Mélissa Duplessis, Ph.D.

Research scientist, PRP

Nutrition and ruminant metabolism.

I am currently working on the effect of vitamin B supplementation on energy and protein metabolism of dairy cows during the transition period.

My role is to manage data collection at the farm, run statistical analysis once the samples are analyzed, present results to my colleagues and write scientific papers. I also have to write grants to get money for future works.

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Sherbrooke Research and Development Centre

Current research and/or projects

Impact of vitamin B supplementation on energy and protein metabolism during the peripartum period of dairy cows;
Impact of cow nutrition on vitamin B12 concentration in milk;
Link between cow vitamin B12 status and ruminal microbiota.

Research and/or project statements

Vitamin B, energy and protein metabolism during the transition period of dairy cows;
Vitamin B12 in cow milk;
Vitamin B12 and the cow microbiota;
Link between vitamin B12 status and indicators of energy at the beginning of the lactation;
Impact of nutrition on vitamin B12 concentration in milk of cow.

Professional activities / interests

Vitamin B
Nutrition
Metabolism
Dairy cows

Education and awards

Mention on the Dean's list of Université Laval for my Ph. D. thesis and defense (Tableau d'honneur de la Faculté des études supérieures et postdoctorales de l'Université Laval), 2014

Ph. D. in Animal Sciences, Université Laval, 2014

International experience and/or work

Six-month internship during my Ph. D. at Cornell University, NY, USA with Dr. Tom Overton from Department of Animal Science, 2013.

Collaboration with Dr. Hélène Soyeurt from Université de Liège, Belgium for a project aiming to predict vitamin B12 concentration in milk using mid-infrared spectral data, 2017.

Key publications

Duplessis, M., Santschi, D. E., Plante, S., Bergeron, C., Lefebvre, D. M., Durocher, J. and Cue, R. I. 2018. Milk β-hydroxybutyrate concentration measured by Fourier-transform infrared and flow-injection analyses from samples taken at different times relative to milking. J. Dairy Res. Accepted.
Duplessis, M., Cue, R. I, Santschi, D. E., Lefebvre, D. M. and Girard, C. L. 2018. Short communication : Relationships among plasma and milk vitamin B12, plasma free fatty acids, and blood β-hydroxybutyrate concentrations in early lactation dairy cows. J. Dairy Sci. 101: 8559-8565.
Duplessis, M., Lapierre, H., Ouattara, B., Bissonnette, N., Pellerin, D., Laforest, J.-P. and Girard, C. L. 2017. Whole-body propionate and glucose metabolism of multiparous dairy cows receiving folic acid and vitamin B12 supplements. J. Dairy Sci. 100: 8578-8589.
Fadul-Pacheco, L., Pellerin, D., Chouinard, P. Y., Wattiaux, M. A., Duplessis, M. and Charbonneau, É. 2017. Nitrogen efficiency of commercial dairy herds : Impact on production performance and farm profitability. J. Dairy Sci. 100: 6592-6601.
Duplessis, M., Lapierre, H., Pellerin, D., Laforest, J.-P. and Girard, C. L. 2017. Effects of intramuscular injections of folic acid, vitamin B12, or both, on lactational performance and energy status of multiparous dairy cows. J. Dairy Sci. 100: 4051-4064.
Santschi, D. E., Lacroix, R., Durocher, J., Duplessis, M., Moore, R. K. and Lefebvre, D. M. 2016. Prevalence of elevated milk β-hydroxybutyrate concentrations in Holstein cows measured by FTIR analysis in Dairy Herd Improvement milk samples and association with milk yield and components. J. Dairy Sci. 99: 9263-9270.
Ouattara, B., Bissonnette, N., Duplessis, M. and Girard, C. L. 2016. Supplements of vitamins B9 and B12 affect hepatic and mammary gland gene expression profiles in lactating dairy cows. BMC Genomics. 17: 640.
Duplessis, M., Pellerin, D., Cue, R. I. and Girard, C. L. 2016. Short communication: Factors affecting vitamin B12 concentration in milk of commercial dairy herds: An exploratory study. J. Dairy Sci. 99: 4886-4892.
Mann, S., Leal Yepes, F. A., Duplessis, M., Wakshlag, J. J., Overton, T. R., Cummings, B. P. and Nydam, D. V. 2016. Dry period plane of energy: effects on glucose tolerance in transition dairy cows. J. Dairy Sci. 99: 701-717.
Duplessis, M., Mann, S., Nydam, D. V., Girard, C. L., Pellerin, D. and Overton, T. R. 2015. Short communication: Folates and vitamin B12 in colostrum and milk from dairy cows fed different energy levels during the dry period. J. Dairy Sci. 98: 5454-5459.
Duplessis, M., Cue, R. I., Santschi, D. E., Lefebvre, D. M. and Lacroix, R. 2015. Weight, height and relative-reliability indicators as a management tool for reducing age at first breeding and calving of dairy heifers. J. Dairy Sci. 98:2063-2073.
Duplessis, M., Girard, C. L., Santschi, D. E. and Pellerin, D. 2014. An economic model evaluating the supplementation of folic acid and vitamin B12 given around parturition and in early lactation on dairy farms in Québec, Canada. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 94:737-747.
Duplessis, M., Girard, C. L., Santschi, D. E., Lefebvre D. M. and Pellerin, D. 2014. Milk production and composition, and body measurements of dairy cows receiving intramuscular injections of folic acid and vitamin B12 in commercial dairy herds. Livest. Sci. 167: 186-194.
Duplessis, M., Girard, C. L., Santschi, D. E., Laforest, J.-P., Durocher, J. and Pellerin, D. 2014. Effects of folic acid and vitamin B12 supplementation on culling rate, diseases, and reproduction in commercial dairy herds. J. Dairy Sci. 97: 2346-2354.
Ouattara, B., Duplessis, M. and Girard, C. L. 2013. Optimization and validation of a reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography method for the measurement of bovine liver methylmalonyl-coenzyme a mutase activity. BMC Biochem. 14: 25-35.