DISEASE RESISTANCE AND THRIFTINESS OF CALVES GIVEN HUMAN LYMPHOBLASTOID INTERFERON

A field trial was set up to evaluate the effect of human lymphoblastoid interferon (IFN) as a biological response modifier (BRM) in cattle. Two different doses (100 and 1000 International Units/kg body weight) of partially purified interferon from Namalwa cells were administered to suckling calves, after animals were introduced into a large veal fattening and finishing unit. The clinical conditions of the calves and some parameters of specific and non-specific immunity, along with the individual weights, were evaluated over a 4-month period. The higher IFN dose correlated with a favourable clinical response of calves to a respiratory syndrome; this was further substantiated by a dramatic improvement of the growth rate with respect to control calves. To a lesser extent, this also occurred in calves given the lower IFN dose. These results suggest better disease resistance in IFN-treated calves, possible associated with dose-dependent regulation of basic homeostatic functions.