Relationships between serum protein concentration and passive transfer of immunity, morbidity and mortality of dairy calves in market oriented urban dairy farms

摘要

The efficiency of the passive immunity transfer, evaluated throughout the serum total protein concentration in the calf, and its associations with morbidity and mortality were studied in 354 dairy calves, 24 hours to 6 months old, in and around DebreZeit, Ethiopia. The mean serum total protein concentration during the first week of life was 66.4 +- 16.6g/L and the proportion of calves exhibiting failure of passive transfer (FPT) (serum total protein concentration < 55 g/L) was 30.2%. The crude morbidity and crude mortality incidences were 52.3% and 18.9%, respectively. Several factors (sex and health status of the calf, birth time and condition, presence of an attendant, age at the first colostrum ingestion and parity number) were significantly associated with FTP (Odd ratios ranged from 2.3 to 20.8, P < 0.05 to 0.001). Furthermore, the same risk factors also significantly increased morbidity (Odd ratios ranged from 1.8 to 4.9, P < 0.05 to 0.001) and mortality (Odd ratios ranged from 2.0 to 3.8, P< 0.05 to 0.001). Finally, highly significant associations were evidenced between serum total protein concentrations and the morbidity or mortality prevalence since the highest risk rates (> 90%) were observed for low proteinemia (< 55 g/L for morbidityand < 35 g/L for mortality).