Neonatal calf disorders Flashcards

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1
Q

top two calf disorders < 30 days of age, for dairy and beef? how common?

A
  • Calf diarrhea
  • Respiratory disease

> Over 23% of calves treated for diarrhea (highly variable)
Almost 22% of calves treated at least once for BRD Overall mortality was 3.5% (birth to 3 months)

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2
Q

general problems caused by calf diarrhea and resp disease?

A

-Cost (money, personnel, inefficient use of space etc)
-Delayed growth
-Reduced overall performance

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3
Q

what is colostrum? what does it contain?

A
  • Colostrum is the first mammary secretion produced after calving
  • Colostrum is a rich blend of nutrients, growth factors/hormones, and antimicrobial factors (immunoglobulins!)
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4
Q

immune function of colostrum; what is passive transfer of immunity?

A
  • Calves are born devoid of circulating immunoglobulins (Ig)…“Immunocompetent, but naïve”
  • The uptake of immunoglobulins from colostrum by the calf = Passive Transfer of maternal immunity
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5
Q

what is failure of passive transfer? what is its significance and threshold?

A
  • Failure to acquire maternal antibodies via colostrum (“Failure of Passive Transfer”, FPT) is a significant risk factor for development of sepsis
  • Calves with serum IgG levels < 1000 mg/dL (10 g/L) are at high risk for disease, and this level can be used as a definition for Failure of Passive Transfer (FPT).
  • FPT is the most important cause of morbidity and mortality in calves (Dairy and Beef) and probably also in crias (and foals!).
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6
Q

long term production impacts of failure of passive transfer?

A
  • Fewer calves with IgG <10g/L will survive
  • Diminished long-term performance is demonstrated by
    > decreased weaning weights in beef calves
    > decreased growth and milk production in dairy heifers
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7
Q

rule for calf colostrum consumption

A

Calves must ingest and absorb an adequate volume of good quality colostrum within the 1st 24 hrs of life.

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8
Q

newborn’s minimum requirement for colostrum immunoglobulin is:

A

80 – 150 g (fed <2h after birth)
* small birth weight calves require: 80–120g
* high birth weight calves require: 120–150g

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9
Q

Colostrum immunoglobulin concentrations of _______ required to achieve serum IgG concentration of ~10 g/L

A

Colostrum immunoglobulin concentrations of > 60 g/L are required to achieve serum IgG concentration of ~10 g/L

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10
Q

how many liters of colostrum does a holstein calf need? higher volumes given how?

A
  • ≥ 3-4 litres of colostrum (40-50 kg BWt Holstein calf)
  • Higher volumes given by esophageal tube via “spill over” into abomasum (calf rumen volume ≈ 400 ml)
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11
Q

Colostral Quality can be measured quickly via

A

Brix refractometry

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12
Q

how does serum IgG level change depending on how long it takes to feed the calf its colostrum?

A
  • impact of feeding on serum IgG drops off quickly over time
    > need to feed calf within first 6h to achieve serum IgG conc of 10g/L

> The Earlier The Better!

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13
Q

Risk Factors for FPT; calf factors

A
  • Timing of colostrum intake
    > Inability to stand
    > Inability to nurse
  • Malabsorption
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14
Q

Risk Factors for FPT; cow factors

A

Poor IgG in colostrum
* Parity
* Concentration of immunoglobulin in the colostrum is negatively correlated with the volume of milk produced
* Dripping prior to calving

  • Pooling colostrum from multiple sources
  • If nursing from dam:
    > Poor teat conformation
    > Rejection by cow
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15
Q

do cows or heifers pass on more IgG in colostrum?

A

cows

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16
Q

why can pooling colostrum from multiple sources be problematic? how do we prevent issues?

A

Colostrum immunoglobulin concentrations of > 60 g/L are required for best passive transfer
- most cows do not meet this threshold (maybe 15-20%?) so we would rather just take from the best
>we need to measure antibodies and only bank good quality

17
Q

methods of assessing passive transfer

A

1) Serum/plasma protein
2) Zinc sulfate turbidity
3) Sodium sulfite turbidity
4) Glutaraldehyde coagulation
5) Gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) level
6) Radial immunodiffusion

18
Q

why can we measure serum/ plasma protein to assess IgG? what points to an adequate threshold? things to watch out for?

A
  • IgG levels reflected in total protein TP >52 – 55 g/L = likely adequate passive
    transfer

if:
* Not dehydrated
* No in utero infection

19
Q

is protein determination a good test for passive transfer? advantages?

A
  • Overall, good test if clinical condition of calf is considered during interpretation.

Advantages:
* Cheap, easy, quick
* Can adjust cut-off based on risk management (ie. high genetic value… increase cut-off)

20
Q

Zinc sulfate turbidity pros and cons for passive transfer assessment

A
  • Semi-quantitative
  • Cheap, easy, quick
  • Generally underestimates Ig level
  • No advantage over total protein
21
Q

Sodium sulfite turbidity/ Glutaraldehyde coagulation pros and cons for passive transfer assessment

A
  • Cheap, easy
  • Underestimates Ig
    > Over-identification of FPT
22
Q

GGT Level pros and cons for passive transfer assessment

A
  • GGT present at high levels in colostrum
    > High GGT = colostral absorption
  • Included on routine biochemistry profile
  • More expensive, time consuming, longer turn-around time
23
Q

Radial Immunodiffusion pros and cons for passive transfer assessment

A
  • Direct quantification of immunoglobulins = “The Gold Standard”
  • Slow, expensive
24
Q

Treatment of FPT

A

Less than 18 hours (6hrs?) of age:
* Oral colostrum (fresh or frozen)
* Oral plasma
* IV plasma or whole blood
* (Oral Ig supplements = marginally effective)

  • If calf has nursed, ‘gut closure’ may occur earlier…therefore oral supplementation may be ineffective
25
Q

Colostrum supplementation; sources, pros and cons of these

A
  • Frozen colostrum (best 1st 2 milkings, store up to 1yr)
    > Caveat: mycobacterium (paratb)
  • Commercial dried bovine colostrum from cheese whey, slaughterhouse blood/serum, or dairy colostrum.
    > Easy to use, stable, of defined quality, and heat-treated for safety
    > Expensive, quality??, absorption??, trypsin inhibitors
25
Q

how to give transfer of immunity after 18h of age

A

Older than 18 hours of age:
* Intravenous whole blood
* Intravenous plasma

26
Q

summary of key point of colostrum: cut off for FPT, critical time for absorption, target volume and quality

A
  • Cut off for FPT 1000mg/dL (10g/L)
  • 0-6 hrs after birth critical for absorption
  • 3-4 L is target volume of colostrum (60g/L is good quality)
27
Q

summary of key points for colostrum: calf and dam factors for FPT, when to pool

A
  • Calf factors- can’t get up to nurse
  • Dam factors- teat confirmation and dam mood (beef)
  • Parity- important for quality and immunity
  • Higher milk production- lower quality colostrum
  • First milking better than later milkings
  • Only pool if greater than 60g/L