Efficacy of Hyperimmune Bovine Colostrum for Prophylaxis of Cryptosporidiosis in Neonatal Calves

• DOI: 10.2307/3282595
• Publication Date: 2006-05-06T09:16:40Z
• Authors: R. Fayer; C. Andrews; B. L. P. Ungar; B. Blagburn
• Keywords: 0303 health sciences; Colostrum; Antibodies, Protozoan; Cattle Diseases; Cryptosporidiosis; Cryptosporidium; Coccidia; Immunoglobulin A; 3. Good health; 03 medical and health sciences; Animals, Newborn; Immunoglobulin M; Immunoglobulin G; Animals; Cattle; Female; Immunity, Maternally-Acquired

Twelve neonatal calves were experimentally infected with oocysts of Cryptosporidium parvum. Six calves in group A fed hyperimmune colostrum at birth had significantly less diarrhea and shed oocysts for less time than did 6 calves in group B fed colostrum from cows that were not hyperimmune. Calves in group A had diarrhea for 0-4 days (means = 2.3 days), whereas calves in group B had diarrhea for 4-6 days (means = 5.0 days). Calves in group A shed oocysts for 4-9 days (means = 6.2 days), whereas calves in group B shed oocysts for 7-11 days (means = 8.5 days). These findings indicate that passive lacteal immunity conferred partial protection against cryptosporidiosis. Whether such protection was provided by the immunoglobulins that were highly elevated in the colostrum (greater than 1:200,000 for IgG1, IgM, and IgA) and constituted a large part of the circulating antibody in the calves, or by other biologically active factors, such as cytokines, is undetermined.