Hydration in non-suckling neonatal Brahman-cross calves

Objective To identify measures that most closely relate to hydration in healthy Brahman-cross neonatal calves that experience milk deprivation. Methods In a dry tropical environment, eight neonatal Brahman-cross calves were prevented from suckling for 2–3 days during which measurements were performed twice daily. Results Mean body water, as estimated by the mean urea space, was 74 ± 3% of body weight at full hydration. The mean decrease in hydration was 7.3 ± 1.1% per day. The rate of decrease was more than three-fold higher during the day than at night. At an ambient temperature of 39°C, the decrease in hydration averaged 1.1% hourly. Measures that were most useful in predicting the degree of hydration in both simple and multiple-regression prediction models were body weight, hindleg length, girth, ambient and oral temperatures, eyelid tenting, alertness score and plasma sodium. These parameters are different to those recommended for assessing calves with diarrhoea. Single-measure predictions had a standard error of at least 5%, which reduced to 3–4% if multiple measures were used. Conclusion We conclude that simple assessment of non-suckling Brahman-cross neonatal calves can estimate the severity of dehydration, but the estimates are imprecise. Dehydration in healthy neonatal calves that do not have access to milk can exceed 20% (>15% weight loss) in 1–3 days under tropical conditions and at this point some are unable to recover without clinical intervention.

Isoflavone exposure throughout suckling results in improved adult bone health in mice

Exposure to isoflavones (ISO), abundant in soy protein infant formula, for the first 5 days of life results in higher bone mineral density (BMD),greater trabecular connectivity and higher fracture load of lumbar vertebrae (LV) at adulthood. The effect of lengthening the duration of exposure to ISO on bone development has not been studied. This study determined if providing ISO for the first 21 days of life, which more closely mimics the duration that infants are fed soy protein formula, results in higher BMD, improved bone structure and greater strength in femurs and LV than a 5-day protocol. Female CD-1 mice were randomized to subcutaneous injections of ISO (7 Q1 mg kg/body weight/day) or corn oil from postnatal day 1 to 21. BMD, structure and strength were measured at the femur and LV at 4 months of age, representing young Q2 adulthood. At the LV, exposure to ISO resulted in higher (P,0.05) BMD, trabecular connectivity and fracture load compared with control (CON). Exposure to ISO also resulted in higher (P,0.05) whole femur BMD, higher (P,0.05) bone volume/total volume and Q3 lower (P,0.05) trabecular separation at the femur neck, as well as greater (P,0.05) fracture load at femur midpoint and femur neck compared with the CON group. Exposure to ISO throughout suckling has favorable effects on LV outcomes, and, unlike previous studies using 5-day exposure to ISO, femur outcomes are also improved. Duration of exposure should be considered when using the CD-1 mouse to model the effect of early life exposure of infants to ISO.

Effect of restricted suckling of calves on the productivity of crossbred dairy cattle

An experiment on restricted suckling of crossbred dairy cows was conducted at the Livestock Research Centre, Tanga in north-east Tanzania. The objective of the experiment was to evaluate the comparative productivity of Bos taurus x Bos indicus cows of medium and high levels of Bos taurus inheritance, whose calves were either bucket-reared or suckled residual milk. Lactation milk yield, length and persistency were 1563 L, 289 days, and 1.0, respectively, for the bucket-reared and 1592 L, 289 days and 1.4, respectively, for the suckling group. Days to observed oestrus, first insemination and conception for cows whose calves were bucket-reared were 47, 74 and 115 days, respectively, and 57, 81 and 126 days, respectively, for the suckling cows. The calf weights were similar at 1 year of age. The productivity of the cows, measured as the annual milk offtake, was not significantly higher for those that suckled their calves than for those whose calves were bucket-reared.

Productivity of crossbred dairy cows suckling their calves for 12 or 24 weeks post calving

An experiment on restricted suckling of crossbred dairy cows was conducted at the Livestock Research Centre, Tanga in northeast Tanzania. Thirty-six Bos taurus (Holstein Friesian and Jersey) x Bos indicus (East African Zebu) cows were allocated alternately as they calved to suckling their calves for either 12 or 24 weeks after calving. Cows grazed improved pastures and were offered 4 kg concentrate daily. Milking occurred twice daily by hand; calves were allowed to suck residual milk for 30 min following each milking. Calves were also allowed access to grazing and were offered a maximum of I kg concentrate daily to 24 weeks of age. Weaning age had no significant effect on lactation milk yield for human consumption, the mean (SE) yield being 1806 (102.0) L and 1705 (129. 1) L for 12- and 24-week weaning, respectively. Cows from the two treatments suffered similar losses of live weight and body condition score during lactation and neither group had returned to the original body condition score 40 weeks following calving. Post-partum anoestrous intervals were prolonged. Although not significant, cows suckling calves to 24 weeks had a mean interval to first oestrus extended by 38 days compared with cows suckling calves to 12 weeks. The mean (SE) daily live weight gains of the calves to 52 weeks were 263 (14.1) g/day and 230 (18.1) g/day for calves weaned at 12 and 24 weeks, respectively, such that 12-month weights were 119 (5.6) kg and 110 (7.3) kg, respectively. Twelve-week-weaned calves consumed more concentrate (p < 0.05) from 13 to 24 weeks than did 24-week weaned calves. Calculation of residual milk consumption removed by calves from birth to 12 weeks indicated that it accounted for 28% of total yield. No benefits in cow and calf performance and welfare were found to justify prolonging the suckling period to 24 weeks.

Hormone release and behavior during suckling and milking in Gir, Gir x Holstein, and Holstein cows

There are several different milking management systems in Latin America, because Gir cattle are reputed to be easily stressed and not well adapted to machine-milking. This paper, therefore, provides an overview of hormone release and behavior during suckling and milking in Gir cows and their crossbred offspring. Several experiments were performed to study oxytocin release during exclusive suckling or exclusive hand- and machine-milking, oxytocin, and prolactin release during a mixed suckling-milking system and oxytocin release after weaning. Cortisol concentrations and behavior were also examined. Concentration of oxytocin, released during suckling, and both types of milking were high, but the maximum concentration measured during suckling was significantly greater than that observed during exclusive milking. In the mixed suckling-milking system, the greatest oxytocin and prolactin releases were measured during suckling. Cortisol concentrations measured before, during, and after milking demonstrated that Gir x Holstein and Holstein cows were not stressed. On the other hand, although Gir had greater concentrations of cortisol, the percentage of residual milk for Gir cows was less than for dairy cows exposed to different stressful situations. In general, Gir cows and their crossbred offspring adapted to machine-milking, although these breeds can react negatively to milkers. Gir, Gir x Holstein, and Holstein cows all had similar cortisol levels during and after milking.

Opposite effects of fasting on TGF-beta 3 and T beta RI distribution in the gastric mucosa of suckling and early weanling rats

Objective: Our aim was to evaluate the effects of a dietary regimen (suckling or early weaning) and feeding status (fed or fasted) on the distribution of transforming growth factor-beta 3 (TGF-beta 3) and TGF receptor-I (T beta RI) in the gastric epithelium of pups Methods: Wistar rats were used At 15 d, half of the pups were separated from dams and fed with hydrated powered chow On day 17, suckling and early weanling rats were subjected to fasting (17 h). Four different conditions were established. suckling fed and fasted and early weanling fed and fasted At 18 d stomachs were collected under anesthesia and were fixed in 4% formaldehyde for immunohistochemistry The number of immunostained epithelial cells per microscopic field was determined for TGF-beta 3 and T beta RI in longitudinal sections from the gastric mucosa Results: We found that during suckling, fasting reduced the number of immunolabeled cells per field of both molecules when compared with the fed group (P < 0.05), whereas in early weaning, food restriction increased TGF-beta 3 and T beta RI distributions (P < 0.05) We also observed that TGF-beta 3 and T beta RI were more concentrated in parietal cells in the upper gland in suckling pups, whereas after early weaning these were displaced to parietal and chief cells at the bottom of the gland Conclusion: Suckling and early weaning directly influence TGF-beta 3 and T beta RI distributions in the gastric epithelium in response to fasting, such that early weaning anticipates the effects observed in adult rats. Furthermore, the differential concentrations of TGF-beta 3 and T beta RI indicate that they might be important for cell proliferation events in growth control (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

In vivo effects of TGF beta 1 on the the growth of gastric epithelium in suckling rats

As the content of Transforming Growth Factor-beta (TGF beta) wanes in the milk of lactating rat, an increase in TGF beta is observed in the gastric epithelia concomitant with differentiation of the glands upon weaning. Whereas TGF beta has been shown to inhibit the proliferation of gastrointestinal cells in vitro, its functional significance and mechanisms of action have not been studied in vivo. Therefore, we administered TGF beta 1 (1 ng/g body wt.) to 14-day-old rats in which the gastric epithelium was induced to proliferate by fasting, and determined the involvement of signaling through Smads and the impact on epithelial cell proliferation and apoptosis. After the gavage, we observed the progressive increase of active TGF beta 1 while T beta RII-receptor remained constant in the gastric mucosa. By immunohistochemistry, we showed Smad2/3 increase at 60 min (p < 0.05) and Smad2 phosphorylation/activation and translocation to the nucleus most prominently between 0 and 30 min after treatment (p < 0.05). Importantly, TGF beta 1 inhibited cell proliferation (p < 0.05), which was estimated by BrDU pulse-labeling 12 h after gavage. Lower proliferation was reflected by increased p27(kip1) at 2 h (p < 0.05). Also, TGF beta 1 increased apoptosis as measured by M30 labeling at 60 and 180 min (p < 0.001), and by morphological features at 12 h (p < 0.05). In addition, we observed higher levels of activated caspase 3 (17 kDa) from 0 to 30 min. Altogether, these data indicate a direct effect of TGF beta 1 signaling through Smads on both inhibiting proliferation, through alteration of cycle proteins, and inducing apoptosis of gastric epithelial cells in vivo. Further, the studies suggest a potential role for both milk and tissue-expressed TG beta 1 in gastric growth during postnatal development, (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The development of a Defense System against Coxsackievirus B5 Infection in Suckling Mice

There are many viruses that are able to infect the alimentary tract of man. Little is known, however, about the mechanism of infection itself or the pathophysiology of the gut during infection. 'The research reported here is concerned with the differences in susceptibility among suckling mice of various ages inoculated by the intraperitoneal and intragastric routes. Since the normal mode of entry of many viruses to the gut is via the oral route, Coxsackievirus B5, a human enterovirus which does attack this way, was utilized. It is a non-tumor producing RNA virus that has been shown to act similarly in the mouse and human. The virus was pooled in HeLa cell cultures and titered by a plaquing assay in the same cell cultures. CD-l mice, 10, 14, 18, and 22 days old , were infected either orally or intraperitoneally with 5.0 x 10^10 (10 day old animals) and 1.0 x10^9 plaque forming units per animal. Dissections were done at 1 and 3 days post infection with samples of the blood, heart, liver, and gut being taken from each animal. Each sample was titered individually and the data presented as an average of six samples. As a result of previous work, it is known that the gut of a newborn mouse isn't able to decrease the concentration of the infecting dose and therefore provides no defense against an enteric infection with Coxsackievirus B5. In contrat, mature mice are able to reduce the amount of viral dissemination across the gut as well as inhibit replication after absorption has occurred. The results of this study indicate that there is a double barrier system developing in suckling mice that is involved with and directly related to the gastrointestinal tract The first part of this defense is the inhibition of penetration of virus across the gut when the primary site of' infection is the intestinal mucosa. This mechanism develops sometime around 20 to 22 days after birth. At about 16-18 days of age, suckling mice that were challenged intragastrically are able to stop active replication and initiate clearance of virus from the systemic circulation. There are many factors that might contribute to the marked decrease in susceptibility with age of suckling mice. Some of these or possibly a combination of these factors might explain the defense mechanisms described above, but to date, the chemistry or mechanical functioning of the gastrointestinal barrier to enteric viral infection is unknown.

Effect of timing of estradiol benzoate administration upon synchronization of ovulation in suckling Nelore cows (Bos indicus) treated with a progesterone-releasing intravaginal device

The present study investigated how the timing of the administration of estradiol benzoate (EB) impacted the synchronization of ovulation in fixed-time artificial insemination protocols of cattle. To accomplish this, two experiments were conducted, with EB injection occurring at different times: at withdrawal of the progesterone-releasing (N) intravaginal device or 24 h later. The effectiveness of these times was compared by examining ovarian follicular dynamics (Experiment 1, n = 30) and conception rates (Experiment 2, n = 504). In Experiment 1, follicular dynamics was performed in 30 Nelore cows (Bos indicus) allocated into two groups. on a random day of the estrous cycle (Day 0), both groups received 2 mg of EB i.m. and a P4-releasing intravaginal device, which was removed on Day 8, when 400 IU of eCG and 150 mu g of PGF were administered. The control group (G-EB9; n = 15) received 1 mg of EB on Day 9, while Group EB8 (G-EB8; n = 15) received the same dose a day earlier. Ovarian ultrasonographic evaluations were performed every 8 h after device removal until ovulation. The timing of EB administration (Day 8 compared with Day 9) did affect the interval between P4 device removal to ovulation (59.4 +/- 2.0 h compared with 69.3 +/- 1.7 h) and maximum diameter of dominant (1.54 +/- 0.06 a cm compared with 1.71 +/- 0.05 b cm, P = 0.03) and ovulatory (1.46 +/- 0.05 a cm compared with 1.58 +/- 0.04 b cm, P < 0.01) follicles. In Experiment 2,504 suckling cows received the same treatment described in Experiment 1, but insemination was performed as follows: Group EB8-AI48h (G-EB8-AI48h; n = 119) and Group EB8-AI54h (G-EB8-AI54h; n = 134) received 1 mg of EB on Day 8 and FrAI was performed, respectively, 48 or 54 h after P4 device removal. Group EB9-AI48h (G-EB9-AI48h; n = 126) and Group EB9-AI54h (G-EB9-AI54h n = 125) received the same treatments and underwent the same FTAI protocols as G-EB8-AI48h and G-EB8-AI54h, respectively; however, EB was administered on Day 9. Conception rates were greater (P < 0.05) in G-EB9-AI54h 163.2% (79/125) a], G-EB9-AI48h [58.7% (74/126) a] and G-EB8-AI48h [58.8% (70/119) a] than in G-EB8-AI54h [34.3% (46/134) b]. We concluded that when EB administration occurred at device withdrawal (D8), the interval to ovulation shortened and dominant and ovulatory follicle diameters decreased. Furthermore, when EB treatment was performed 24 h after device removal, FTAI conducted at either 48 or 54 h resulted in similar conception rates. However, EB treatment on the same day as device withdrawal resulted in a lesser conception rate when FTAI was conducted 54 h after device removal. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Suckling and allosuckling in river buffalo calves and its relation with weight gain

The aim of the present study was to investigate if river buffalo calves (Bubalus bubalis) have equal access to all cows and if milk is thus equally available to all of them. We recorded suckling/allosuckling behaviour and weight gain (WG) of 29 calves (14 males and 15 females), with special consideration to their sex, birth order (BO) and age. Cows' nursing behaviour and milli production (MP) were also considered. While males tended to be born earlier than females during this study, this was not the trend in the overall herd records. The cows' MP was not effected by the calves' sex. However, bull-calves presented greater mean WG, and mean times spent in individual filial (IF) and in communal nonfilial (CNF) suckling than heifer-calves, which showed greater communal filial (CF) suckling than the former during the first 4 months of life. The WG was associated with IF for bull-calves (r = 0.680 and 0.765, respectively, for the periods from birth to 4th and 8th months of age), and to CNF for heifer-calves (r = 0.628, for the period from birth to 8th month). Results from multiple regression analysis showed independent effects of each suckling category on the calf WG, and such effects were variable according to the calf's sex. BO was negatively correlated to calves' WG (bull-calves: r(s) = - 0.873 and - 0.799, from birth to 4th and gth months, respectively; heifer-calves: r(s) = - 0.531 from birth to 4th month). Specifically for bull-calves, there was a positive correlation between BO and MP (r(s) = 0.528 and 0.633, from birth to 4th and 8th months of age, respectively). The correlation between BO and IF was negative in both sexes, indicating that calves that were born early had more opportunities to suckle individually from their mothers. For heifer-calves, BO was positively correlated with CF (two periods), and negatively with CNF (from birth to 8th month of age), suggesting that heifer-calves were most often accompanied by other calves during suckling when they were born later. The data taken together indicate that sex and/or BO influenced decisively social interactions during suckling, promoting differential development among the calves. In animal husbandry, if a homogenous WG is desired, these factors have to be taken into consideration. (C) 2000 Elsevier B.V. B.V. All rights reserved.

Suckling behaviour of Nelore, Gir and Caracu calves and their crosses

It is reasonable to assume that the knowledge of suckling behaviour contributes to optimal management and selection of beef cattle. However, there is little information about suckling behaviour of some beef cattle breeds. The aim of this study was to describe the suckling behaviour of two zebu (Bos indicus) and one criollo (Bos taurus) breeds, analysing the potential effects of breed and some environmental factors on suckling frequency and duration. Forty cows, 17 Nelore, 14 Gir (both zebu) and 9 Caracu (criollo) were bred in a diallelic crossing design. The cows and resulting calves were kept on pasture from birth to weaning. Their behaviour was recorded weekly during daylight. Three behavioural traits were considered: number of suckling meals (NSM), duration of each suckling meal (DSM) and total suckling duration (TSD). Allosuckling was not observed. The calves suckled at any time during the daylight and the overall means were: NSM = 2.57 +/- 0.05 meals/12 h (from back transformed data), DSM = 9.25 +/- 0.11 min/suckling meal and TSD = 23.76 +/- 0.47 min/12 h. There was an effect of dam's breed on NSM and DSM; the calf's genetic group within breed of cow influenced NSM and TSD when the dams were from the Nelore breed. The age of calf had significant effects on all traits. Males averaged higher NSM and TSD (2.60 +/- 0.03 meals and 25.05 +/- 1.37 min/12 h, respectively) than females (2.12 +/- 0.04 meals and 21.51 +/- 1.55 min/12 h, respectively). The differences in suckling behaviour seem to be produced by a complex combination of genetic and environmental factors, which result in a particular behavioural relationship within mother-offspring pairs. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Resistance of Santa Inês and Ile de France suckling lambs to gastrointestinal nematode infections.

A trial was carried out to determine the resistance to natural infection by gastrointestinal nematodes in 12 Santa Inês and nine Ile de France lambs before weaning. Faecal samples were obtained for faecal nematode egg counts (FEC). Blood samples were collected to determine packed cell volume (PCV), total plasma protein levels and peripheral eosinophil counts. Most Ile de France lambs (77.8%) were treated with an anthelmintic at 43 days of age, while 50% off Santa Inês lambs were treated at weaning, 57 days of age. The mean PCV values were normal in Santa Inês lambs, while in Ile de France lambs showed lower values reaching 22.3% at 43 days of age. The lowest mean plasma protein values were observed in Ile de France lambs (4.13 g/dl) at 43 days of age and in Santa Inês lambs (5.0 g/dl) at 57 days of age. Before weaning, Santa Inês lambs were susceptible to natural infections by gastrointestinal nematodes but with a greater capacity to stand the adverse effects of parasitism compared to Ile de France lambs.

The effects of parturition season and suckling mode on the puerperium of santa ines ewes and on the weight gain of lambs

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)