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Published on: August 6, 2018
Factors affecting the lactoferrin concentration in bovine milk
1State Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition, Institute of Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100094, PR China.
Journal of Dairy Science
|February 23, 2008
Summary
Milk lactoferrin (LF) concentration is linked to lactation stage and milk yield, but not cow parity. Higher LF levels may indicate intramammary infections in dairy cows.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Science
- Animal Science
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Lactoferrin (LF) is a key protein in milk with antimicrobial properties.
- Understanding factors influencing LF concentration is crucial for dairy herd health management.
- Somatic cell count (SCC) is a primary indicator of intramammary infection (mastitis) in dairy cows.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of cow parity, lactation stage, and somatic cell count score on milk lactoferrin concentration.
- To determine if milk LF concentration can serve as a reliable indicator for intramammary infection.
Main Methods:
- Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to quantify LF concentrations in milk samples.
- Data were collected from 198 Chinese Holstein cows across four dairy farms.
- Statistical analysis assessed correlations between LF levels and factors like parity, lactation stage, milk production, and SCC score.
Main Results:
- Milk LF concentration ranged from 31.78 to 485.63 microg/mL in healthy animals.
- LF concentration showed significant positive correlation with lactation stage (r = 0.557) and negative correlation with daily milk production (r = -0.472).
- A tendency towards correlation was observed between milk LF concentration and SCC score (r = 0.375), though parity showed no significant relationship.
Conclusions:
- Milk lactoferrin concentration is significantly influenced by the stage of lactation and daily milk production.
- While not significantly related to parity, milk LF concentration shows potential as an indicator for intramammary infections in dairy cows.
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