Failure of Passive Immunity Transfer Is Not a Risk Factor for Omphalitis in Beef Calves

SIMPLE SUMMARY: In calves, omphalitis is an infection of one or all the umbilical structures. It is the third most frequent disease in newborn calves. The objective of this longitudinal clinical trial was to assess the association between omphalitis and the failure of passive immunity transfer. Twenty-two cow–calf operations in central France were visited twice weekly from November 2020 to March 2021. Female (n = 463) and male (n = 501) beef calves were health scored twice: between 1 and 9 days old during the first visit and between 8 and 16 days old during the second visit. Omphalitis was defined as an enlarged umbilicus (greater than 20 mm) or pain response or an umbilical stump discharge or ultrasonographic abnormalities. During the first visit, a blood sample was collected for serum measurement of the total solids percentage (TS-%Brix) and total protein (TP). Three hundred and eleven calves (32.3%) developed omphalitis. The failure of passive immunity transfer was defined as serum %Brix < 8.1 or TP < 5.1 g/dL. No statistical association between the prevalence of omphalitis and the failure of passive immunity transfer was observed. In cow–calf systems, farm-level management factors (calving difficulty, hygiene of housing, and umbilical disinfection) seem to have more influence on the risk of this disease. ABSTRACT: Omphalitis is the third most frequent disease in newborn calves after neonatal diarrhea and bovine respiratory disease (BRD), but limited data on the prevalence and risk factors are available in the literature. Failure of passive immunity transfer (FPIT) is recognized as a major risk factor for diseases and mortality in calves. However, the association between omphalitis and FPIT remains poorly described. To assess this association, 964 suckler beef calves from 22 farms were included in a longitudinal cohort study for 5 months. Each calf was examined twice (mean ages: 4.4 and 11.1 days old) to diagnose omphalitis through clinical examination and ultrasonographic evaluation (USE) if necessary. Measurements of the total solids percentage (TS-%Brix) and total protein (TP) were performed on the serum during the first visit to evaluate the calves’ passive immunity status. FPIT (fair and poor) was defined as serum %Brix < 8.1 or TP < 5.1 g/dL; among calves with omphalitis, 14% had FPIT and among calves without omphalitis 12% had FPIT. The omphalitis prevalence was 32.3% in calves without any other disease (overall prevalence of 30.9%). No statistical association between the prevalence of omphalitis and FPIT was observed. Further research is needed to identify the risk factors and promote the prevention measures for omphalitis in cow–calf systems, such as calving difficulty, hygiene of housing, and navel disinfection.