Randomized field trial on the effects of body weight and short transport on stress and immune variables in 2‐ to 4‐week‐old dairy calves

Abstract

Background Whether underweight calves respond differently to transport stress, enhancing their disease risk, is currently unknown. Objective To determine the effects of low body weight and transport stress on immune variables. Animals Twenty‐one 2‐ to 4‐week‐old male Holstein calves, housed on a commercial farm. Methods Randomized clinical trial. Full factorial design with 4 treatment groups: low body weight (≤46 kg)/no transport (LOWCON); low body weight/transport (LOWTRANS); normal body weight (>46 kg)/no transport (NORMCON), and normal body weight/transport (NORMTRANS). Transport duration was 2 hours. Results Transport significantly increased serum cortisol concentration (77.8 μg/mL; 95% confidence interval [CI], 37.8‐131.6; P < .001), interleukin (IL)‐17A (344.9 pg/mL; 95% CI, 32.2‐556.5; P = .04), and tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) (218.2 pg/mL; 95% CI, 32.5‐368.3; P = .03) production after lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation. Body weight did not affect any of the studied variables. However, the interaction of transport and body weight was significant. LOWTRANS calves showed increased monocyte count (2.0 × 10 9 /L; 95% CI, 0.6‐4.2; P < .05) and interleukin IL‐17A production (106.0 pg/mL; 95% CI, 4.2‐306.9; P = .03) compared to normal weight calves and increased TNF‐α production (275.6 pg/mL; 95% CI, 2.6‐463.0; P = .02) compared to LOWCON calves in unstimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) after transport. Conclusion and Clinical Importance These findings contribute to our understanding of increased disease susceptibility of underweight calves when transported. Gamma globulin concentration was identified as important interfering factor in studies on immune variables in neonatal calves.

Effects of pre-transport diet, transport duration and transport condition on immune cell subsets, haptoglobin, cortisol and bilirubin in young veal calves

“…This difference might reflect the activation of the immune system to redistribute more T cells from the secondary lymphoid organ into the peripheral blood. Masmeijer et al [ 49 ] indicated that, in young calves between 14 and 28 days of age, transport-related higher glucocorticoids may cause a robust leukocyte redistribution by inducing increased expression of surface receptors (e.g. CD172a, CD11a) on stress-activated monocytes.…”

“…Transport stress might also lead to other shifts in immune cell subsets, including an increase in monocytes, eosinophils and basophils [ 27 , 54 ]. In fact, transport of young calves (14 until 28 days of age) is associated with an increased production in glucocorticoids, which can cause a robust leukocyte redistribution [ 49 ]. This general mechanism of redistribution may also explain the current effects of the conditioned truck on total WBC and some of the related cells.…”

Effect of aerosolized bacterial lysate on development of naturally occurring respiratory disease in beef calves

“…24 Stressed cattle can have increased levels of inflammatory cytokines, acute phase proteins, and neutrophils. [25][26][27][28][29][30] In cattle, dexamethasone and corticotrophin-releasing hormone trigger acute phase responses that amplify the response to inflammatory stimuli 28,31 and reduce neutrophil clearance. 32 Similarly, viruses stimulate inflammation.…”

Effects of the Administration of a Non-specific Immune Stimulant Around Transportation on Health and Performance of Jersey and Jersey-Cross Heifer Calves During the Rearing Period: Randomized Clinical Trial

“…It is somewhat surprising that HS results were so low, especially following transportation. Transportation is a major cause of stress in calves ( 32 – 34 ), and has been associated with increased prevalence of diseases, especially respiratory diseases ( 14 , 15 ). However, the differences from our results to previous reports are likely explained by the fact that calves in our study received adequate amounts of good quality colostrum, were housed individually, and were transported at a very young age.…”

“…A review by Van Engen and Coetzee ( 14 ) described the intricate role of transportation on immune suppression and increased inflammation, pre-disposing feedlot cattle to pneumonia. Transportation increases disease susceptibility of calves ( 15 ) and performing preventive interventions before transportation is associated with enhanced health and performance after transportation ( 16 ). However, vaccinations and metaphylaxis are often performed after transportation ( 17 ).…”