Does parity order or cow antibody level influence the humoral immunity of calves for cattle anaplasmosis?

Abstract

Anaplasmosis is a widely distributed vector-borne disease of cattle caused by the bacteria Anaplasma marginale, which may lead to severe losses in beef and dairy cattle production. Anecdotal information among farmers suggested that some cows may deliver calves more resilient to anaplasmosis. To investigate this, we tested two hypotheses: (i) whether the parity order or (ii) cow antibody levels may influence the humoral immunity of pre-weaning calves against cattle anaplasmosis. For this study, we sampled 170 cattle (Bos taurus taurus, Angus breed) on a farm in Southern Brazil, comprising 85 cows (50 multiparous and 35 primiparous) and their 85 calves (50 days old). Antibodies against A. marginale were investigated using iELISA. Eighty percent of the animals were considered seropositive (100% of the cows and 60% of the calves). There was no significant difference in seroprevalence between calves from primiparous and multiparous cows. However, calves from multiparous cows exhibited higher antibody levels. To address the second question, we classified cows based on their antibody levels to A. marginale (high or low). Calves from cows with high antibody levels also showed elevated antibody levels against A. marginale. Furthermore, calves from cows with high antibody levels had approximately four times greater odds of being seropositive for A. marginale at 50 days old than those born to mothers with low antibody levels. In conclusion, the calf’s antibody level against A. marginale appears to be related to the cow’s parity order and the mother’s antibody level.