[Intestinal absorption of homologous and heterologous immunoglobulin G in newborn calves].

Studying the prophylactic effects of specific yolk antibodies against diarrhea in newborn calves, also the intestinal absorption of unspecific heterogeneous avian antibodies as well as their effects on the uptake of maternal bovine colostral antibodies (bIgG) was investigated. Two groups of newborn calves received egg powder (16 g or 8 g per day) for the first 10 days of their life beginning with the first meal. A third group was kept as a control without any egg powder in their diet. Blood samples (5 to 10 calves per sampling time) were taken from 123 calves at 6, 12, 24, 48, or 96 h postnatally. With both doses the highest chicken IgG (cIgG) levels (3.1 micrograms resp. 1.2 micrograms per ml serum) have been measured 12 h after birth. These concentrations decreased continuously to the levels of 1.1 micrograms resp. 0.2 micrograms cIgG per ml serum at 96 h postnatally. The uptake into blood at 6 h postnatally has roughly been estimated as approximately 23% (bIgG) and 7% resp. 6% (cIgG) of the IgG dosages given with the first meal. The time-course (6 to 96 h) of the bIgG level in blood was quite stable, plateauing already after 6 h at a mean of 5.9 mg per ml serum. Significant differences between the bIgG levels of calves with yolk antibodies in their diet (6.2 resp. 6.1 mg bIgG per ml serum) and those of the control group (5.4 mg per ml serum) could not be observed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)