0105 Serum and colostrum antibody titers in Holstein cows, and the relationship between these titers and serum antibody titers in their calves

McLean, D. J.; Chapman, J. D.; Woolums, A.; Hurley, D. J.; Ely, L. O.

Vaccination of cows in late gestation is sometimes used to improve maternal antibody titers in their calves. However, scant published research has reported the relationship between serum antibody titers to specific infectious agents in vaccinated cows, the colostrum of these cows, and the serum of calves consuming their colostrum. As part of a larger study, the relationship between cow serum and colostrum antibody titers and calf titers was evaluated. Fifty-four multiparous Jersey and Jersey-cross cows were vaccinated between dry-off and calving with commercially available vaccines containing bovine herpesvirus-1 (BHV-1), bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV), bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV), rotavirus, coronavirus, E. coli J-5, and Salmonella siderophore receptor and porin (SRP); blood was collected at dry off, mid-dry, and at calving. Calves born to enrolled cows were fed colostrum from only their dams; calf serum was collected at 7 and 30 d of life. Antibody titers against agents in the vaccine were measured in serum and colostrum of cows by standard neutralizing techniques or ELISA, and correlations between cow serum antibodies at 30 d before calving, cow colostrum, and calf serum antibodies at 7 d of life were evaluated. Correlations between cow serum antibodies and colostrum antibodies for different agents were significant (P < 0.05) but only moderately strong (Pearson correlation coefficient [PCC] range: 0.32–0.7), and varied for different agents. Similarly, correlations between cow colostrum antibodies and calf serum antibodies were usually significant, but only moderate (PCC range: 0.36–0.77). The R(2) value for the correlation between colostrum antibodies and calf antibodies ranged from 0.11–0.59, indicating that for most agents, the colostrum antibody titer to a given agent did not explain a majority of variation in the calf serum antibody titer to that agent. Antibody titers to specific agents in cows are significantly, but not strongly, correlated with their colostrum antibody titers, and colostrum antibody titers are significantly but not strongly, related to antibody titers in calves. These data suggest that, in addition to maternal antibody concentration, other factors have an important impact on serum antibody titers to specific infectious agents in young dairy calves.