COMPLEMENT TITRES OF NATURALLY AND ARTIFICIALLY RAISED PIGLETS .1. IN PIGLETS OF DIFFERENT BIRTH WEIGHTS

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  • 1 January 1963
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 27  (7) , 157-+
Abstract
Titrations of hemolytic complement, C1, activity have been carried out on serial weekly bleedings from 4 litters of piglets, a total of 39 animals. One of these litters was raised naturally on the sow, the other 3 litters were removed by hysterectomy and fed artificially without colostrum supplement. At one day of age the nursing piglets had considerably higher C1 titers than the colostrum-deprived animals, owing presumably to their in-gestion of maternal complement components from the colostrum. The naturally-raised piglets grew more rapidly and continued to have higher C titers during the first 3 weeks. After that time, although the artifically-raised piglets were still gaining weight more slowly, their C1 titers began to compare favorably with those of the naturally-raised animals. Considerable variation was noted in the complement activity of sera of littermates. Deaths occurred among animals with high or with low C1 titers.