ISSUE FOCUS FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE March 2024 43 an incidence of acidosis, there is an increased level of free endotoxin in the rumen due to an increased turnover of the microbial population, and so the challenge of LPS is greater. FUELLING THE IMMUNE SYSTEM: THE ENERGETIC COST OF INFLAMMATION The inflammatory response is a biological function that requires energy. Activated immune cells such as macrophages, require glucose to mount the inflammatory response. This energetic requirement is a must from a biological survival standpoint, and so energy is diverted from other partitions such as performance in milk or average daily gain. Work has shown that in a Holstein dairy cow, the energy requirement to fuel an active immune response, is around 2kg (4.4lbs) of glucose per day. That equates to 8.4Mcal of energy per day, or 7 kg (15.4 lbs) of milk. Often when we make changes to diets, we are looking to see 2-3kg of milk increase, and so a loss of 7kg is huge! CONCLUSION Acidosis in the beef and dairy sectors is a multifaceted problem that affects not only the physical health of livestock but also the economic viability of these industries. In the dairy sector, there is also the hidden cost of subacute ruminal acidosis (SARA). The connection between acidosis, leaky gut, and the absorption of endotoxins highlights the intricate relationship between nutrition, gut health, and animal immunology. One of the biggest challenges of mitigating the potential losses of acidosis, a leaky gut and an inflammatory response, is seeing that the challenge is present. Without taking blood samples to monitor the inflammatory response, practically, it is difficult to see. At times of stress there may also be a raised somatic cell count (SCC). However, there are many factors that can also cause a raised SCC. The energetic cost of inflammation equal to 7kg of milk is significant – and nutritional approaches need to consider how to mitigate this. You wouldn’t inject a dose of E. coli into an animal daily, but that is effectively what you are doing if the rumen is not managed well. Feeding to manage the rumen or to mitigate the impact of endotoxins, should be a part of all nutritional strategies, particularly for high producing animals. About Dr Sophie Parker-Norman Dr Sophie Parker-Norman has worked in the global ruminant and monogastric feed industries developing novel feed additive and technical service applications. Dr Parker-Norman leads the R&D and Technical Development team at Volac International Ltd and has academic foundations in animal immunology and epidemiology. Copyright © 2024 Volac International Ltd. All rights reserved. The NEXT GENERATION in MYCOTOXIN and ENDOTOXIN MANAGEMENT For more information visit volac.com or contact feedadditives@volac.com Now including: • Live yeast for biotransformation • Endotoxin binding capabilities
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