The following information is very valuable.
It's a wise person that can take data applied in one area/application and transfer/apply it to another/new area like honeybees!
http://www.merricks.com/intestinal.htm#management
Ingredients/Supplements
Many ingredients and products are now available that demonstrate beneficial effects in the calf's digestive tract. The following list provides a brief description of several of the more common ingredients or supplements fed to calves to enhance or complement digestive and absorptive functions.
Direct-Fed Microbials (DFMs). DFMs are beneficial organisms that colonize in the digestive tract, produce organic acids and other beneficial compounds and compete against pathogens. A wide variety of organisms are used as DFMs. The primary DFMs used to colonize the small intestine are lactic acid bacteria (LAB). They are very rapid colonizers in the small intestine and compete very effectively against pathogens such as E coli. LAB have also been shown to enhance the production of protective mucin in the small intestine.
Fructooligosaccharides (FOS). FOS are naturally occurring plant sugars that provide a source of nutrients for beneficial bacteria in the large intestine such as Bifidobacteria. FOS have been shown to increase volatile fatty acid (VFA) production in the large intestine and improve calcium and magnesium absorption. FOS cannot be digested by the animal or by pathogenic bacteria.
Mannan oligosaccharides (MOS). Mannan oligosaccharides contain yeast cell wall fragments. These fragments contain mannans which competitively bind gram negative bacteria, preventing their attachment to the intestinal mucosa. Since mannans are not digestible in the intestine, the bound pathogen likely passes through the digestive tract. MOS may also stimulate antibody production and enhance intestinal structure and function.
Plant extracts/spices. This group of feed ingredients includes allicin (garlic extract) and a variety of spices. These ingredients vary in their modes of action but proposed activities include stimulation of digestive enzymes, antimicrobial activity, immune stimulation, improved VFA production and feed intake enhancement.
Animal Plasma. Animal plasma is obtained by centrifuging whole blood into its major components, plasma and blood cells. The two main types of animal plasma are bovine (ruminant) and porcine (swine). These products provide a source of both protein and immunoglobulins, primarily IgG and are usually added to milk or milk replacer. In the digestive tract, IgG has a direct affect on pathogens and may also have a direct effect on the intestinal mucosa.
Glutamine/Glutamate are amino acids that have been shown to improve villi height and overall intestinal morphology during periods of stress and following injury. Both glutamine and glutamate provide a local fuel source for enterocytes, the absorptive cells of intestinal villi.
References and Reviews
1. Austgen, L; Bowen, R.A; Rouge, M. Pathophysiology of the digestive system. Colorado State University. 2001. http:/arbl.cvmbs.colostate.edu/hbooks.
2. Ayabe, T., D.P. Satchell, C.L.Wilson, etc. Secretion of microbicidal alpha-defensins by intestinal Paneth cells in response to bacteria. Nature Immunol 1: 113-118, 2000.
3. Fisher, E.W.; McEwan, A.D. Death in neonatal calf diarrhoea. Pt. II: The role of oxygen and potassium. Br. Vet. J. 123:4-7, 1967.
4. Hecht, G. Innate mechanisms of epithelial host defense: spotlight on intestine. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 227:C351-C358, 1999
5. Heinrichs, A.J., C.M. Jones, B.S. Heinrichs: Effects of mannan ologosaccharides or antibiotics in neonatal diets on health and growth of dairy calves. J Dairy Sci 86:4064-4069, 2003
6. Karam, S. Lineage commitment and maturation of epithelial cells in the gut. Frontiers in Bioscience 4:d286-298, 1999.
7. Lillard, J.R., P.N. Boyaka, O. Chertov, etc. Mechanisms for induction of acquired host immunity by neutrophil peptide defensins. Proc Natl Acad Sci 96:651-656,1999.
8. Stappenbeck, T.S., L.V. Hooper, J.I. Gordon: Developmental regulation of intestinal angiogenesis by indigenous microbes via paneth cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci Nov. 2002
9. Naylor, J.M: A retrospective study of the relationship between clinical signs and severity of acidosis in diarrheic calves. Can. Vet. J., 1989; 30:577-580.
10. Naylor, J.M: Severity and nature of acidosis in diarrheic calves over and under one week of age. Can. Vet. J., 1987; 28:168-173.
11. Tarver, A.P., D.P. Clark, G. Diamond, etc: Enteric beta-defensin: molecular cloning and characterization of a gene with inducible intestinal epithelial cell expression associated with cryptosporidium parvum infection. Infection and Immunity 66:1045-1056, 1998.
12. Tyler, Howard: Personal communication. Iowa State University, Ames Iowa.
I was using boluses from a local dairy, Ador Farms, to give to a calf with scours back in the late 60's to inocculate the calf digestive sytem when it had scours.
Now you know where I am doing my research!
Ernie