Clone-specific immune colostrum induces increased resistance in goat kids challenged with Trypanosoma congolense.

The course of infection and the humoral immune response to Trypanosoma congolense clone ILNat 3.1 were studied in test goat kids receiving colostrum from dams immunized with the surface coat of ILNat 3.1 and control kids that received colostrum from nonimmunized dams. At 24-48 h after birth, all test kids had detectable serum antibodies to the trypanosome clone. There was no difference in the prepatent period between the test and control kids following challenge with 10(3) T. congolense ILNat 3.1 trypanosomes 8 days after birth. After the first 7 days of the experimental period, significantly lower parasitemia was recorded in test kids than in control kids. The mean packed red cell volume of test kids was not significantly different from that of control kids 7 days after infection. The test kids gained as much weight as noninfected control kids; both groups gained twice as much weight as infected control kids. Following infection, all kids developed antibodies against the infecting trypanosome clone. Fifteen test kids had titers equal to or greater than 1280 compared to only two control kids. The test kids survived longer after infection compared to control kids. The results suggest that colostrum from does immunized with the surface of a T. congolense clone did not prevent infection, but decreased parasitemia and prolonged survival of kids challenged with the same clone.