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Title: MODULATION OF THE INFLAMMATORY REACTION AND NEUTROLHIL DEFENCE OF THE BOVINE LACTATING MAMMARY GLAND BY GROWTH HORMONE

Author
item BURVENICH, C. - U. GENT, BELGIUM
item Paape, Max
item HOEBEN, D. - U GENT, BELGIUM
item MASSART-LEEN, A.-M. - U GENT, BELGIUM

Submitted to: International Conference on Farm Animal Endocrinology
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/5/1999
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Mastitis is economically the most important disease in the dairy industry, which is attributable to large milk production losses. Because it has been shown that recombinant bovine somatotropin (rBST) increases milk production in healthy animals, we decided to study the effect of this hormone on milk production and composition during inflammation of the mammary gland. We further studied neutrophil function in healthy cows treated with rBST. The role of rBST was studied during experimentally induced Escherichia coli mastitis in cows immediately after parturition. It was concluded that rBST could have positive effects on the clinical evolution of mastitis in severely diseased cows. Treatment of these cows tended to reverse the severe response into a moderate response. Further, we have shown that rBST enhanced diapedesis of neutrophils into the mammary gland during acute E. coli mastitis. In protein tyrosine phosphorylation studies in bovine neutrophils, rBST increased phosphorylation of numerous molecular weight moieties with intense staining of a band corresponding to a molecular weight of L-selection, which is involved in diapedesis All of these findings suggest a physiological role for BST in regulation of immune function.