Impact of bypass nutrients on immune system

K.GURU MOHAN REDDY

TVM/2016-13

DEPARTMENT OF ANIMAL NUTRTION

COLLEGE OF VETERINARY SCIENCE, TIRUPATI

SRI VENKATESWARA VETERINARY UNIVERSITY

Optimal immunity

• The immune system appears to have priority for nutrients over growth.

• The optimum immune response is the one that is the shortest in

duration and the lowest in intensity while successfully eliminating the

pathogen.

• An extreme immune response not only wastes resources but may

cause local cell damage and depress productivity.

• Reducing challenges to the immune system by providing a clean

environment and reducing stress can improve growth rate, even in

the absence of disease.

• Good nutrition improves disease resistance of stressed cattle, by

helping to counteract the suppression of the immune system caused

by stress hormones and by providing nutrients essential for

maintaining and activating the immune system as required.

• Generally, nutrition has most impact on health during the first month on

feed and particularly for highly-stressed or lighter weight cattle

• In general, diets that contain relatively low or high levels of dietary proteins

adversely affect immunity to infection compared to diets with moderate

protein levels .

• The best performance is usually achieved at higher levels of dietary protein

(16 to 20%). Morbidity was better when less soluble, higher bypass

proteins were fed.

Naturally Protected ProteinsFeed UDP %

Maize (grain) 65

Barley 21( 11-27)

Sorghum 52

Bajra 68

Oat grain 14–20

Wheat grain 20–36

Cotton seed meal 41–50

Linseed meal 11–45

Ground nut meal 30

Rapeseed meal 23

Soybean meal 28 ( 15–45)

Sunflower meal 24

Subabul 51 – 70

Feed UDP %

Blood meal 76 – 82

Fish meal 71 – 80

Meat meal 53 – 76

Brewers dried 53

Corn gluten 53

Wheat bread 29

Corn silage 27

Rice straw 63

Wheat straw 45

Para grass 52

Cow pea 32 – 45

Berseem 37 – 52

Alfa-Alfa 28

(NRC, 1985; Dutta et. al., 1997)

NATURAL SOURCES OF BYPASS FATSource : Neb Guide,2004.

OILSEEDS FAT % SATURATED FAT % UN SATURATED FAT %

Cotton 20 26 74

Soybean 18.8 15 85

Sunflower 44.4 12 88

Palm-

51 49

Methods of protein protection

• Heat Treatment

• Tannic acid Treatment

• Esophageal Groove

• Post Rumen Infusion (Fistula)

• Encapsulation of Proteins

• Amino Acids Analogs

Chemically prepared bypass fat

• Formaldehyde treated protein encapsulated fatty acids

• Crystalline or Prilled fatty acids

• Fatty acyl amide

• Calcium salts of long chain fatty acids

Potential of Using Condensed Tannins to Control Gastrointestinal Nematodes

• Gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) infections are characteristic of pastoral

grazing systems.

• Many GIN species have developed resistance to anthelmintic drugs.

• Infestation with internal parasites causes significant production losses.

• Use of phyto-chemicals (condensed tannins; CT) is becoming preferable

and may offer better control than anthelmintics to treat GINs.

• Dietary supplementation of CT through tropical tanniferous tree leaves/ leaf

meal mixture (LMM) at low to moderate level (1~2% of DMI)

• It was found to be effective against different developmental stages (eggs,

larvae and adult) of GIN and decreased GI parasitic load in ruminants.

• CT supplementation also improved nutrient utilization, productive

performance, antioxidant status and immunological (both cell mediated and

humoral immune) response in small ruminants.

• Therefore, CT supplementation in the diets of small ruminants may act

as natural dewormer without having any residual effect in animal

products.

• There are several phenotypic and genetic markers for GIN resistance

in sheep naturally infected with GIN that could potentially assist

responses to selection.

• The phenotypic physiological markers include IgA activity,

pepsinogenaemia , fructosamine concentrations in the plasma and

eosinophilia.

• IgA is a secreted antibody, which is part of the acquired immune

response; it has a major role in gut infections and appears to regulate

worm fecundity (Smith et al., 1985; Stear et al., 1995).

• The parasitic antigens interact with innate immune system cells

(macrophages, dendritic cells, natural killer; NK, basophils), which

release cytokines, mainly IL-4, that provide instructions to T and B

cells of the acquired immune system to generate a specific response

(Falcone et al., 2001; London et al., 1998).

• Eosinophils are anti-parasitic effector cells (Stear et al., 2002), whose

main function is as a defense against non-phagocytable organisms,

particularly helminths.

• The increased expression of complement receptors on the cells

surface, along with the abundant protein deposits of the same on the

surface of the parasite, would cause degranulation and death

(Meeusen, 1999).

• A greater amount of eosinophils in the tissue suggests that they might

be involved in larvae development prevention or in the rapid expulsion

phenomenon (Bricarello et al., 2004).

• Feeding of quebracho as the source of CT in sheep infected with

T. circumcincta (Niezen et al., 1998b) and in goat infected with H.

contortus, T. circumcincta and T. colubriformis (Paolini et al., 2003b

and 2005) causes the reduction in egg output was associated with

significant decreases in worm fecundity.

• The consumption of tanniferous legume forage by sheep (Niezen et al.,

1998a) and goat (Paolini et al., 2005) was not only associated with an

improved resistance of the host but also an improved resilience.

• The cell mediated immune response of does was measured by skin

thickness reaction after the intradermal injection of 250-μg

phytohaemagglutinin and they observed the improved cell mediated

immune response, in goats fed CT-containing forage (Sericea

lespedeza) compared to control (Min et al., 2005)

• With regard to humoral immune response, it seems that humoral

responses regulate parasite size and fecundity, while hypersensitivity

reactions regulate parasite burden.

• Dietary polyphenols appear to have a protective effect on immune cell

functions.

• They could increase macrophage chemotaxis, phagocytosis,

microbicidal activity, and increase lymphoproliferation and IL-2

release in response to lipopolysaccharide.

• CTs are widely distributed in plants from grasses and legumes to

browse leaves and fruits.

• Eating plants high in tannins is a way for herbivores to reduce GINs.

• By making the protein unavailable for digestion and absorption until it

reaches the more acidic abomasum, CT also enhance nutrition by

providing high-quality protein to the small intestines.

• This high-quality protein bypass effect has the potential to enhance the

immune response and increase resistance to GINs (Min et al., 2004).

Tannin fractions of some tropical tree leavesTree leaves TPH (%) HT (%) CT (%)

C. spinarum 4.90~7.50 0.37~1.90 4.53~5.60

F. roxburghii 2.80~5.10 0.50~0.90 2.30~4.20

L. leucocephala 4.10~4.50 2.70~3.10 1.4

Azadirachta indica 2.9 - 0.6

Ficus bengalensis 19.6 - 10.3~12.6

Z. nummularia 5.90 1.20 4.70

Mangifera indica 5.8 - 0.9

Musca paradisiacal 1.7 - 0.6

Ficus glomerata 17.5 - 12.1

• Bypassing amino acids like arginine, glutamine and cysteine can

enhance immune responses .

• As these amino acids regulate activation of

-T and B lymphocytes,

- natural killer cells and macrophages,

- gene expression and lymphocyte proliferation,

- production of antibodies, cytokines.

• Parasitized does and lambs grazing forages containing CT had

enhanced immune responses and had higher antibody titers against

secretory-excretory antigens to O. circumcincta and to T. colubriformis

• Likewise, protein supplementation rapidly improves periparturient

immunity to T. circumcincta in sheep that subsequently manifest

increased leukocyte counts and plasma Ig E anti-infective larvae (L3)

antibodies (Houdijk et al., 2005; 2006).

Effect of feeding calf starter on the immune status

• Sixteen HF crossbred female calves of similar age and body weight

were randomly divided into two groups of eight each.

• Calves in group-I (Control group) were kept on measured quantity of

traditional ration,

• while those in group-II (Experimental group) were fed calf starter

comprising - sodium butyrate,

- calcium propionate,

- quality protein meal ,

- bypass fat,

- vitamins A, D3, E,

- toxin binder,

- mineral mixture and anti-oxidants

@ 100 g per day, which was slowly increased to 2.0 kg per day, for a

period of 180 days

• Calves in both the groups were fed ad lib green fodder.

• Average daily weight gain was 0.76 kg in experimental group, which

was significantly higher than that of control group (0.56 kg).

• Feed conversion ratio (kg calf starter consumed/kg body weight gain)

was 3.13 and 2.33 in control and experimental groups, respectively.

Immunity status Control group Experimental group

Serum IgG (mg/dl)

13.30 ±1.3 18.71 ±3.0

Serum IgA (mg/dl)

0.62±0.14 0.96±0.22

Serum IgM (mg/dl)

2.31±0.40 2.43±0.32

• Parasitic load also reduced significantly in experimental group fed on

calf starter.

• A calf starter formulated scientifically can help in significantly

improving the daily weight gain, immune status and reducing parasitic

infestation in growing calves, which in turn can help in reducing the

age at first calving.

• Imbalances or inadequacy of nutrients in the diet can alter the activity

of certain enzymes, thereby, impairing overall immune function

• During the trial period, the intensity of infection as faecal egg counts

ranged from 100 to 400per gram of faeces in control group, while in

experimental group, there were significant reduction in parasitic eggs

and coccidian oocyst in faecal samples .

• Studies showed that feeding essential nutrients in balanced form has

the potential to reduce parasitic load in dairy animals.

Effect of feeding calf starter on parasitic load

Faecal egg count Control groupExperimental

group

Trichostrongyles

eggs Present Absent

Trichuris eggsPresent Absent

Coccidian oocystPresent

Present

(oocyst revealed)

Eggs per gram

(EPG) 200 ± 37.78 50.0 ±7.40

• An increased availability of essential nutrients can be expected to

improve host resistant to gastrointestinal parasites provided that they

are first limiting for immune functions.

• Animals fed on im balanced diet are vulnerable to parasitic infestation

due to lower host immunity reaction .

• Parasitic load in dairy animals affect growth, milk production and

general health as these parasites hijack vital essential nutrients in the

assimilation form supplemented through feed and feed supplements.

• Supplementing essential nutrients in adequate amount is an excellent

way to reduce parasites by enhancing overall vitality of the body.

• Good nutrition has been shown to reduce parasitic load through

improvement in immunity of animals.

Conclusion

• The immune system appears to have priority for nutrients over growth.

• Condensed tannins serves as natural dewormer with out any residual

effect.

• Use of bypass fat increased levels of serum immunoglobulins like

Ig A, Ig G and Ig M.

REFERENCES

• Nutrition and Management section of the Alberta Feedlot

Management Guide, Second Edition published September 2000.

• International Journal of Agriculture Innovations and Research

• Journal of Dairy Science Vol. 89 No. 4, 2006

• Veterinary World, EISSN: 2231-0916 .

• Molecular Veterinary Research, Int’l Journal of 2013.