Current Diagnostic Methods for Assessing Transfer of Passive Immunity in Calves and Possible Improvements: A Literature Review.

Rayanne Soalheiro De Souza,Fabiola De Oliveira Paes Leme,Isabela Oliveira Melo,Tiago Facury Moreira,Daiane Maria Cerqueira,Rodrigo Melo Meneses,Elias Jorge Facury-Filho,Lucas Braga Costa Dos Santos,Juliana Vieira Dumas,Antônio Ultimo De Carvalho

doi:10.3390/ani11102963

Rayanne Soalheiro De Souza, Fabiola De Oliveira Paes Leme + Show 8 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11102963

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Abstract

Simple SummaryThe transfer of passive immunity (TPI) from cows to calves needs to be routinely assessed on farms and in field research. The gold standard method for assessing TPI is radial immunodiffusion (RID) because it directly assesses the immunoglobulin G (IgG) concentration in calf serum samples. In addition to RID, there are several other methods available for the assessment of TPI which determine the concentration of IgG or other serum components. It is known that several components present in the colostrum are absorbed by the calves and aid passive immunity. We conducted a literature review of the methods scientifically reported by experts in the field.Several direct or indirect methods can be used to assess immunoglobulin G (IgG) concentrations in calves, which evaluates the transfer of passive immunity (TPI). Radial immunodiffusion (RID) is the gold standard method to measure serum IgG in bovines. Previous studies have shown that colostrum provides several molecules in addition to immunoglobulins, which play an important role in the passive immunity of the calf. However, no studies have yet determined the level of interference of these components in the immunity, health and survival of calves. In this sense, the objective of this study is to review the methods of evaluation available for the laboratory and field diagnosis of TPI in calves and discuss the main aspects of each technique. Several methods available for TPI evaluation in calves may provide insights into the various components of colostrum involved in passive immunity.

Highlights

The transfer of passive immunity (TPI) is defined as the absorption of the maternal immunoglobulin present in colostrum through the small intestine of the calf during the first 24 h after birth [1]
The biochemical analysis of the total proteins and fractions [14], total protein measurements using refractometry [6,15,16,17,18,19,20], BRIX using refractometry [15,18,19,20,21,22], the zinc sulfate turbidity test [7,14,23], and the sodium sulfite turbidity test [7,16] are available. Another method related to colostrum management is the biochemical analysis of the newborn calf serum, gamma glutamyltransferase (GGT), [1,14,24] since it allows for the evaluation of colostrum intake
Dunn et al [44] analyzed 10 48 h old calf and beef calf serum samples and found that, there was a high correlation between radial immunodiffusion (RID) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) (R2 = 0.97; p < 0.001), on average, the immunoglobulin G (IgG) values determined using RID were 1.8 higher than those determined by ELISA

Summary

Introduction

The transfer of passive immunity (TPI) is defined as the absorption of the maternal immunoglobulin present in colostrum through the small intestine of the calf during the first 24 h after birth [1]. The biochemical analysis of the total proteins and fractions [14], total protein measurements using refractometry [6,15,16,17,18,19,20], BRIX using refractometry [15,18,19,20,21,22], the zinc sulfate turbidity test [7,14,23], and the sodium sulfite turbidity test [7,16] are available Another method related to colostrum management is the biochemical analysis of the newborn calf serum, gamma glutamyltransferase (GGT), [1,14,24] since it allows for the evaluation of colostrum intake

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