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| Author(s): |
Alice Poggi Brandão
Total Authors: 1
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| Document type: | Master's Dissertation |
| Press: | Botucatu. 2017-01-06. |
| Institution: | Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp). Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia. Botucatu |
| Defense date: | 2016-12-19 |
| Advisor: | Reinaldo Fernandes Cooke |
| Abstract | |
Dairy cows undergo several physiological and metabolic changes during the transition period. (Grummer, 1995; Drackley, 1999). These changes impair the immune function and cows become more susceptible to infectious and metabolic diseases (Mallard et al., 1998). Omnigen-AF® (OMN) is a commercial feed ingredient that has been shown to modulate the immune response in livestock animals (Wang et al., 2009). Aiming to evaluate the potential of OMN as a feed additive for transition dairy cows, this study compared physiological, health, and productive parameters in dairy cows supplemented or not with OMN during the transition period. Thirty-eight non-lactating, multiparous, pregnant Holstein × Gir cows were ranked by body weight (BW) and body condition score (BCS), and assigned to receive (OMN; n = 19) or not (CON; n = 19) 56 g/cow daily (as-fed basis) of OMN beginning 35 d prior to expected calving date. Omnigen was individually offered to cows as top-dressing into the morning concentrate feeding. Before calving, cow BW and BCS were recorded weekly and blood samples collected every 5 d beginning on d -35 relative to expected calving date. After calving and until 46 DIM, BW and BCS were recorded weekly. Individual milk production was recorded and milk samples were collected daily for total solids and SCC analyses. Blood was sampled daily from 0 to 7 DIM, every other day from 9 to 21 DIM, and every 5 d from 26 to 46 DIM. All blood samples were evaluated for cortisol, non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), insulin, glucose, haptoglobin and IGF-1. On 30 and 46 DIM, cows were evaluated for endometritis via cytobrush technique, based on the % of polymorphonuclear (PMN) cells within 100 total cell count (PMN + endometrial cells). On 48.7 ± 1.6 DIM, 9 cows/treatment received a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) injection (0.25 μg/kg of BW), and blood was sampled hourly from -2 to 8 h, at 12-h intervals from 12 to 72 h, and at 24-h intervals form 96 to 120 h relative to LPS administration at hour 0. Blood samples collected during the LPS challenge were analyzed for haptoglobin and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α). No treatment differences were detected on BW (P ≥ 0.15), BCS (P ≥ 0.55), serum concentrations of cortisol, NEFA, insulin, glucose, haptoglobin, cortisol, and IGF-I. Cows receiving the OMN diet had greater milk yield (30.3 vs. 27.1 kg/d, P = 0.02) and percentage of PMN cells in endometrial cell population (12.2 vs. 3.9%, P = 0.04) compared with CON cows. After LPS administration, OMN cows had greater (P = 0.04) mean serum haptoglobin (212 vs. 94 µg/mL, for OMN and CON, respectively), as well as greater (P ≤ 0.04) plasma concentrations of TNF-α at 1, (1.34 vs. 2.35 ng/mL for OMN e CON respectively), 2 (0.79 vs. 2.01 ng/mL, for OMN e CON respectively) and 3h (0.41 vs. 1.34 ng/mL, for OMN e CON respectively) relative to LPS injection. In conclusion, supplementing Omnigen-AF® during the transition period increased plasma concentrations of innate immunity markers and increased milk yield of transition dairy cows. (AU) | |
| FAPESP's process: | 15/05536-1 - Omnigen-AF® supplementation for dairy cows during transition period and early lactation: metabolic and immune impacts |
| Grantee: | Alice Poggi Brandão |
| Support Opportunities: | Scholarships in Brazil - Master |