Master's Theses

Document Type

Thesis - campus only access

Date of Award

Fall 1994

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Biology

Advisor

Charles A. Ely

Abstract

Four hundred and ninety-four blood samples were drawn from Holstein-Friesian neonatal calves. Samples were taken pre-colostrum, post colostrums (day one), days two, three, four, five, six, seven, fourteen, and twenty-eight. The blood was centrifuged, serum was decanted and placed in appropriately labeled cryovials and frozen. Each serum sample was prepared for ion-exchange chromatography by dialyzing each sample and processing it through DE-52 medium, providing separation of serum IgG. The IgG sample was mixed with a protein assay reagent and a determination of protein concentration in the purified IgG sample was made based on absorbance at 562nm. Absorbance readings were read against a standard curve to provide a final serum protein concentration. Treatments evaluated for influence on the commencement of active immunity in neonates were: calving season, parity of the dam, vaccination of dam versus immunization of calf, and force-fed colostrums intake versus voluntary colostrums intake. The effects of treatments on serum protein concentration for individual days were analyzed using the General Linear Models program of SAS (1988). Results indicated that on days fourteen and twenty-eight, calves born in the winter and fall had greater (P<0.10) serum protein concentrations than those born during the spring, whereas serum protein concentrations of calves born in the summer were intermediate between the spring and fall/winter values. On day twenty-eight, calves that had voluntarily consumed colostrums displayed greater (P>0.10) the serum protein concentration of the calves. In addition, on day twenty-eight, calves born to vaccinated cows displayed greater (P<0.01) serum protein concentration than those orally vaccinated.

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Rights

© 1994 Barbara Binder-Elliott

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