Blood immune transcriptome analysis of artificially fed dairy calves and naturally suckled beef calves from birth to 7 days of age

The aim of the overall study was to investigate the development of immune competence in artificially reared dairy calves and in two breeds of naturally suckled beef calves over the first 168h of life. Dairy calves were fed 5% total body weight of colostrum, with beef calves monitored to ensure natural ingestion of colostrum. Blood samples were taken from all calves at 24h 48h 72h and 168h, and analysed for alterations to immunes genes. Overall design: The animal model was designed to fully elucidate the development of immune-competence in i) Holstein dairy calves (artificially fed 5% colostrum body weight (BW) at birth) and ii), naturally suckled beef calves, the progenies of Limousin × Friesian and Charolais × Limousin cows.本研究的整体目标为探究生命最初168小时内，人工饲养的奶牛犊以及两个品种自然哺乳的肉牛犊的免疫能力发育情况。奶牛犊按其总体重5%的比例饲喂初乳，肉牛犊则通过监测确保其自然摄入初乳。研究人员分别于犊牛出生后24h、48h、72h及168h采集所有个体的血液样本，对免疫相关基因的表达变化进行分析。 实验整体设计：本动物模型旨在全面阐明两类犊牛的免疫能力发育规律：其一为荷斯坦（Holstein）奶牛犊，出生时按体重（Body Weight, BW）5%的比例人工饲喂初乳；其二为自然哺乳的肉牛犊，其分别为利木赞（Limousin）×弗里生（Friesian）杂交母牛以及夏洛莱（Charolais）×利木赞（Limousin）杂交母牛的后代。