colostrum

Question 1

what is colostrum

Answer 1

• first milk produced after partuition
• very high in IgG (also IgM and IgA)
• IgG actively absorbed via GIT

Question 2

how is maternal igG transferred into the neonate in rabbits and primates

Answer 2

ALL IgG transferred across the placenta

Question 3

how is maternal iGg transferred into the neonate in dogs and cats

Answer 3

both in utero and via colostrum

Question 4

how is maternal IgG transferred into cows, pigs, sheep and goats

Answer 4

all maternal IgG transferred via colostrum

Question 5

why is colostrum important to neonates

Answer 5

• animals receiving IgG solely via colostrum are hypogammaglobulinemic (immunologically naive, immature innate immune system, increased susceptibility to disease)
• protects against hypothermia (have low % of adipose tissue and cannot thermoregulate properly)

Question 6

why is colostrum important to neonates

Answer 6

gut health
- introcduces gut friendly microbes to stimulate the neonates immature digestive system

nutrition
- higher fat, protein, mineral and growth factor content compared to normal dam milk

immunity
- contains antibodies and other immune cells to reduce risk of infection and mortality rates

Question 7

what is the role of IgG

Answer 7

only Ig that can cross the placental barrier and confer passive immunity. absorbed across GIT to provide systemic protection
- 85-95% Ig

Question 8

what is the role of IgA

Answer 8

mucosal protection by prevention of pathogen attachment/colonisation and penetratin epithelial surfaces

Question 9

what is the role of IgM

Answer 9

first to interact with pathogens and causes agglutination of bacteria when it binds to their surface epitope

Question 10

how is colostral IgG absorbed by the GIT

Answer 10

• acheived by a process called pinocytosis
• cells engulf Ig’s from intestinal lumen and transfer across into lymphoreticular system
• enter the bloodstream intact (IgA later sent to mucosal surfaces, IgG remains in circulation
• IgG1 is re-secreted back into the GIT lumen
• pinocytotic cells have short life span and close at 24hrs of age

Question 11

why is it crucial to get colostrum into the neonate as soon as possible after birth

Answer 11

• pinocytic cells have a short life span
• gut is completely closed after 24 hrs
• absorptive capacity of pinocytic cells is massively declined by 12-16 hours post birth
• important to get colostrum in by 6 hours post birth at MINIMUM (legal requirement)
• ability to absorb reduced by 30% 6 hours post birth
• concentration of mother’s colostrum IgG decreases exponentially over first 24 hours after birth

Question 12

what is passive transfer

Answer 12

the process by which the neonate acquire immunity via absorption of immunoglobulina

Question 13

what is the difference between successful passive transfer and failure of passive transfer

Answer 13

successful passive transfer = neonate consumes an adequate amount of immunoglobulins
failure = deprived of adequate colostrum

Question 14

what are the 5 Qs of colostrum management

Answer 14

• quality
• quantity
• quickly
• quite clean
• quantify

Question 15

list sources of colostrum

Answer 15

• dam
• fresh but different dam from same holding and same disease/vax hx
• stored refrigerated or frozen
• replacer (not supplement, ensure has enough IgG)
• different animal species (risk of hemolytic anemia in lambs)

Question 16

list methods of delivering colostrum

Answer 16

• leave on dam (probably not sufficient for some)
• bottle feed (not bucket feed)
• tube feed

Question 17

neonates left with to suckle dam are how many more times likely to receive insufficient antibodies

Answer 17

2.4 times

Question 18

at what temperature should colostrum be fed

Answer 18

body temp (38 degrees)
or follow packet instructions

Question 19

how should colostrum be stored

Answer 19

• 1-2L (dont pool)
• refrigerate at 4 degrees max 48hours post collection, ideally only 24 hours
• freeze for max 1 year and thaw at over 50 degrees
• pasteurize then store

Question 20

what are the benefits of passive transfer

Answer 20

• short and long term health advantages
• reduces pre and post weanin mortality due to infectious disease
• increases daily live weight gain
• better feed efficiency conversion
• breeding animals have better fertility
• dairy cows, goats, and sheep have increase milk production in first and second lactation

Question 21

what are the implications of failure of passive transfer

Answer 21

• short and long term health problems
• impacts on longevity
• increased risk of diseases (esp neonatal scours and spesis)
• increased risk of mortality
• stunted growth and development

Question 22

how can you measure colostrum quality

Answer 22

• colostrometer (specific gravity directly related to IgG content)
• brix refractometer (measures protein fraction in colostrum to provide a decent correlation with IgG but not quantitiative

Question 23

what is a suitable measurement of colostrum on a brix refractometer

Answer 23

22% = 50mg/ml immunoglobulin
discard anything below 22

Question 24

how do you measure colostral antibody transfer

Answer 24

• brix refractometer can be used to measure protein fraction from a neonates serum sample
• foal IgG snap tests (over 800 mg/ml = good immunity)

Question 25

can you correct failure of passive transfer

Answer 25

• serum transfusion (limited to valuable animals)

Question 26

how does colostrum help to clear excess bilirubin from they body of a neonate

Answer 26

acts as a mild laxative to move meconium which helps clear excess bilirubin from the system

Question 27

what factors can affect the quality of colostrum

Answer 27

• premature/induced birth
• breed and age differences
• length of non-lactation period
• time from birth to milking/striping milk from mother (if above 9 hours post birth, IgG level in solostrum have declined)
• dilution effect (dairy cows have higher milk yields than beef cows which can dilute IgG levels)
• disease at partuition
• poor BCS (no energy to produce good colostrum)