HEAT-TREATED COLOSTRUM IS BENEFICIAL TO NEWBORN CALVES

It is well-recognized that colostrum feeding in sufficient quantities during the first two days of life is essential for healthy calves and less digestive disturbances. However, the best way to feed colostrum to maximize its value has often been the interest of researchers, with some reports claiming that it is better to feed it warm, while others indicate it doesn’t really make a difference since there is little difference whether fresh or fed after a period of storage in a refrigerator. With new technologies such as PCR becoming available investigations can go to new levels, for example studying colonization of the digestive tract by protective bacteria (probiotics) such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium species in contrast to potential pathogens such as Escherichia coli. This forms the basis of a study conducted by Dr N. Malmuthuge and co-workers, their paper published in the Journal of Dairy Science, Volume 98 of 2015, pages 8044 to 8053, with the title:Heat-treated colostrum feeding promotes beneficial bacteria colonization in the small intestine of neonatal calves.

In the study the authors investigated the effect of heat-treated colostrum feeding on the bacterial colonization in the small intestine of calves within the first 12 hours of life. Thirty-two newborn Holstein bull calves were assigned to three treatment groups and fed with either fresh colostrum or heat-treated (60°C for 60 minutes) colostrum soon after birth, whereas the third (control) group did not receive either colostrum or water. Small intestinal tissues and contents were collected from different regions of the small intestine (gut) at 6 and 12 hours after birth, following euthanasia. Quantitative real time-PCR was used to explore the colonization of total bacteria, Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, and Escherichia coli.

Compared to the control, the feeding of colostrum soon after birth increased the colonization of total bacteria in the gut within the first 12 hours, whereas the prevalence of Lactobacillus was lower. Remarkable changes in the prevalence of gut tissue-attached Bifidobacterium (the preferred protective bacteria) were observed with the feeding of heat-treated colostrum, but not in the gut contents. The prevalence of gut-tissue attached Bifidobacterium at 6 hours was 3.2 fold higher in the heat-treated colostrum group than in the fresh colostrum group and 5.2 fold higher in the control group. Although the feeding of fresh colostrum did not enhance the prevalence of tissue-attached Bifidobacterium at 6 hours compared to control, it displayed a gradual increase over time that was higher than control, but similar to that of heat-treated colostrum at 12 hours. In contrast, the colonization of Esherichia coli was drastically reduced in calves receiving the heat-treated colostrum compared to calves receiving the fresh colostrum and the control calves.

In conclusion, the results showed that the feeding of heat-treated colostrum enhanced the colonization of Bifidobacterium and lessened the prevalence of Esherichia coli in the calf gut immediately after birth compared to feeding fresh colostrum or no colostrum (control). The implication is that the increased colonization of the beneficial bacteria along with the decreased colonization of potential pathogens in the calf gut may also diminish or prevent diarrhea in calves when they are fed heat-treated colostrum soon after birth.