Supplementation of Diets With Bovine Colostrum Influences Immune and Gut Function in Kittens

Abstract

In its early life a kitten faces many significant events including separation from its mother, re-homing and vaccination. The kitten is also slowly adapting to their post-weaning diet. Recent advances in companion animal nutrition have indicated that functional ingredients such as colostrum can help support the immune system and gastrointestinal health. Here we report for the first time the effect of feeding a diet containing 0.1% spray dried bovine colostrum (BC) to growing kittens on gut-associated lymphoid (GALT) tissue responses, systemic immune responses, and on intestinal microbiota stability. BC supplementation induced increased faecal IgA expression, and a faster and stronger antibody response to a rabies vaccine booster, indicative of better localised and systemic immune function, respectively. BC supplementation also helped to maintain kittens' intestinal microbiota stability in the face of a mildly challenging life event. These results show that BC supplementation can help strengthen the immune system and enhance the gut microbiota stability of growing kittens.

Keywords: GALT; bovine colostrum; gut health; gut microflora; gut-associated lymphoid tissue; nutritional immunology.

Figure 1

Study schematic for kitten study from weeks −4 to 44. Kitten ages from (12) weeks old to (60) weeks old.

Figure 2

Combined means for IgA levels collected from faecal samples during weeks −4 to 40 from kittens fed diets with or without bovine colostrum. Values are means and vertical bars represent their standard errors (n = 12). ^*Mean value was significantly different from control (p < 0.05).

Figure 3

RFFIT antibody titers (IU/ml) in plasma samples collected at weeks 36, 40, 42 and 44 from kittens fed with or without bovine colostrum. Values are means and vertical bars represent their standard errors (n = 12). ^*Mean value was significantly different from control at indicated time point (p < 0.05).

Figure 4

Combined means for TTGE microbial profiling of kittens' gut microbiota pattern for weeks 4, 24 and 40 from kittens fed diets with or without bovine colostrum. Pre-challenge microbiota similarity (banding pattern of −1 day compared to 0 pre-challenge) was compared to post-challenge microbiota similarity (banding pattern of −1 day compared to +1 day) for both groups. Values for each bar are means and vertical bars represent their standard errors (n = 12). ^*Change in Mean value was significantly different for control (p < 0.05).