Colostrum as The Elixir of Life: The Interrelationship between Passive Immunity, Nutrition, Microbiome and Neonatal Ruminant Health

Colostrum is the essential first food for newborn ruminants. It serves as a biological bridge between passive immunity, nutrition, gut development, and microbial colonization. Because of the syndesmochorial placentation, neonates are agammaglobulinemic at birth. Colostrum is therefore their only source of passive immunity. It is also the primary driver of intestinal maturation and early microbial establishment. The first hours and days of life are a critical window in which these processes begin together, and they can influence the health of the animal well beyond the neonatal period.The main aim of this Research Topic is to set up an integrated framework that conceptualises colostrum not as a single nutrient or antibody source, but as a composite developmental signal. The quality and timing of this signal shape the health, microbiome, and productivity of the ruminant for life. By bringing together work on immunity, nutrition, and microbiota, this collection seeks to move beyond studying these components in isolation. It aims to build a shared understanding of how they interact in the newborn ruminant.This topic will include:- Colostrum quality, in terms of both nutrient and immune/non-immune components- The colostrum-gut axis- Colostral microbiota in relation to health- Maternal-to-neonate transfer of microbiota in relation to health, productivity, and performance Topic editors: Hidayet Metin Erdogan, Mehmet Akköse Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/87406/colostrum-as-the-elixir-of-life-the-interrelationship-between-passive-immunity-nutrition-microbiome-and-neonatal-ruminant-health