Effects of metabolic and immunological conditions of dairy cows during the transition period and early lactation on productive and reproductive performance

• Grant number: 12/24523-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: April 30, 2013
• End date: October 29, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Animal Reproduction
• Principal Investigator: Ed Hoffmann Madureira
• Grantee: Milton Maturana Filho
• Supervisor: Ricardo Carbonari Chebel
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Minnesota (U of M), United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 10/06827-6 - Effects of metabolic and hormonal conditions of dairy cows during the transition period and ealry lactation on productive and reproductive performance, BP.DR

Abstract

Disorders related to metabolism that occur in the production cycle of the dairy cows are more frequent during the transition period and early lactation and affect the immune status, which can compromise the productive and reproductive performance of animals (GONZÁLES et al., 2000; MATURANA SON, 2009). The complexity of the issue and its implications, especially economic, require the development of experimental models that explain and assist in the development and implementation of new management techniques for the dairy herd.This study will aim to measure changes in the immunological profile of dairy cows during the peripartum and quantify the effects of these variations on the productive and reproductive performance. Another objective of this research project is in partnership training and learning laboratory techniques and strategies aimed at improving the health and immune status of cows during the peripartum.The experiment and analysis will be conducted in partnership with the research group of Dr. Ricardo Chebel in New Sweden Dairy Farm, University of Minnesota, between April and September 2013.Evaluations will be conducted from pre-birth until the 2nd insemination, around 100 days of lactation, in times of biological relevance, as the figures below. The points used will be the same experiments conducted in Brazil.The animals will be distributed, retrospectively, in accordance with the productive potential at the peak of lactation and in accordance with the extreme values of a variable of greatest relevance in the immune health of peripartum cows. (AU)