Bovine colostrum-derived antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 show great potential to serve as prophylactic agents.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) continues to impose a serious burden on health systems globally. Despite worldwide vaccination, social distancing and wearing masks, the spread of the virus is ongoing. One of the mechanisms by which neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) block virus entry into cells encompasses interaction inhibition between the cell surface receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and the spike (S) protein of SARS-CoV-2. SARS-CoV-2-specific NAb development can be induced in the blood of cattle. Pregnant cows produce NAbs upon immunization, and antibodies move into the colostrum immediately before calving. Here, we immunized cows with SARS-CoV-2 S1 receptor binding domain (RBD) protein in proper adjuvant solutions, followed by one boost with SARS-CoV-2 trimeric S protein and purified immunoglobulins from colostrum. We demonstrate that this preparation indeed blocks the interaction between the trimeric S protein and ACE2 in different in vitro assays. Moreover, we describe the formulation of purified immunoglobulin preparation into a nasal spray. When administered to human subjects, the formulation persisted on the nasal mucosa for at least 4 hours, as determined by a clinical study. Therefore, we are presenting a solution that shows great potential to serve as a prophylactic agent against SARS-CoV-2 infection as an additional measure to vaccination and wearing masks. Moreover, our technology allows for rapid and versatile adaptation for preparing prophylactic treatments against other diseases using the defined characteristics of antibody movement into the colostrum.

Dairy cow behavior and welfare implications of time waiting before entry into the milking parlor.

The objective of this study was to investigate dairy cows' time spent in the possibly stressful waiting area (WA) of the milking parlor (MP) and their behavioral patterns while there and thereby investigate comparative effects on their welfare. The experiments were carried out in 3 loose-housing cowsheds. The study consisted of a total of 3,522 observations of individual dairy cows. Depending on the group size and the number of places in the MP, cows' waiting times in the WA were as high as 1:42:22 (h:mm:ss). In Cowsheds I and II, only one third of cows were observed ruminating in the WA, and up to 52% of cows were observed ruminating in the WA of Cowshed III where the feeding group size was the smallest, waiting time the shortest, and space per cow the largest. Cows spending more time in the WA have limited opportunities to behave normally; therefore, the welfare of these cows in particular is poor.