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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Ames, Iowa » National Animal Disease Center » Ruminant Diseases and Immunology Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #74724
Title: PHENOTYPE ANALYSIS OF PERIPHERAL BLOOD MONONUCLEAR CELLS IN PERIPARTURIENT DAIRY COWS: INFLUENCE OF MASTECTOMY

Author
item KIMURA, KAYOKO - IA STATE UNIV., AMES, IA
item Goff, Jesse
item Kehrli Jr, Marcus
item Harp, James

Submitted to: Research Workers in Animal Diseases Conference Proceedings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/6/1996
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Immune function is impaired in periparturient dairy cows. We suspect that changes in populations of the various peripheral blood mononuclear cell types might be occurring during the periparturient period. In Trial 1, with 8 multiparous Jersey cows, flow cytometric analysis using monoclonal antibodies against T cell subsets showed significant declines in the populations of Pan-T (47.5 to 39.4%), T-helper (30.0 to 25.2%), T-cytotoxic (11.1 to 9.7%), and gamma-delta T cells (7.4 to 5.5%) from day -13 to day 0 (just after calving and they did not return to pre-calving levels until 2 wk after calving. We speculated that milk production, especially colostrum, may be an important reason for periparturient immunosuppression in dairy cows. In Trial 2, with 6 mastectomized and 4 intact multiparous Jersey cows, the phenotype analysis in the intact cows showed similar decline in Pan-T (49.8 to 42.1%), T-helper (29.1 to 25.1%), T-cytotoxic (12.4 to 8.6%), and gamma-delta T cells (7.5 to 5.0%) from day -27 to day 0, with an increase after calving. However, mastectomized cows showed less decline at calving compared with intact cows. We speculate the decline in T cell subsets at calving is an important reason that cows are immunosuppressed at calving, and that milk production contributes to this immunosuppression; perhaps because the mammary gland sequesters these cells around the time of parturition.