Animal immunocorrection techniques

The use of placenta-based products increases the natural resistance of cattle and small ruminants

Industrial livestock farming in Ukraine is growing rapidly, but there are still many constraints on the industry. First of all, the stumbling block on the way to achieving the desired economic result is the cost of feed. And those, in turn, from grain prices, and the cost of protein-vitamin and mineral supplements. In addition, a wide range of diseases of infectious and parasitic aetiology, which are registered from early age, leads to great losses of livestock. For example, young stock of both cattle and small ruminants are extremely susceptible to viral and bacterial diseases in the first days of life, especially in the form of an associated course. All this encourages the use of significant amounts of vaccine and antibacterial agents throughout the technological cycle of animal rearing.

Respiratory diseases of cattle have long been prevalent in Ukraine. Every year 45.8-50.4% of calves suffer from respiratory diseases and 9.8-13.1% of the number of diseased calves die (mortality and forced slaughter). In permanently unhealthy farms, respiratory diseases are registered in 60-90% of calves, and retention of placenta reaches 45-60%.

Today there is already a considerable body of field and experimental-scientific evidence that the number of virulent variants of antibiotic-resistant micro-organisms is increasing constantly, at an increasingly alarming rate.

In the prevention of respiratory diseases of calves to increase immune reactivity it is advisable to use immunostimulants that activate the cellular link of immunity. The scheme of combined use of immunomodulators, specific biological agents and drugs with antiviral activity is effective in the prevention and therapy of respiratory diseases. An effective way to improve the effectiveness of immunobiological agents, anthelmintics and antibiotics against a wide range of microorganisms is the use of various forms of companion drugs, in particular vitamins and immunostimulants.

Veterinary drug "Placevit Forte" was created specifically to improve therapy and prevention of infectious diseases and intoxications (poisoning by synthetic and food poisons, anthelmintics and other antiparasitic drugs, products of helminth decay), anemia, hypovitaminosis, for rehabilitation after antibiotic therapy, injuries and surgery, reducing the negative effects of stress during transportation, vaccination, changes in the diet of commercial livestock breeding. The veterinary drug is a complex immunostimulating agent. Due to the presence of placenta extract, balanced complex of amino acids, vitamins and microelements, it restores metabolic processes in the body of productive farm animals and poultry, increases natural resistance. The preparation has detoxifying and immunomodulatory effects, increases the level of bactericidal activity of blood serum and the safety and body weight gain of young animals, compensates the deficit of biologically active substances in the body of productive farm animals and poultry resulting from disease and preventive vaccination and deworming, provides animal body resistance to excessive loads during transportation, vaccination, change of diet etc.

By clinical analysis it was found that the injection of placenta extract had a positive effect on the function of erythropoiesis, namely, the level of haemoglobin increased by (21-37%) and erythrocytes by (34-66%) in the blood of animals. The maximum number of erythrocytes ((11,65 ± 0,25) × 106 / μl) was determined after the third administration of placenta extract. When administered orally, the number of red blood cells was the lowest among the experimental groups, but higher by 34% compared to the control group.

The use of placenta preparation also stimulated leukopoiesis, and an increase in leukocyte count was observed in all routes of administration, and leukocytosis was within the physiological norm. With oral placenta application leukocytosis was minimal and amounted to (9.02 ± 0.32) × 106 / μl, but with the introduction of placenta extract their number increased to (11.67 ± 0.67) × 106 / μl.

The analysis of leukograms showed that leukocytosis occurred mainly by increasing the number of segmented neutrophils within the physiological norm in 1.5-2.5 times, which are known to participate in the defense against infection through chemotaxis and phagocytosis, indicating a significant rejuvenation of blood cells and the ability of the placenta to stimulate overall body resistance and T-cell immunity. These data were corrected by studies of the effect of the placenta on T- and B-cell immunity, namely, the number of T-lymphocytes increased from 31.2 ± 1.3% to 38.7 ± 0.2%, B-lymphocytes from 2 4 ± 0.5% to 8.7 ± 0.6% after administration of placenta extract.

The product has an immunomodulatory effect and is used to increase the natural resistance of cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, dogs, cats and poultry.

The preparation ensures safety and increases body weight gain of newborn animals and young animals (fattening) of productive farm animals, fur-bearing animals, dogs, cats and poultry, improves feed conversion rates by increasing feed digestion and stimulation of digestive processes, increases percentage of fecundation and facilitates childbirth and prevention of postpartum complications in productive farm animals.

The effectiveness of a biopreparation based on placenta extract in the treatment of obstetric and gynaecological diseases of various genesis (retention of placenta, endometritis, mastitis) in cows has been proved.

Two groups of animals were selected for the study. The first group, in which placenta retention was diagnosed, was injected with placenta extract three times intramuscularly in a dose of 25 cm³ subcutaneously per head, the interval between injections was 24 hours. In 60% of animals, after the second injection of placenta extract, the afterbirth came off on its own within 24 hours; in 40% of animals, the afterbirth was separated manually without effort. It should be noted that no endometritis was observed in all experimental animals after a course of prophylactic injections of placenta extract. Mastitis was observed in only one animal, which was treated with an antibiotic according to the manufacturer's recommendations.

In the second experimental group, the first injection of placenta extract at a dose of 25 cm³ subcutaneously per animal was made 12 hours before calving, and the second immediately after. The next three injections were made with an interval of 24 hours between injections. Thus, in 40% of animals the litter withdrew 2 h after the second injection of placenta extract, in other animals - within 24 h. It should be noted that in 10% of experimental animals no signs of endometritis and mastitis were observed during the experiment.

Animals treated with conventional regimens or with no prophylactic treatment at all were diagnosed with retained placenta in 45%, endometritis in 20% and mastitis in 25% if no antibiotic treatment was used.

Fig. 1. Application of placenta extract for cows during calving

Based on the results of this experiment (Figure 1), the biological preparation based on placenta extract was found to prevent endometritis and mastitis in animals, and to promote faster separation of the placenta in animals with a minimum treatment of three injections and only in certain more complicated cases requires the use of antibiotic therapy.

Author: Roman Kucherjavenko, Ph.D., director of VetLine AgroSaenz LLC