region Science and Technology Project - Key Research and Development and Transformation Special Project, China (XZ202601ZY0136-3), the Henan Provincial Natural Science Foundation Youth Fund, China (262300422097), and the Postdoctoral Fellowship Program of China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (CPSF) (GZC20230718).

About author:  #Correspondence Aoyun Li, E-mail: aoyunli@sina.cn; Fang Liu, E-mail: liufang.vet@henau.edu.cn; Hongyu Dai, E-mail: hongyud@henan.edu.cn * These authors contributed equally to this study.

Cite this article: 

Shuyao Zhu, Shuhao Bian, Liangliang Li, Mudassar Iqbal, Faisal Ayub Kiani, Abdul Asim Farooq, Haiju Dong, Xiangqian Zhang, Hongyu Dai, Fang Liu, Aoyun Li. 2026. Current insights into neonatal calf diarrheal etiology and the therapeutic role of probiotics. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 25(9): 3511-3526.

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