Abstract
The absorption of maternal antibodies associated with colostrum feeding is critical to the health of calves. Multiple assays have been described to assess serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) concentrations in calves. However, none are ideal for routine use on farms. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reliability of a new commercially available immunoassay and portable analyzer for measuring serum IgG concentrations in dairy calves. Serum from 100 Holstein calves that had received colostrum was collected for this study. Immunoglobulin G concentrations were run on each calf using both the rapid immunoassay method and radial immunodiffusion assay. Serum IgG concentrations in calves from this study ranged from 460 to 3,640mg/dL (mean ± SD: 1,515±71) as measured by radial immunodiffusion and 402 to 3,586mg/dL (mean 1,473±70) as measured by the immunoassay. Based on regression analysis, the automated results closely paralleled those obtained by radial immunodiffusion with a coefficient of determination value of 0.98. Based on the results of this study, the immunoassay technique using the portable analyzer represents a reliable method that can be run within 15min and provide an accurate serum IgG level. Although the cost is not insignificant, this assay could be easily implemented on a dairy farm to help monitor transfer of passive immunity.
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