Evaluation of Systemic Injury in Calves with Rotavirus-Induced Diarrhea Using Sensitive Biomarkers and Immunopathology

Q: What was the purpose of this study on rotavirus-infected calves?

To determine how selected biomarkers and immunopathology relate to lung and liver injury in neonate diarrheic calves naturally infected with rotavirus.

Q: How many calves were included, and how were samples obtained?

Fifty-two Simmental calves (40 rotavirus-infected and 12 healthy controls) aged 1–28 days were studied; 28 survived and the rest underwent necropsy for lung and liver histopathological and immunopathological evaluation.

Sep 30, 2026

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Rotavirus infection can exert systemic effects in human medicine, yet veterinary injury from rotavirus diarrhea has been regarded as largely intestinal, with broader systemic consequences unclear. This observational case–control study evaluated HSP-27, Caspase-3, IL-2, γ-H2AX, HMGB-1, SP-D, and GDH/GLDH as diagnostic biomarkers for lung and liver injury in naturally infected neonate diarrheic Simmental calves. Fifty-two calves (40 infected, 12 controls; 1–28 days) were analyzed via bovine ELISA and immunohistopathology, confirming organ lesions and demonstrating strong predictive diagnostic capacity.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time45 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Keywords

1. Introduction

Neonatal calf diarrhea and early injury detection

HMGB-1 and its role in inflammation

SP-D as a respiratory biomarker

GDH/GLDH and hepatic mitochondrial dysfunction

Article Evaluation of Systemic Injury in Calves with Rotavirus-Induced Diarrhea Using Sensitive Biomarkers and Immunopathology Murat Uztimür 1, Cennet Nur Ünal1, Muhammet Bahaddin Dörtbudak 2, Davide Bisanti 3, * and Alessandro Di Cerbo 4, * Academic Editor: Luigi Rosa Received: 21 November 2025 Revised: 10 December 2025 Accepted: 18 December 2025 Published: 20 December 2025 Copyright: © 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license. 1 Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Bingöl University, Bingol 12200, Türkiye; [muratuztimur@yahoo.com](muratuztimur@yahoo.com) (M.U.); [cnaltunboga@gmail.com](cnaltunboga@gmail.com) (C.N.Ü.) 2 Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Pathology, Harran University, ¸Sanlıurfa 63290, Türkiye; [mbdortbudak@gmail.com](mbdortbudak@gmail.com) 3 San Francesco Veterinary Clinic, 73016 San Cesario di Lecce, Italy 4 School of Biosciences and Veterinary Medicine, University of Camerino, 62024 Matelica, Italy * Correspondence: [dav.bisanti@gmail.com](dav.bisanti@gmail.com) (D.B.); [alessandro.dicerbo@unicam.it](alessandro.dicerbo@unicam.it) (A.D.C.) Abstract Studies in human medicine have demonstrated that rotavirus infection can also affect extraintestinal sites due to its systemic effects. However, in veterinary medicine, the injury caused by rotavirus diarrhea is limited to the intestines, and its effects on various systemic structures remain poorly understood. In this observational case–control study, we aimed to determine the effects of HSP-27, Caspase-3, IL-2, γ-H2AX, HMGB-1, SP-D, and GDH (or GLDH) on the pathogenesis of rotavirus infection by using biomarkers for diagnostic purposes in lung and liver injury in neonate diarrheic calves naturally infected with rotavirus, both alive and post-mortem. Fifty-two Simmental calves (1–28 days old) of both sexes, 40 infected with rotavirus and 12 healthy, were studied. Twenty-eight out of 40 survived, while the remainder underwent necropsy for histopathological and immunopathological (HSP-27, Caspase-3, IL-2, γ-H2AX) examination of the lungs and livers. Lung and liver-specific serum E-selectin, glutamate dehydrogenase, surfactant protein-D, and high mobility group box-1 were analyzed by a bovine-specific ELISA kit (Shanghai Coon Koon Biotech Co., Ltd., China) . Histopathological and immunohistochemical analyses confirmed lung and liver injury in naturally infected calves. HMGB-1, SP-D, and GDH concentrations were significantly higher in naturally infected calves than in the control group (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, and p < 0.05, respectively), showing an excellent diagnostic predictive capacity for lung and liver injury. Also, IL-2, HSP-27, CASP-3, and γ-H2AX were significantly expressed in the lungs (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p < 0.001, and p < 0.05, respectively) and liver (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p < 0.01, and p < 0.01, respectively) . All these observations led us to hypothesize that oxidative stress, apoptosis, and DNA damage may underlie the pathogenesis of this condition. Nevertheless, further studies on large populations of rotavirus-infected calves are needed to confirm the data reported in the current study. Keywords: calf; lung; liver; rotavirus; biomarker; histopathological; immunohistochemical 1. Introduction Neonatal calf diarrhea is a disease with high morbidity and mortality, has a multifactorial etiology, and is commonly observed in calves with an immature immune system [1,2] . Losses resulting from calf diarrhea can be minimized by treating the bacterial and parasitic agents that cause the disease, identifying the injury they cause to various organs, and detecting this injury early [3–5] . However, no studies have yet been conducted on the treatment of rotavirus, the early detection of the injury it causes to various organs, orthe pathogen

FAQs

What was the purpose of this study on rotavirus-infected calves?

To determine how selected biomarkers and immunopathology relate to lung and liver injury in neonate diarrheic calves naturally infected with rotavirus.

Which biomarkers were evaluated for diagnostic and mechanistic relevance?

HSP-27, Caspase-3, IL-2, γ-H2AX, HMGB-1, SP-D, and GDH/GLDH were assessed, using ELISA and immunopathological methods.

How many calves were included, and how were samples obtained?

Fifty-two Simmental calves (40 rotavirus-infected and 12 healthy controls) aged 1–28 days were studied; 28 survived and the rest underwent necropsy for lung and liver histopathological and immunopathological evaluation.

Sep 30, 2026

Upload by Himbo