Short communication: Fractional milking distribution of immunoglobulin G and other constituents in colostrum

Abstract

The provision of quality colostrum with a high concentration of immunoglobulins is critical for newborn calf health. Because first colostrum may be low in overall concentration to effectively reduce the risk of newborn infections, we tested equivalent milking fractions of colostrum for possible IgG differences. The objective of this study was to determine if the fractional composition of colostrum changes during the course of milking with a focus on immunoglobulins. Twenty-four Holstein and Simmental cows were milked (first colostrum) within 4 h after calving. The colostrum of 1 gland per animal was assembled into 4 percentage fractions over the course of milking: 0 to 25%, 25 to 50%, 50 to 75%, and 75 to 100%. The IgG concentration among the various fractions did not change in any significant pattern. Concentration of protein, casein, lactose and somatic cell count remained the same or exhibited only minor changes during the course of fractional milking colostrum. We determined that no benefit exists in feeding any particular fraction of colostrum to the newborn.

Comparison of single radial immunodiffusion and ELISA for the quantification of immunoglobulin G in bovine colostrum, milk and calf sera

“…In the present study, a strong correlation was observed between the sRID and the ELISA method. In contrast to our findings, Gelsinger, Smith, et al (2015) reported a weaker relationship between a modified ELISA (Bethyl Laboratories, Montgomery, TX, USA); and the protocol described by Vetter et al (2013), and a commercially available sRID assay (Triple J Farms, Bellingham, WA, USA) when measuring colostrum (R 2 = 0.36; P = .01) and plasma IgG concentrations (R 2 = 0.59; P < .01), although these were still significant. The differences observed between these studies may be specific to the particular kits that were used.…”

“…Contrastingly, Lee et al (2008) demonstrated a modified ELISA (Bethyl Laboratories, Montgomery, TX, USA); and the protocol described by Vetter et al (2013) to exhibit a good agreement (94%) with a commercially available sRID assay (Triple J Farms, Bellingham, WA, USA). This may be a consequence of the specific test kits used, as there may be differences between IgG concentrations of standards supplied with kits depending on how they are quantified.…”

“…However, it is an expensive and time-consuming test, requiring an incubation period of 18-24 h. In contrast, ELISA method has a higher throughput, is less costly and analysis can be completed in a much shorter time (Lee et al 2008). Consequently, recent research has used ELISA method to quantify IgG levels in colostrum, plasma and sera (Vetter et al 2013;Baumrucker and Bruckmaier 2014;Gelsinger, Smith, et al 2015).…”

Separation of immunoglobulins from colostrum using methods based on salting-out techniques

“…The used ELISA procedure was adapted from the instructions and the protocol described by Vetter et al (2013). Samples of BC and BC fractions for this assay were diluted to get a final concentration of IgG1 in the range between 100 and 500 ng/g.…”

“…The composition of BC changes rapidly after parturition. The concentration of IgG in BC can be over 50 g/l (Godden 2008;Vetter et al 2013), while the concentration of IgG in cow's blood serum varies from 2.6 to 38 g/l (Gelsinger et al 2015) and in mature bovine milk its content is in the range of 0.6 g/l to 1 g/l (O'Mahony & Fox 2013).…”