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An Innovative Approach: The Usage of N-Acetylcysteine in the Therapy of Pneumonia in Neonatal Calves
by
, , , ,
Milan Ninković
1,*
,
Jadranka Žutić
1,
Aleksandra Tasić
1,
Sveta Arsić
2,
Jovan Bojkovski
2 and
Nemanja Zdravković
1 1
Scientific Institute of Veterinary Medicine of Serbia, Janisa Janulisa 14, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
2
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Belgrade, Bulevar Oslobodenja 18, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Animals 2024, 14(19), 2852; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14192852
Submission received: 2 August 2024
/
Revised: 30 September 2024
/
Accepted: 1 October 2024
/
Published: 3 October 2024
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Detection, Prevention and Treatment of Calf Diseases)
Simple Summary
Treatment of neonatal pneumonia with N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) in calves shortens the time to symptom resolution by 27 h. There is a lack of data on NAC usage for neonatal pneumonia in calves. However, previous research explored its usage in other animals with other indications in cattle. The effects of NAC on neonatal pneumonia in calves were investigated in 40 animals from different owners who accepted or refused the addition of NAC in the therapy protocol.
Abstract
NAC has mucolytic, antioxidant, and antimicrobial effects in living organisms. However, the therapeutic effects of NAC on clinical recovery among neonatal calves with respiratory diseases have not yet been studied. Our study represents the first investigation of the effects of NAC in neonatal calves with pneumonia. The objective of this work was to observe the effects of NAC in the treatment of neonatal pneumonia, including its ability to reduce the clinical score, shorten the duration of the treatment, and improve the overall health condition of neonatal calves. For this study, calves were divided into two groups: a treatment group that received NAC and amoxicillin with clavulanic acid, and a control group that received amoxicillin with clavulanic acid (antimicrobial only). The findings of this study indicate that NAC treatment significantly shortened the time to resolution (p < 0.001), compared to the results in the group without NAC treatment. Generally, NAC-supplemented therapy reduced the recovery time by more than 27 hours (or slightly more than one day), compared to that in the antimicrobial-only group. Our study presents the first reported usage of NAC in therapy for respiratory disorders.
Keywords:
calves; N-acetyl cysteine; pneumonia; therapy
