Autumn is upon us and with that, farmers are preparing livestock for the winter housing period. Vaccinations will be administered to prevent disease, particularly respiratory infections.
To support vaccination, supplementation with injectable trace minerals may give better results.
Studies have estimated that a case of respiratory disease costs, on average, €93 per affected calf when considering the direct costs such as treatment and labour.
The effect on growth rates can be an even larger (and often hidden) cost – even a moderate case of pneumonia can reduce daily liveweight gain (DLWG) by up to 72g/day – equivalent to a 22kg loss over a 10 month period.
The effect on DLWG in severe cases has been shown to be even higher with affected cattle showing a reduction of 202g/day (61kg over a 10 month period).
Livestock requirements for trace minerals
During periods of stress such as weaning, grouping and housing, animals’ requirements for trace minerals increase.
Stress often results in animals’ dry matter intakes (DMI) reducing which means that whilst demand for trace minerals has increased, intakes have actually decreased, and it is not uncommon to see weanlings in particular, fall into poor trace mineral status during this period.
Many animals will also be vaccinated at the same time as weaning and housing. Vaccination increases the demand for systemic trace minerals as they are required for the body to effectively respond to a vaccine and create antibodies which will then provide protection against specific diseases.
Selenium (Se), Copper (Cu) and Zinc (Zn) in particular are vital for vaccine response.
When a group of cattle are vaccinated the response to that vaccine by the individuals within the group will vary (Figure 1). Factors such as nutrition, stress, vitamin and mineral status, and the general health of the animal being vaccinated will affect how the immune system responds to the vaccine.
Therefore, stressors such as weaning and transport can exacerbate trace mineral imbalances which could lead to reduced response to vaccines.
Trace minerals such as Zinc, Manganese (Mn), Copper, and Selenium are essential for optimal immune function, maintaining health and growth in cattle. They are particularly important in stressed cattle or at the critical phases in the production cycle, such as pre-calving, pre-breeding, weaning and vaccination.
Click here to complete a form and get a free consultation from Virbac on the benefits of an injectable trace-mineral top up.
Worth mentioning
It is worth emphasising that trace minerals have poor intestinal absorption regardless of the source. This poor oral absorption is further reduced by antagonists such as sulphur, molybdenum, calcium and iron.
Daily oral intake of trace minerals are essential to meet maintenance requirements in cattle, but at high demand periods like pre-calving, pre-breeding, weaning or vaccination intake can fall in response to stress. Consequently clinical or subclinical deficiency can develop.
Strategic injectable supplementation
Studies from leading universities have demonstrated the beneficial effects of strategic injectable supplementation. In particular, by enhancing the immune responses to vaccination.
In a 2016 study the effects of ITM supplementation on response to vaccination was measured. Cattle that received ITM at the time of vaccination had higher antibody levels 28 days later than un-supplemented cattle that had been vaccinated at the same time.
The results of another study that compared the response to vaccination of two groups of cattle. Both groups were vaccinated; one group received an ITM supplement at the time of vaccination whilst the other group did not.
Blood samples collected from both groups showed that on day 14 a greater proportion of the supplemented group were seropositive for bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD) type one than in the unsupplemented group, suggesting that their immune response to the vaccine was faster.
In a 2012 study, the effects of ITM supplementation with concurrent vaccination were measured. Compared to controls, animals treated with an ITM supplement at the time of vaccination had significantly greater neutralizing antibody titres against IBR on days 14, 30, and 60 post vaccination (Figure 2).
Strategic ITM supplementation bypasses the harsh rumen environment, rapidly raising circulating mineral levels in cattle within 8-10 hours, and after 24 hours the trace mineral concentrations in the storage organs like the liver are at raised concentrations.
Vaccination is a powerful tool to prevent infections; ask your veterinary surgeon how an injectable trace mineral supplement could help to enhance vaccine response and therefore immunity in your herd.
To complete a form and get a free consultation from Virbac on the benefits of injectable trace mineral top up, click here.
References available on request.
