Bibliographic Details
| Title: |
Validation of hand-held refractometers for assessing Merino ewe colostrum and neonatal lamb serum. |
| Authors: |
Swinbourne, Alyce M.1,2 (AUTHOR) alyce.swinbourne@adelaide.edu.au, Blagojevic, Nada1 (AUTHOR), Murdock, Nicholas J.1 (AUTHOR), Mills, Holly B.1 (AUTHOR), Flinn, Tom1 (AUTHOR), McCarthy, Niki L.1 (AUTHOR), Kelly, Jennifer M.2 (AUTHOR), Kleemann, David O.2 (AUTHOR), van Wettere, William H. E. J.1 (AUTHOR) |
| Source: |
Animal Production Science. Jan2022, Vol. 62 Issue 3, p284-294. 11p. |
| Subject Terms: |
*COLOSTRUM, *LAMBS, *REFRACTOMETERS, *BLOOD proteins, *EWES, *IMMUNOGLOBULIN G, *SHEEP breeding |
| Abstract: |
Context: The high incidence of lamb mortality in Merino sheep is a persistent issue for the industry. Poor-quality colostrum or inadequate colostrum consumption increases the risk of low energy intake and failed passive immunity transfer, resulting in lamb mortality. The rapid assessment of colostrum quality and intake would be a valuable tool for producers which house ewes for lambing. Aims: This experiment determined the relationship and accuracy of analysis techniques to measure immunoglobulin G (IgG) and total protein (TP) concentrations within ewe colostrum and lamb serum and compared those results against digital hand-held refractometers. Methods: Merino ewe colostrum and lamb blood were sampled at 4 and 24 h post-partum during autumn (n = 93 ewes) and spring (n = 79 ewes) in 2018. Colostrum was analysed for total milk solids (%) and lamb serum was analysed for total blood serum protein (%), and both colostrum and lamb serum were analysed for IgG and TP using in-house laboratory analysis techniques. Correlation coefficients were performed to identify the relationship between the different assessment methods. Key results: There was a significant Pearson's correlation (P < 0.05) between 4 h total milk solids and TP (R = 0.19), between total milk solids and IgG (R = 0.19), and TP and IgG (R = 0.38). For 24 h colostrum samples, the significant correlations (P < 0.001) between TP and IgG (R = 0.54) and total milk solids and IgG (R = 0.56) were higher than the correlation between total milk solids and TP (R = 0.24; P = 0.006). Further, 4 h serum IgG (R = –0.14; P = 0.026) and 24 h total blood serum protein (R = 0.21; P = 0.009) were correlated with lamb survival to 72 h. Conclusions: While the refractometer provided a crude measure of colostrum IgG and TP and was valuable in identifying lambs with low IgG transfer at 24 h, further research is required regarding analysis techniques to allow for reliable measures need to be refined. Implications: The use of refractometers to assess colostrum quality and intake could benefit researchers or producers who practice indoor lambing. The rapid assessment of colostrum in Merino ewes would provide valuable information regarding estimated immunoglobulin G (IgG) transfer and survival potential of lambs. Our research demonstrated that compared with laboratory tests, a hand-held refractometer was a crude measure of colostrum quality in ewes, and provided valuable information regarding estimated IgG transfer and lamb survival potential to 72 h. The use of a refractometer would be a cost-effective, easy-to-use tool for on-farm research or intensively managed flocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
|
Copyright of Animal Production Science is the property of CSIRO Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
| Database: |
Academic Search Complete |
