COLOSTRUM AND SERUM-PROTEIN LEVELS IN WATER-BUFFALOS

Blood serum samples and colostrum of 17 Murrah water buffalo cows (Bub alus bubalis) were examined at birth as well as their offspring before the ingestion of colostrum at 1, 3, 6, 12, 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours af ter birth to determine the failure in the passive transfer of antibodi es. The parameters studied included the total protein (TP), albumin (A LB), alphaglobulin (alpha GLO), beta-globulin (beta GLO) and gamma-glo bulin (gamma GLO) concentration in the serum and colostrum through ref ractometry and biuret method and protein fractions, separated by elect rophoresis. At birth the calves presented a hypogammaglobulinemia or a gammaglobulinemia followed by a considerable increase in the serum lev els of TP and gamma GLO from birth until 96 hours after birth (r = 0.9 278). However by electrophoresis it could be detected six hours after colostrum ingestion and antibody levels thus being comparable to those in the adult animals, 3.06 g/100 ml. Calves which had suckled showing values up to 0.71 g/ml suggest a failure in the passive transfer, gam ma GLO values between 0.85 and 1.71 g/100 ml suggest a partial failure and levels above 3.06 g/100 ml indicate an appropriate transfer of an tibodies present in the colostrum, a situation of extreme importance f or the survival of the newborn calf due to the high content (approxima tely 82%) of gamma GLO.