Relationship Between Bacteria Levels in Colostrum and Efficiency of Absorption of Immunoglobulin Gin Newborn Dairy Calves

Abstract

The dairy industry recognizes the necessity of providing adequate colostrum to newborn calves to obtain passive immunity. This aids in lowering the rate of disease and death amongst young calves. Bacteria in colostrum can interfere with the immunoglobulin G (IgG) absorption in newborn calves, potentially resulting in failure of passive transfer. Industry recommendations currently suggest bacteria levels in colostrum be <100,000 cfu/ml. However, there is some preliminary evidence (Johnson et al, 2007) to suggest that a lower cutpoint for bacteria levels may further enhance absorption of lgG. The study objectives were: 1) To describe the relationship between bacteria counts in colostrum and both apparent efficiency of absorption of lgG (AEA, %) and calf serum lgG concentrations (mg/ml) at 24 hours of age, and 2) Potentially provide evidence for determining an optimal recommended cutpoint for bacteria levels in colostrum that would maximize AEA of lgG.