A Study of Association Between Elisa Response to Infectious Disease Agents and Calving Interval in Cattle in the Tropics of México

Abstract

Forty eight cows of Holstein-Zebu crosses with at least one completed pregnancy were tested for antibodies to 20 disease agents. The testing was performed within one month (average two weeks) after calving when the IgG level constantly reaches its lowest value during the cows reproductive cycle. The results indicate that increasing levels of IgG against Leptospira interrogans serovar hardjo and Mycobacterium paratuberculosis may be associated with an increased calving interval. Increase in calving intervals could not be explained by age of cows or their genotypic characteristics.