Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica logoLink to Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica
. 1989 Jun 1;30(2):209–219. doi: 10.1186/BF03548057

Immune Function in Dairy Cows Related to Energy Balance and Metabolic Status in Early Lactation

E Ropstad 112,212,312,✉, H J Larsen 112,212,312, A O Refsdal 112,212,312
PMCID: PMC8142205  PMID: 2596388

Abstract

Two feeding experiments were carried out in 2 successive years with 28 cows of the Norwegian Red Cattle (NRF) in each experiment.

The cows were randomly distributed into 4 groups and subjected to different feeding regimens from 1 month prior to calving until 12 weeks after calving. The experimental design was factorial (2×2) with respect to protein content of the concentrate (17.5 % digestible crude protein (DCP) v.s. 12.5 % DCP) and concentrate allowances (standard v.s. substandard allowances after calving). Silage was offered ad libitum.

Samples for estimation of serum immunoglobulin-G, white blood cells and lymphocyte responses to the mitogens phytohemagglutinin, concanavalin A and pokeweed mitogen were collected 4 weeks prior to expected calving, and 2, 4 and 8 weeks after calving. The levels of milk immunoglobulin-G were estimated at calving and 2, 4 and 8 weeks after calving.

A significant positive relationship was found between the estimated energy balance and the lymphocyte response to mitogens. Little evidence was found for the existence of a significant relationsip between the immunologic parameters and plasma indicators of metabolic status. The lymphocyte response to phytohemagglutinin and levels of serum immunoglobulin-G increased, while levels of milk immunoglobulin-G decreased during the period from calving to 8 weeks after calving.

Increased milk somatic cell counts were associated with a significant decrease in the lymphocyte responses to mitogens.

Keywords: phytohemagglutinin, pokeweed mitogen, concanavalin-A, immunoglobulin-G, white blood cells, ketosis, liver function, plasma constituents, nutrition, underfeeding

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (1.3 MB).

Acknowledgments

We wish to thank L. Midthjell, E. B. Gondrosen, L.-W. Fredriksen, H. Hansen and B. Johansen for excellent technical assistance. The experiment was financially supported by grants from The Norwegian Agricultural Research Council.

References

  1. Birkeland SA, Kristoffersen K. Lymphocyte transformation with mitogens and antigens during normal human pregnancy: a longitudinal study. Scand. J. Immunol. 1980;11:321–325. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-3083.1980.tb00240.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bloom JC, Kenyon SJ, Gabuzda TG. Glucocorticoid effects on peripheral blood lymphocytes in cows infected with bovine leukemia virus. Blood. 1979;53:899–912. doi: 10.1182/blood.V53.5.899.899. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Burrells C, Wells PW, Sutherland AS. Reactivity of ovine lymphocytes to phytohaemagglutinin and pokeweed mitogen during pregnancy and in the immediate post-parturient period. Clin, exp. Immunol. 1978;33:410–415. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Chandra S, Chandra RK. Nutrition, immune response, and outcome. Progr. Food Nutrit. Sei. 1986;10:1–65. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Gröhn Y, Lindberg L-A, Bruss ML, Farver TB. Fatty infiltration of liver in spontaneously ketotic dairy cows. J. Dairy Sei. 1983;66:2320–2328. doi: 10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(83)82088-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Larsen HJ. A whole blood method for measuring mitogen-induced transformation of sheep lymphocytes. Res. Vet. Sei. 1979;27:334–338. doi: 10.1016/S0034-5288(18)32803-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Lloyd SS. Immunosuppression during pregnancy and lactation. Irish vet. J. 1983;37:64–70. [Google Scholar]
  8. Lloyd S, Amerasinghe PH, Soulsby EJL. Periparturient immunosuppression in the bitch and its influence on infection with Toxacara canis. J. small Anim. Pract. 1983;24:237–247. doi: 10.1111/j.1748-5827.1983.tb00437.x. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  9. Mancini G, Carbonara A, Heremans JF. Immunochemical quantitation of antigens by single radial immunodiffusion. Immunochemistry. 1965;2:235–254. doi: 10.1016/0019-2791(65)90004-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Miyasaka M, McCullagh P. Immunological responsiveness of maternal and foetal lymphocytes during normal pregnancy in the ewe. J. reprod. Immunol. 1981;2:15–27. doi: 10.1016/0165-0378(81)90025-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Mulcahy G, Quinn PJ. A review of immunomodulators and their application in veterinary medicine. J. vet. Pharmacol. Therap. 1986;9:119–139. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2885.1986.tb00022.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Nonnecke BJ, Harp SA. Effects of chronic staphylococcal mastitis on mitogenic responses of bovine lymphocytes. J. Dairy Sei. 1985;68:3323–3328. doi: 10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(85)81242-X. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Parillo JE, Fauci AS. Mechanisms of glucocorticoid action on immune processes. Ann. Rev. Pharmacol. Toxicol. 1979;19:179–201. doi: 10.1146/annurev.pa.19.040179.001143. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Reid IM, Collins RA, Dew AM, Hill AW, Williams MR: Immune competence of dairy cows with fatty liver. Proc. 5th Internat. Conference on Production Disease in Farm Animals. Uppsala 1983, p. 191–194.
  15. Ropstad E, Halse K, Refsdal AO. Variations in parameters of liver function and plasma progesterone related to underfeeding and ketosis in a dairy herd. Acta vet. scand. 1989;30:185–197. doi: 10.1186/BF03548055. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Roth JA. Cortisol as mediator of stress-associated immunosuppression in cattle. In: Moberg G P, editor. Animal Stress. American Physiological Society. 1985. pp. 225–243. [Google Scholar]
  17. Saarinen P, Shaw JC. Studies on ketosis in dairy cattle. XIII. Lipids and ascorbic acid in liver and adrenals of cows with spontaneous and fasting ketosis. J. Dairy Sei. 1950;33:515–525. doi: 10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(50)91929-1. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  18. SAS Statistical Analysis System . SAS User’s Guide: Statistics. Cary, N. C.: SAS Institute Inc.; 1982. [Google Scholar]
  19. Sheffy BE, Williams AJ. Nutrition and the immune response. J. Amer. vet. med. Ass. 1982;180:1073–1076. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Snedecor GW. Statistical Methods. Ames, Iowa: Iowa State college Press.; 1959. p. 434. [Google Scholar]
  21. Targowski SP, Klucinski W. Reduction in mitogenic response of bovine lymphocytes by ketone bodies. Amer. J. vet. Res. 1983;44:828–830. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Wells PW, Burrells C, Martin WB. Reduced mitogenic responses in cultures of lymphocytes from newly calved cows. Clin. exp. Immunol. 1977;29:159–161. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Yamamoto T, Hirata H, Taniguchi H, Kawai Y, Vematsu A, Sugiyama Y. Lymphocyte transformation during pregnancy. An analysis using whole blood culture. Obstet. Gynec. 1980;55:215–219. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Yang TJ, Jantzen-Abo PA, Williams LF. Depression of ß-lymphocyte levels in the peripheral blood of cows with mastitis. Infect. Immun. 1980;27:90–93. doi: 10.1128/IAI.27.1.90-93.1980. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica are provided here courtesy of BMC

RESOURCES