Holly Martin and Dr. Beverly Roeder, Biology
Introduction
Production-related metabolic diseases (PRMDs) in dairy cows threaten the livelihood of the animals as well as the productivity and success of the dairy industry. Because dairy cows supply an important food source for humans, understanding, managing, and preventing these diseases protects this source. Management and prevention of these diseases would increase production and profit margins for the dairy industry.
Our goal was to determine if the protein-to-fat ratio and the types of fats and proteins present in colostrum and milk were similar in differently managed dairy cows with PRMDs. Research has been conducted in this area of study to predict resistance or susceptibility to PRMDs using fecal fatty acid and other lipid signatures (Roeder et al, 2013). These prepartum and parturient fecal lipidomic signatures indicated possible biomarkers for resistance or susceptibility to PRMDs. Dr. Roeder’s demonstration of predictive fecal lipids lead us to believe there might be types of proteins and fats, or abnormal quantities of certain types of proteins and fats, present in milk and colostrum that may be predictive for susceptibility or resistance to PRMDs.
Methods
Randomly chosen Holstein cows and heifers at Brigham Creek Dairy were used to collect day 1 colostrum and day 4 milk. Each sample was collected in a 50ml conical centrifuge tube, separated into three 10ml conical centrifuge tubes, and centrifuged. The protein portions of each sample were then removed to three 10ml conical centrifuge tubes. All samples were flash frozen at -196°C in liquid nitrogen, then stored at -80°C. Samples were also collected from The Dairy Barn in Loa, UT and prepared in the above manner. We interpreted each sampled cow and heifer’s records using dairy computer software the first 60 days in milk (DIM) to determine if the subject remained healthy or developed a PRMD.
Results
At the Brigham Creek Dairy, 17 cows out of the 108 sampled and 3 heifers out of 101 sampled developed PRMDs. Each PRMD positive animal was grouped with control animals that calved within the same week. These control animals were similar in age, lactation, production, and received the same medications as the PRMD animal. Of the 17 cows that developed PRMDs, three had milk fever (postparturient hypocalcemia), nine had a left displaced abomasum (LDA), one died suddenly, one had split out rear limbs (obturator paresis), one had a twisted stomach (LDA or torsion), and one had both milk fever and a LDA. All three of the heifers that developed PRMDs had an LDA. None of the sampled cows or heifers from The Dairy Barn developed PRMDs.
Results of the mass spectroscopy analyses (day 1 colostrum and day 4 milk samples) for the lipidome and proteome profiles of PRMD susceptible and matched resistant controls is in progress. We have developed the assays needed to determine the lipidome and proteome profiles in colostrum and milk. However, each assay involves a number of time-consuming steps, so only a small amount of samples can be analyzed each day, prolonging the turnaround time needed for raw data. When these analyses are completed, the data will be analyzed statistically for level of significance, and a final report will be generated as part of the preparation of a manuscript to be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed, refereed journal.
Discussion
Because PRMDs are a serious threat to the success of the dairy industry and the welfare of each individual animal, finding lipidomic and/or proteomic signatures in milk and colostrum that are indicative of susceptibility or resistance to PRMDs could greatly forward the prevention of these diseases. We hope to find a significant indication of such signatures. This would mean that technology could be developed that would allow dairy farmers to test their herd for susceptibility and resistance to PRMDs in a simple and non-invasive manner. Once we have published our analyzed data, we will present the results at a national conference.
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