Factors associated with the concentration of immunoglobulin G in the colostrum of dairy cows

Abstract

Transfer of sufficient immunoglobulin G (IgG) to the neonatal calf via colostrum is vital to provide the calf with immunological protection and resistance against disease. The objective of the present study was to determine the factors associated with both colostral IgG concentration and colostral weight in Irish dairy cows. Fresh colostrum samples were collected from 704 dairy cows of varying breed and parity from four Irish research farms between January and December 2011; colostral weight was recorded and the IgG concentration was determined using an ELISA method. The mean IgG concentration in the colostrum was 112 g/l (s.d. 5 51 g/l) and ranged from 13 to 256 g/l. In total, 96% of the samples in this study contained .50 g/l IgG, which is considered to be indicative of high-quality colostrum. Mean colostral weight was 6.7 kg (s.d. 5 3.6 kg) with a range of 0.1 to 24 kg. Factors associated with both colostral IgG concentration and colostral weight were determined using a fixed effects multiple regression model. Parity, time interval from calving to next milking, month of calving, colostral weight and herd were all independently associated with IgG concentration. IgG concentration decreased ( P , 0.01) by 1.7 (s.e. 5 0.6) g/l per kg increase in the colostral weight. Older parity cows, cows that had a shorter time interval from calving to milking, and cows that calved earlier in spring or in the autumn produced colostrum with higher IgG concentration. Parity ( P , 0.001), time interval from calving to milking ( P , 0.01), weight of the calf at birth ( P , 0.05), colostral IgG concentration ( P , 0.01) and herd were all independently associated with colostral weight at the first milking. Younger parity cows, cows milked earlier post-calving, and cows with lighter calves produced less colostrum. In general, colostrum quality of cows in this study was higher than in many previous studies; possible reasons include use of a relatively low-yielding cow type that produces low weight of colostrum, short calving to colostrum collection interval and grass-based nutritional management. The results of this study indicate that colostral IgG concentration can be maximised by reducing the time interval between calving and collection of colostrum.

IgG1 variations in the colostrum of Holstein dairy cows

“…These variations are well known and confirm that a per-herd average IgG1 concentration value is not sufficient to gauge the quality of colostrum produced. The milk yield of cows in the present experiment (8400 kg) was similar the 9079 kg value reported by Pritchett et al (1991) but much higher than the 5256 kg reported by Conneely et al (2013), which may at least partially explain the difference in mean IgG1 value between these studies. Differences in lab analysis techniques and/or sample preparations may also partly explain part of the differences in mean IgG1 value between studies, along with breed and/or nutritional management (Conneely et al, 2013).…”

“…The milk yield of cows in the present experiment (8400 kg) was similar the 9079 kg value reported by Pritchett et al (1991) but much higher than the 5256 kg reported by Conneely et al (2013), which may at least partially explain the difference in mean IgG1 value between these studies. Differences in lab analysis techniques and/or sample preparations may also partly explain part of the differences in mean IgG1 value between studies, along with breed and/or nutritional management (Conneely et al, 2013). The length of calving to collection interval has also been proposed to explain differences between animals and/or studies, but the interval here was very short as all cows were milked within 2 h of calving.…”

The Impact of Season, Parity, and Volume of Colostrum on Holstein Dairy Cows Colostrum Composition

“…Season of calving, parity, dry period length [4] [5], volume of colostrum [3] [5] [6] heat stress [7] [8] [9] and maternal feeding during the dry period [10] [4] [11] have been suggested to influence colostral composition. In a recent study by [5], samples of spring and fall colostrum were found to have the lowest and the highest levels of IgG, respectively. Some studies reported colostrum IgG content to increase with increasing parity [1] [4].…”

Questionnaire identifying management practices surrounding calving on spring-calving dairy farms and their associations with herd size and herd expansion

“…Colostrum quality is influenced by the cow directly, as well as on-farm management during collection, storage and feeding. Cows that produce greater milk volumes, as well as younger parity cows, tend to produce colostrum of reduced quality (Conneely et al, 2013). In terms of management, a delay in collection of colostrum from the cow, pooling of colostrum, general poor hygiene, as well as warm storage conditions can result in poorer quality colostrum (Stewart et al, 2005;Godden, 2008;Conneely et al, 2013).…”

“…Cows that produce greater milk volumes, as well as younger parity cows, tend to produce colostrum of reduced quality (Conneely et al, 2013). In terms of management, a delay in collection of colostrum from the cow, pooling of colostrum, general poor hygiene, as well as warm storage conditions can result in poorer quality colostrum (Stewart et al, 2005;Godden, 2008;Conneely et al, 2013). Additionally, colostrum feeding management protocols such as inadequate volume of colostrum fed to the neonate and delayed timing of the calf's first feed can adversely affect calf immunity (Weaver et al, 2000;Beam et al, 2009;Conneely et al, 2014).…”