Abstract
This study aimed to evaluate passive immunity transfer in healthy buffalo calves. Colostrum samples from heifers (without previous calving) and primiparous and pluriparous dams and blood samples from their offspring were obtained at calving, before colostrum intake, and at 24, 48, and 72 h after calving for determination of serum activities of gammaglutamyltransferase and alkaline phosphatase and serum concentrations of total protein (TP), immunoglobulin A (IgA) and IgG, and lactoferrin. The results were analyzed as repeated measures, and differences were considered statistically significant at P ≤ 0.05. Considering that the buffalo calves were born hypogammaglobulinemic (4.23 ± 0.33 mg/ml) and, at 24 h, the mean serum concentration of IgG was 34.5 ± 1.48 mg/ml, passive immunity transfer was successful. Moreover, colostrum IgG concentrations at 0 h were correlated with serum IgG concentrations at 24 h in buffalo calves. Additionally, TP concentrations were highly correlated with IgG in both colostrum at calving and blood in calves at 24 h. TP is recommended as a reliable indirect parameter to evaluate both colostrum quality and passive immunity transfer in buffalo calves.
Highlights
The water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) is a species that is important to Asian, Mediterranean, and South American societies because it is essential to the livelihood of many families in developing countries as a source of income and food safety
passive immunity transfer (PIT) is determined according to colostrum quality and calf absorption
The moment of colostrum intake, the method of administration, and the volume of colostrum are linked to calf absorption, whereas nutrition, breed, calving interval, dry-off period, and vaccination are determinants of colostrum quality
Summary
The water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) is a species that is important to Asian, Mediterranean, and South American societies because it is essential to the livelihood of many families in developing countries as a source of income and food safety. The most recent reports estimate a world population of 199 million animals, with 193,795,922 heads in Asian countries [1]. In South America, Brazil is the largest producer, with 1,381,345 heads, a milk production of 100 million L/year, and an estimated market value of USD 300 million [2]. The predominance of IgG is due to active and selective receptors in the epithelium of the mammary gland. These same receptors are present in the intestinal epithelial cells of calves and carry IgG through endocytosis in blood circulation [5]
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