NONSPECIFIC AND ANTIGEN-SPECIFIC PROPERTIES OF TRANSFER FACTOR OBTAINED FROM COLOSTRUM IN COWS SENSITIZED TO SALMONELLA PATHOGEN

A promising direction for the treatment and prevention of many animal diseases caused by viruses, bacteria and other infectious agents is transfer factor usage. The article presents new data on the study of nonspecific and antigen-specific properties of transfer factor derived from bovine colostrum. Colostrum from immunized cows of black-and-white breed was used in order to obtain transfer factor. To sensitize the animals of experimental group, the vaccine was administered to cows twice at doses of 10 cm3 and 15 cm3in 1.5 months before parturition. Animals of the control group were given an appropriate amount of physiological saline solution. The concentrated vaccine against Salmonellosis in calves from the Kherson Biofactory was used for immunization. To determine the presence of sensitization to Salmonella agent, an allergic skin test was used in 14 days after immunization. Colostrum samples were taken immediately and in 2 days after parturition of cows. Isolation of the transfer factor preparations from colostrum was carried out according to the method modified by the Department of Microbiology, Virology and Biotechnology of NUBIP of Ukraine. In order to assess the ability of transfer factor derived from vaccinated cows’ donors to transfer the condition of specific sensitization, a leukocyte migration inhibition test was made by G. Freemel method with the use of transfer factor in different dilutions. To do this, a leukocytes suspension from mice spleen that was previously incubated with different dilution of the studied preparation with the addition of a specific antigen was used. The results of studies have shown that transfer factor obtained from colostrum in cows, sensitized to the salmonellosis pathogen, has pronounced antigen-specific properties against the Salmonella dublin. In addition, it is established that the antigen-specific properties of transfer factor depend on the degree of its dilution. Thus, transfer factor obtained from the colostrum can be used to transfer cell-mediated immunity into other animals to diseases against which pathogens the animals donors are immunized.