In conclusion, this study clearly demonstrates that colostrum
ingestion during the first 24 h of life has a significant
role in early postnatal development of both
mucosal (i.e. fecal IgA) and systemic immunity (i.e.
plasma IgG and B cell numbers) of piglets. To our knowledge,
this is the first study showing the effect of colostrum
on the development of immune status, other
than IgG production, in piglets. On the other hand, the
systemic immunity parameter values (i.e. plasma IgG
and B cell count) observed in the CoF group were still
lower than those of adult pigs; the plasma B cell numbers
in the CoF group were about 70% of that in adults
at 140 days of age (Pomorska-Mól & Markowska-Daniel
2011). This clearly indicates further development and
maturation of the immune system in piglets after 28
days of age. Therefore, further studies should clarify
whether colostrum ingestion impacts only early postnatal
development or also the post-weaning development
and maturation of immune systems.