Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-mkpzs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-24T17:02:59.307Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Lactoferrin concentrations in bovine milk prior to dry-off

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 July 2009

Kari A Newman
Affiliation:
Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA
Päivi J Rajala-Schultz*
Affiliation:
Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA
Jeffrey Lakritz
Affiliation:
Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA
Fred J DeGraves
Affiliation:
Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA
*
*For correspondence; e-mail: [email protected]

Abstract

Concentration of natural protective factors (NPFs) which have the ability to inhibit growth of mastitis-causing pathogens increase rapidly following the cessation of milking of dairy cows. One such NPF is lactoferrin, an iron-binding protein present in high concentrations in dry-cow secretions. Earlier studies have demonstrated that intermittent milking at the end of lactation increases levels of NPFs in milk and may decrease prevalence of intramammary infections at calving; however, most of these studies date back several decades and may not apply to current high-producing cows. The objective of this study was to assess whether an intermittent milking schedule prior to dry-off increases the concentration of lactoferrin in mammary secretions at the end of lactation and what other factors influence lactoferrin concentration at dry-off. One week prior to dry-off (pre-dry), cows were randomly assigned to an intermittent milking schedule or they continued to be milked twice daily. Duplicate quarter milk samples for microbiological culture were taken at pre-dry and at dry-off to determine infection status of quarters. Quarter somatic cell counts (SCC) were measured on the day of dry-off. Lactoferrin concentrations were quantified by ELISA. Intermittent milking, mean SCC for the last three months prior to dry-off, SCC at dry-off, lactoferrin concentration at pre-dry, quarter infection status at pre-dry and dry-off, days in milk at dry-off, breed, parity, cumulative milk yield for the final week of lactation and season were considered as potential explanatory variables. Their effect on lactoferrin concentration at dry-off was assessed using a mixed-effects linear regression model. Lactoferrin concentration increased significantly during the final week of lactation for cows on an intermittent milking schedule and was significantly associated with initial lactoferrin concentration and infection status at dry-off.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Proprietors of Journal of Dairy Research 2009

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Bushe, T & Oliver, SP 1987 Natural protective factors in bovine mammary secretions following different methods of milk cessation. Journal of Dairy Science 70 696704CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chaneton, L, Tirante, L, Maito, J, Chaves, J & Bussmann, LE 2008 Relationship between milk lactoferrin and etiological agent in the mastitic bovine mammary gland. Journal of Dairy Science 91 18651873CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cheng, JB, Wang, JQ, Bu, DP, Liu, GL, Zhang, CG, Wei, HY, Zhou, LY & Wang, JZ 2008 Factors affecting the lactoferrin concentration in bovine milk. Journal of Dairy Science 91 970976CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Concha, C 1986 Cell types and their immunological functions in bovine mammary tissues and secretions—a review of the literature. Nordic Veterinary Medicine 38 257272Google ScholarPubMed
Dingwell, RT, Kelton, DF & Leslie, KE 2003 Management of the dry cow in control of peripartum disease and mastitis. Veterinary Clinics Food Animals 19 235265CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dingwell, RT, Leslie, KE, Schukken, YH, Sargeant, JM, Timms, LL, Duffield, TF, Keefe, GP, Kelton, DF, Lissemore, KD & Conklin, J 2004 Association of cow and quarter-level factors at drying-off with new intramammary infection during the dry period. Preventive Veterinary Medicine 63 7589CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ellison, RT, Giehl, TJ & LaForce, FM 1988 Damage of the outer membrane of enteric Gram-negative bacteria by lactoferrin and transferrin. Infection Immunology 56 27742781CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gaunt, SN, Raffio, N, Kingsbury, ET, Damon, RA Jr, Johnson, WH & Mitchell, BA 1980 Variation of lactoferin and mastitis and their heritabilities. Journal of Dairy Science 63 18741880CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Green, MJ, Bradley, AJ, Medley, GF & Browne, WJ 2007 Cow, farm, and management factors during the dry period that determine the rate of clinical mastitis after calving. Journal of Dairy Science 90 37643776CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hagiwara, S, Kawai, K, Anri, A & Nagahata, H 2003 Lactoferrin concentrations in milk from normal and subclinical mastitic cows. Journal of Veterinary Medical Science 65 319323CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Harmon, RJ, Schanbacher, FL, Ferguson, LC & Smith, KL 1975 Concentration of lactoferrin in milk of normal lactating cows and changes occurring during mastitis. American Journal of Veterinary Research 37 10011007Google Scholar
Hurley, WL 1989 Mammary gland function during involution. Journal of Dairy Science 72 16371646CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kutila, T, Pyörälä, S, Kaartinen, L, Isomäki, R, Vahtola, K, Myllykoski, L & Saloniemi, H 2003 Lactoferrin and citrate concentrations are drying-off and during early mammary involution of dairy cows. Journal of Veterinary Medicine A 50 350353CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Natzke, RP, Everett, RW & Bray, DR 1974 Effect of drying off practices on mastits infection. Journal of Dairy Science 58 18281835CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nickerson, SC 1989 Immunological aspects of mammary involution. Journal of Dairy Science 72 16651678CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nonnecke, BJ & Smith, KL 1984a Biochemical and antibacterial properties of bovine mammary secretion during mammary involution and at parturition. Journal of Dairy Science 67 28632872CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nonnecke, BJ & Smith, KL 1984b Inhibition of mastitic bacteria by bovine milk apo-lactoferrin evaluated by in vitro microassay of bacterial growth. Journal of Dairy Science 67 606613CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Oliver, J, Dodd, FH & Neave, FK 1956 Udder infections in the dry period. III. The method of drying-off cows in the dry period. Journal of Dairy Research 23 197203CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oliver, SP 1987 Importance of the dry period in the control of intramammary infections by environmenatl pathogens. 26th Annual Meeting of National Mastitis Council, Inc., Orlando FL, USA, National Mastitis CouncilGoogle Scholar
Oliver, SP, Gonzalez, RN, Hogan, JS, Jayarao, BM & Owens, WE 2004 Microbiological procedures for the diagnosis of bovine udder infection and determination of milk quality. Verona WI, USA:National Mastitis CouncilGoogle Scholar
Oliver, SP, Shull, EP & Dowlen, HH 1990 Influence of different methods of milk cessation on intramammary infectioins during the periparturient period. International Symposium on bovine mastitis, Indianapolis IN, USA, National Mastitis Council, American Association of Bovine PractitionersGoogle Scholar
Oliver, SP & Sordillo, LM 1989 Approaches to the manipulation of mammary involution. Journal of Dairy Science 72 16471664CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rajala-Schultz, PJ, Hogan, JS & Smith, KL 2005 Short Communication: Association between milk yield at dry-off and probability of intramammary infections at calving. Journal of Dairy Science 88 577579CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schanbacher, FL, Goodman, RE & Talhouk, RS 1993 Bovine mammary lactoferrin: implications from messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) sequence and regulation contrary to other milk proteins. Journal of Dairy Science 76 38123831CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Smith, KL, Todhunter, DA & Schoenberger, PS 1985 Environmental pathogens and intramammary infection during the dry cow period. Journal of Dairy Science 68 402417CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sordillo, LM, Nickerson, SC, Akers, RM & Oliver, SP 1987 Secretion composition during bovine mammary involution and the relationship with mastitis. International Journal of Biochemistry 19 11651172CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sordillo, LM, Shafer-Weaver, K & DeRosa, D 1997 Immunobiology of the mammary gland. Journal of Dairy Science 80 18511865CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Soyeurt, H, Colinet, FG, Arnould, VMR, Dardenne, P, Bertozzi, C, Renaville, R, Portetelle, D & Gengler, N 2007 Genetic variability of lactoferrin content estimated by mid-infrared spectrometry in bovine milk. Journal of Dairy Science 90 44434450CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Torres, AH, Rajala-Schultz, PJ & DeGraves, FJ 2009 Diagnosis of intramammary infections at dry-off based on sampling strategy, epidemiology of pathogens and agreement beyond chance. Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation 21: July, in pressCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Welty, FK, Smith, KL & Schanbacher, FL 1976 Lactoferrin concentration during involution of the bovine mammary gland. Journal of Dairy Science 59 224231CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed