Low colostrum immunoglobulin G concentration in Saanen dams with seropositive to caprine arthritis encephalitis virus infection without affecting kid growth rate

Abstract

Caprine arthritis encephalitis (CAE) is one of the most pervasive diseases and causes economic damages both to health and milk production. Data on colostral quality and kids’ growth rate of CAE-seropositive CAE dams is limited. The aims of the present study were, 1) to investigate the general components including insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), immunoglobulin G (IgG) and Vitamin A (Vit A) in colostrum and 2) to determine the effect of the separation of kids born from CAE-seropositive mothers and fed heat-processed colostrum and milk on the growth rate of the kids of Saanen goats. The colostrum of dams with CAE-seronegative (CONT) group (n = 5) and CAE-seropositive (CAE) group (n = 6) was collected within 3 hours of parturition for analysis. The results showed that protein and IgG concentrations in the colostrum of the CAE group was significantly lower than those of the CONT group. However, no differences were found in colostral IGF-1 and Vit A concentrations or in the body weights of kids at birth and at 28 days old between both groups. It is concluded that CAE-seropositive dams secreted colostrum of lower quality and immunity and feeding milk from other goats showed no negative effects on a kid’s growth rate.