Measurement of ferritin and anti-ferritinautoantibodies in serum and colostrum of Holsteinand Japanese Black cows

摘要

Anti-ferritin autoantibody is a ferritin-binding protein commonly found in mammals; it is thought to form an immunecomplex with ferritin and thereby mediate the rapid clearance of circulating ferritin. The aim of this study is to determineconcentrations of ferritin and anti-ferritin autoantibodies (immunoglobulin (Ig)M, IgG and IgA) in serum and colostrum ofHolstein (H) and Japanese Black (JB) cows within 24 h of normal calving. Blood and colostrum samples were collected fromcows of various ages (2–11 years) and calving number (1–8 live births). Mean ferritin concentrations were higher incolostrum than in serum for both breeds, and higher colostrum ferritin concentrations were found in H than JB cows. IgAantibodies in serum and colostrum from both breeds had negligible ferritin-binding activity. For both breeds, IgM and IgGantibodies had higher ferritin-binding activity in colostrum than in serum. There was a significant correlation between IgMand IgG ferritin-binding activities in serum and colostrum of H and JB cows. These results suggest that ferritin and IgM andIgG autoantibodies are actively transferred from the blood stream to the colostrum at prepartum or early lactation.