PSXIV-7 - Physiological Responses to Caprine Cocidiosis During a 100-year Rain Even in Oklahoma: An Opportunistic Case Study with Implications for Climate Change and Clinical Diagnosis

Abstract: The interaction between inclement weather and disease acquisition is a long-recognized relationship. In the case of coccidiosis, a parasitic infestation of the intestines, wet weather is known to promote incidences in livestock. Our opportunistic investigation took place at Langston University’s American Institute for Goat Research (Langston, Oklahoma). It tracks the response of 38 hematalogical variables to coccidiosis in goats during a 100 year rain event in Oklahoma. Six variables increased significantly as days on pasture rose (P = 0.001 – 0.031). Further, creatine (P = 0.059), hematocrit (HCT; P = 0.054) and lymphocyte count (P = 0.053) were marginally related to days on pasture. Twenty-Seven measurements changed significantly (each with P < 0.01). Our results suggest a potentially patterned response of blood chemistries that may be developed into a clinical tool in the future. Further, these provide warnings for producers of the risks for animal health associated with growing incidences of excessively wet weather related to climate change.