Evaluation of intravenous administration of concentrated immunoglobulin G to colostrum-deprived foals.

This research article investigates the effects of intravenous administration of concentrated immunoglobulin G (IgG) to colostrum-deprived foals. This is examined in terms of their serum IgG concentration, body weight and total IgG recovery.

Study Design and Methods

• The study involved ten foals of different breeds who didn’t receive colostrum from birth till 36 hours old. They were divided into two groups.
• The first group included six foals, each of whom received a dose of 20g (200ml) of purified equine IgG intravenously in a 10% solution.
• The second group included four foals who were administrated 30g (300ml) of the same IgG preparation.
• The total time for each administration of 10g IgG in a 100ml solution was about ten minutes.

Measurements and Findings

• Serum IgG concentration in the foals was assessed at several intervals: prior to the administration, between 24-48 hours after the administration, and then at 7 and 14 days post-administration.
• Between 24 and 48 hours after IgG administration, the average serum IgG concentration was 425 mg/dl (ranging from 350 to 480 mg/dl) for group 1 foals, with an average body weight of 50.3kg.
• In group 2, the average concentration of serum IgG was 768 mg/dl (ranging from 640 to 920 mg/dl) during the same timeframe. These foals had a mean body weight of 43.2kg.
• The serum IgG concentration in group 2 was significantly higher than group 1, 24 to 48 hours after administration of IgG.
• The average total IgG recovery at the same interval was around 100% – this was based on the assumption of 94.5ml of plasma volume per kg of body weight.

Conclusions

• One and two weeks after administration of IgG concentrate, the levels of IgG measured in all foals were equivalent to levels expected after normal decay of passively acquired IgG.
• The study concluded that the intravenous administration of concentrated IgG had observable effects on the serum IgG concentration and total IgG recovery in foals deprived of colostrum.