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ARS Home » Plains Area » Bushland, Texas » Conservation and Production Research Laboratory » Livestock Nutrient Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #138005
Title: INFLUENCE OF TRANSPORTATION STRESS AND PROPHYLACTIC ANTIBIOTIC ON OXIDATIVE STRESS BIOMARKER STATUS AND INCIDENCE OF BOVINE RESPIRATORY DISEASE OF FEEDER STEERS

Author
item CHIRASE, NORBERT - TEXAS AG. EXPERIMENT STN.
item Purdy, Charles
item LOAN, R. - TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
item BRIGGS, R. - USDA-ARS
item DUFF, G. - ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY
item AVAMPATO, JOAN - TEXAS AG. EXPERIMENT STN.
item MURRAY, D. - OXIS INTERNATIONAL

Submitted to: Joint Abstracts of the American Dairy Science and Society of Animal Science
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/21/2002
Publication Date: 7/21/2002
Citation: Chirase, N.K., Purdy, C.W., Loan, R.W., Briggs, R., Duff, G., Avampato, J., Murray, D. 2002. Influence of transportation stress and prophylactic antibiotic on oxidative stress biomarker status and incidence of bovine respiratory disease of feeder steers [abstract]. In Proceedings of the Joint Meeting of the American Dairy Science and Society of Animal Science, July 21-25, 2002, Quebec City, Canada.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Feeder cattle often encounter many environmental stressors and pathogens associated with the marketing process and translocation to the feedyard. Exposure to stressors could compromise the antioxidant and immune defense systems, resulting in morbidity and mortality of these calves. An experiment was conducted to determine the effects of prophylactic antibiotic treatment and posttransit commingling of feeder calves obtained from two sources (New Mexico and Tennessee), to measure red blood cell (RBC) lysate concentrations of cellular glutathione peroxidase (cGPx), reduced glutathione (GSH) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) and assess the incidence of bovine respiratory disease (BRD). One hundred twenty one (121) crossbred steers (average BW 190 kg) were purchased in TN and eighty four (84) crossbred steers of similar size and age were obtained in NM, vaccinated, weighed, and blood obtained for RBC. Steers were randomly allotted into 3 commingling treatment groups (3 replicates per group): 1) New Mexico (NM), 2) Tennessee (TN) and 3) Commingled (Mixed). One-half of the steers in each treatment group received pretransit prophylactic Nuflor (1 mL/15 kg of BW, s.c.). Upon arrival at the feedyard in Clayton, NM, all steers were managed using commercial feedyard management protocols. Steers were also scored daily for BRD and blood was obtained upon arrival (d 0) and on morbid steers on various days. All the oxidative stress biomarkers were standardized using HB content of the cell. The data were subjected to the analysis of variance using the General Linear Models procedure of SAS. Pretransit HB (mg/dL), cGPx (mU) and GSSG (nmol) were lower (P<0.05) in TN steers than NM steers. However, the GSH concentrations of the NM steers were lower than the TN steers. Pretransit cGPx values for TN calves correlated (r=0.27; P<0.01) with episodes of BRD at the feedyard. As incidence of BRD increased from 0 to 4, cGPx concentrations decreased from 95.3 to 20.3 mU, respectively. Superoxide dismutase and GSH responses were inconsistent among all treatments. These results suggest that oxidative stress biomarkers could be used as biomarkers of BRD susceptibility. Furthermore, antioxidant supplementation may be required to restore the antioxidant defense system.