Effect of Immunocastration Vaccine Administration At Different Doses on Performance of Feedlot Holstein Bulls

Kocatepe Veterinary Journal Kocatepe Vet J (2018) 11(3): 301-308 RESEARCH ARTICLE DOI: 10.30607/kvj.424399 Submittion: 17.05.2018 Accepted: 08.07.2018 Published Online: 17.07.2018 Effect of Immunocastration Vaccine Administration At Different Doses on Performance of Feedlot Holstein Bulls Yahya ÖZTÜRK1*, Memis BOLACALI2 1Mehmet Akif Ersoy University, Burdur Food, Agriculture and Livestock Vocational School, Program of Food Technology, Burdur, TURKEY 2Siirt University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Animal Husbandry, TR-56100, Siirt, TURKEY *Corresponding author e-mail: ABSTRACT The aim of the study is to determine the effect of immunocastration vaccine administration at different doses on fattening performance of feedlot Holstein bulls. In this research, 94 Holstein male calves assigned to the 4 treatments. Control group; 1 mL of 0.9% saline solution was subcutaneously injected to intact bulls on 1st and 60th days of the feedlot as placebo. On the same days of the feedlot, Immunocastration vaccine (Bopriva®) at two doses of 1 mL and 1 mL for Trial-1 group, 1.5 mL and 1.5 mL for Trial-2 group, 1.5 mL and 1 mL for Trial-3 group were subcutaneously injected to bulls. The feedlot lasted 180 days. Immunocastration vaccine administration at different doses did not affect the live weights (LWs) and cold carcass yields of feedlot Holstein bulls (P>0.05). However, it reduced fattening performance between 61-120 days (P<0.05) and 1-180 days (P<0.01). As a result, it was decreased the fattening performance that administration of Bopriva® at different doses as a GnRH vaccine in Holstein male bulls; whereas it was determined that numerically increase in average daily live weight gain was found in the Trial-2 group than the other groups to which the immunocastration vaccine was applied. Keywords: GnRH, fattening, immunocastration Farklı Dozlarda İmmunokostrasyon Aşı Uygulamasının Entansif Koşullarda Yetiştirilen Holstein Erkek Danalarının Besi Performansı Üzerine Etkisi ÖZ Bu çalışmanın amacı, farklı dozlarda GnRH aşısının Holştayn erkek buzağılarında besi performansı ve karkas randımanı üzerine etkisinin belirlenmesidir. Araştırmada, 94 baş Holştayn ırkı erkek buzağı kullanılmış ve rastgele 4 gruba ayrılmıştır. Besinin 1. ve 60. gününde kontrol grubuna plasebo olarak 1 mL %0.9'luk tuzlu su çözeltisi derialtı yolla enjeksiyon yöntemi ile uygulanmıştır. Besinin aynı günlerinde, Deneme-1 grubundaki buzağılara 1 mL ve 1 mL, Deneme-2 grubundaki buzağılara 1.5 mL ve 1.5 mL ve Deneme-3 grubundaki buzağılara ise 1.5 mL and 1 mL olmak üzere iki doz immunokastrasyon aşısı (Bopriva®) derialtı yolla enjeksiyon yöntemi ile uygulanmıştır. Besi 180 gün sürüştür. Farklı dozlarda immunokastrasyon aşısı uygulamasının entansif koşullarda yetiştirilen Holştayn erkek danalarında, canlı ağırlık ve karkas randımanı üzerine etkisinin olmadığı belirlenmiştir (P>0.05). Buna karşın immunokastrasyon aşısı uygulamasının besinin 61-120 (P<0.05) ile 1-180. gün (P<0.01) arası dönemde besi performansını azalttığı belirlenmiştir. Sonuç olarak, Holştayn erkek danalarında GnRH aşısı olarak Bopriva®’nın farklı dozlarda uygulamasının; besi performansını düşürdüğü buna karşın immunokastrasyon aşısı uygulanan gruplar içinde rakamsal olarak en yüksek canlı ağırlık artışının Deneme-2 grubunda olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Anahtar Kelimeler: GnRH, besi, immunokastrasyon To cite this article: Öztürk Y. Bolacalı M. Effect of Immunocastration Vaccine Administration At Different Doses on Performance of Feedlot Holstein Bulls. Kocatepe Vet J. (2018) 11(3): 301-308. 301 INTRODUCTION Castration of male animals is a widespread farming method reported in the literature for more than 50 years and is used world-wide in controlling fertility. Castration has been commonly conducted to enhance growth, metabolism, carcass, and meat quality through decreased pH in the carcasses. It has also been used to improve body fat deposition, reduce aggressive and sexual behaviour for handling the animals in an easier manner, to obtain less carcass damage and to improve animal welfare for animal producers, consumers and owners. Unless the animals are not castrated, they may become dangerous because of aggressive behaviours among themselves and to the people who handle them (Wierbicki et al. 1955, Field 1971, Lofthouse and Kemp 2002, Duff and McMurphy 2007, Freitas et al. 2008, Amatayakul-Chantler et al. 2012, Miesner and Anderson 2015). Surgical castration is commonly applied, although different castration methods are applied in animals. However, surgical castration (i.e. gonadectomy) usually comes with complications (stress, pain, discomfort etc..) and consequent reductions in post-castration performance (decrease in feed efficiency and rate of growth, and elongated deterioration in productivity etc.) (Marti et al. 2015, Ison et al. 2016). Vaccination for gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), which is also called as immunocastration, is considered to be an animal-friendly alternative for surgical castration has received particular attention in male and female mammals. Both for males and females, GnRH, a hypothalamic hormone, has an important role in the regulation of reproductive functions. For this reason, immunization for GnRH (GnRH vaccine) ends up in the neutralization of endogenous GnRH with the subsequence suppression of the gonadotropinluteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) expression by anterior pituitary. As a result of this, testicular testosterone and androsterone production is reduced (Bonneau and Enright 1995, Thompson 2000). GnRH secretion have marked increases after 4 months of age (happening at the same time with the increase in the secretion of LH) in Bull calves, at which time prepubertal transition and testicular development begins (Rodriguez and Wise 1989, 1991). However, benefits on carcass enhancement and testicular growth resulted with one immunization in 4 - 12 months of age (Adams et al. 1996). The potential to use GnRH vaccine has caused specific attention in major livestock including cattle (Robertson et al. 1979, Finnerty et al. 1998, Huxsoll et al. 1998), goats (Godfrey et al. 1996), pigs (Caraty and Bonneau 1986, Molenaar et al. 1993, Meloen et al. 1994) and sheep (Clarke et al. 1978, Brown et al. 1995, Clarke et al. 1998). A cattle-specific GnRH vaccine (for immunocastration) (Bopriva®, Zoetis Australia Ltd., West Ryde, Australia) was approved to be used in heifers and bulls in New Zealand, Australia, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Turkey, and Peru (Balet et al. 2014). The immunocastration vaccine is applied in 2 doses. With the 1st dose, the bovine immune system is prepared; and the immune response is activated with the 2nd dose. The animal is deemed immunocastrated only when the second dosage (i.e. the booster) is applied (Hennessy 2008). Suppression of GnRH in the hypothalamic axis through antibody induction by GnRH vaccine, reduced the testosterone concentration releas (...truncated)