Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-j824f Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-13T02:25:25.875Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Blood and milk immune and inflammatory profiles in periparturient dairy cows showing a different liver activity index

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 May 2010

Erminio Trevisi ,
Alfonso Zecconi ,
Giuseppe Bertoni  and
Renata Piccinini
Erminio Trevisi
Affiliation:
Istituto di Zootecnica, Facoltà di Agraria, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, via Emilia Parmense, 84, 29100Piacenza, Italy
Alfonso Zecconi*
Affiliation:
Dept. Animal Pathology, Hygiene and Public Health, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 10, 20133Milano, Italy
Giuseppe Bertoni
Affiliation:
Istituto di Zootecnica, Facoltà di Agraria, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, via Emilia Parmense, 84, 29100Piacenza, Italy
Renata Piccinini
Affiliation:
Dept. Animal Pathology, Hygiene and Public Health, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 10, 20133Milano, Italy
*
*For correspondence; e-mail: alfonso.zecconi@unimi.i
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This paper reports the results of a study that aimed to assess whether liver functionality defined by liver activity index (LAI) is associated with inflammatory and immune parameters in blood and milk. LAI is an index including the average blood levels of albumin, lipoproteins and retinol-binding protein measured three times in the first month of lactation (at 5, 15 and 30 days in milk). The aim was to assess the relationship of this index with blood and udder immune and inflammatory status as a means of identifying as early as possible cows at risk of disease. The research was carried out using 10 multiparous Italian-Friesian dairy cows of average genetic merit. Cows were retrospectively ranked in three groups according the LAI level. Blood samplings were performed at different intervals before and after calving; quarter milk samples were taken only after calving with the same schedule as blood samples. Leucocytes, oxidative burst, blood lysozyme and N-acetyl-β-d-glucosaminidase (NAGase) curves showed large overlapping among the three LAI group curves during the follow-up period. Four blood (complement, sialic acid, haptoglobin and reactive oxygen metabolites) and three milk (somatic cell count, lysozyme and NAGase) parameters showed larger and more consistent differences among LAI groups. Complement showed higher values and sialic acid showed lower values in high LAI group when compared with the other two LAI groups. Two other markers of inflammatory status (haptoglobin and reactive oxygen metabolites) showed the lowest values in high LAI cows. A consistent and significant reduction of milk NAGase and milk lysozyme in high LAI group was observed. The results suggest that cows with the highest liver functionality index have also the highest levels of some immune markers and the lowest levels for inflammatory markers at blood (already before calving) and mammary levels. Finally, cows with low LAI index, being more susceptible to metabolic and infectious diseases, should be carefully monitored to identify as early as possible the development of a disease.

Keywords

Cowperiparturient periodliver activitybloodmilkimmunityinflammation
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Dairy Research , Volume 77 , Issue 3 , August 2010 , pp. 310 - 317
Copyright
Copyright © Proprietors of Journal of Dairy Research 2010

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Åkerstedt, M, Persson-Waller, K, Bach Larsend, L, Forsbäck, L & Sternesjö, Å 2006 Biosensor assay for determination of haptoglobin in bovine milk. Journal of Dairy Research 73 299–305CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Barta, V & Barta, O 1993 Testing of hemolytic complement and its components. In: Veterinary Clinical Immunology Laboratory (Ed. Barta, O) pp. C6.1–C6.40. Blacksburg VA, USA: Bar-LabGoogle Scholar
Bertoni, G, Trevisi, E, Han, X & Bionaz, M 2008 Effects of inflammatory conditions on liver activity in puerperium period and consequences for performance in dairy cows. Journal of Dairy Science 91 3300–3310CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bionaz, M, Trevisi, E, Calamari, L, Librandi, F, Ferrari, A & Bertoni, G 2007 Plasma paraoxonase, inflammatory conditions, liver functionality and health problems in transition dairy cows. Journal of Dairy Science 90 1740–1750CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cappa, V, Trevisi, E & Bertoni, G 1989 [Variations in blood and production parameters during the first month of lactation in cows with or without problems post partum]. Zootecnica Nutrizione Animale 15 645–660Google Scholar
Chapkin, RS, Seo, J, McMurray, DN & Lupton, JR 2008 Mechanisms by which docosahexaeonic acid and related fatty acid compounds reduce colon cancer risk and inflammatory disorders of the intestine. Chemistry and Physics of Lipids 153 14–23CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Conner, EM & Grisham, MB 1996 Inflammation, free radicals, and antioxidants. Nutrition 12 274–277CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fleck, A 1989 Clinical and nutritional aspects of changes in acute phase proteins during inflammation. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 48 347–354CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Grimble, RF 2001 Stress proteins in disease: metabolism on a knife edge. Clinical Nutrition 20 469–476CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gruys, E, Toussaint, MJ, Landman, WJ, Tivapasi, M, Chamanza, R & VanVeen, L 1999 Infection, inflammation and stress inhibit growth. Mechanisms and non-specific assessment of the processes by acute phase proteins. In: Production Diseases in Farm Animals (Ed. Wensing, T.) pp. 72–87.Wageningen, The Netherlands: Wageningen PersGoogle Scholar
Hotamisligil, GS 2006 Inflammation and metabolic disorders. Nature 444 860–867CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Humblet, MF & Godeau, JM 2005 Haptoglobin, an acute phase protein in cattle. Annales De Medecine Veterinaire 149 20–33Google Scholar
Ingvartsen, KL, Dewhurst, RJ & Friggens, NC 2003 On the relationship between lactational performance and health: is it yield or metabolic imbalance that causes production diseases in dairy cattle? A position paper. Livestock Production Science 83 277–308CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kitchen, BJ, Middleton, G & Salmon, M 1978 Bovine milk N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase and its significance in the detection of abnormal udder secretions. Journal of Dairy Research 45 15–20CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lacetera, N, Scalia, D, Bernabucci, U, Ronchi, B, Pirazzi, D & Nardone, A 2005 Lymphocyte functions in overconditioned cows around parturition. Journal of Dairy Science 88 2010–2016CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mallard, BA, Dekkers, JC, Ireland, MJ, Leslie, KE, Sharif, S, Van Kampen, CL, Wagter, L & Wilkie, BN 1998 Alteration in immune responsiveness during the peripartum period and its ramification on dairy cow and calf health. Journal of Dairy Science 81 585–595CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mastellos, D & Lambris, J 2002 Complement: more than a ‘guard’ against invading pathogens? Trends in Immunology 23 485–491CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Metcalf, JA, Gallin, JI, Nauseef, WM & Root, RK 1986 Laboratory Manual of Neutrophil Function. New York, USA: Raven PressGoogle Scholar
NMC 1999 Laboratory Handbook on Bovine Mastitis. Madison WI, USA: National Mastitis Council Inc.Google Scholar
Piccinini, R, Binda, E, Belotti, M, Casirani, G & Zecconi, A 2004 Evaluation of non-specific immune status of heifers in field conditions during the periparturient period. Veterinary Research 35 539–550CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Piccinini, R, Binda, E, Belotti, M, Casirani, G & Zecconi, A 2005 Comparison of blood and milk non-specific immune parameters in heifers after calving in relation to udder health. Veterinary Research 36 747–757CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Piccinini, R, Binda, E, Belotti, M, Daprà, V & Zecconi, A 2007 Evaluation of milk components during whole lactation in healthy quarters. Journal of Dairy Research 74 226–232CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rimbach, G, Minihane, AM, Majewicz, J, Fisher, A, Pallauf, J, Virgli, F & Weinberg, PD 2002 Regulation of cell signalling by vitamin E. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 61 415–425CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sordillo, LM, Pighetti, GM & Davis, MR 1995 Enhanced production of bovine tumor necrosis factor-α during the periparturient period. Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology 49 263–270CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Trevisi, E, Calamari, L & Bertoni, G 2001 Definition of liver activity index in the dairy cow and its relationship with the reproductive performance. In: Proceedings X International Symposium of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Salsomaggiore-Parma, Italy, pp. 118–119Google Scholar
Trevisi, E, Gubbiotti, A & Bertoni, G 2007 Effects of inflammation in peripartum dairy cows on milk yield, energy balance and efficiency. In: Energy and Protein Metabolism and Nutrition, EAAP Publication no. 124. pp. 395–396. Wageningen, The Netherlands: Wageningen Academic PublishersCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Varki, A 2008 Sialic acids in human health and disease. Trends in Molecular Medicine 14 351–360CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Whist, AC & Østerås, O 2007 Associations between somatic cell counts at calving or prior to drying-off and clinical mastitis in the remaining or subsequent lactation. Journal of Dairy Research 74 66–73CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed