Effects of intra-mammary bacterial infection with coagulase negative staphylococci and stage of lactation on shedding of epithelial cells and infiltration of leukocytes into milk: Comparison among cows, goats and sheep

• Published in: Veterinary immunology and immunopathology 2012-06, Vol.147 (3-4), p.202-210
• Main Authors: Leitner, Gabriel, Merin, Uzi, Krifucks, Oleg, Blum, Shlomo, Rivas, Ariel L., Silanikove, Nissim
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Bacterial infection; Cattle; Cell Count; Cow; Epithelial Cells - pathology; Female; Goat; Goat Diseases - immunology; Goat Diseases - pathology; Goats; Immunity; Lactation - immunology; Leukocytes - pathology; Mammary Glands, Animal - immunology; Mammary Glands, Animal - microbiology; Mammary Glands, Animal - pathology; Mastitis - immunology; Mastitis - pathology; Mastitis - veterinary; Mastitis, Bovine - immunology; Mastitis, Bovine - pathology; Milk - cytology; Milk - immunology; Sheep; Sheep Diseases - immunology; Sheep Diseases - pathology; Sheep, Domestic; Species Specificity; Stage of lactation; Staphylococcal Infections - immunology; Staphylococcal Infections - pathology; Staphylococcal Infections - veterinary; Staphylococcus
• ISSN: 0165-2427; 1873-2534
• DOI: 10.1016/j.vetimm.2012.04.019

The effects of mammary gland bacterial infection and stage of lactation on leukocyte infiltration into the mammary gland were compared among cows, goats and sheep. Animals were at two stages of lactation: mid or late. In mid-lactation animals, bacterial-free glands and coagulase negative Staphylococcus (CNS)-infected glands were compared. In late lactation only uninfected glands were studied. Of mid-lactation bacteria-free animals, goats had the highest number of leukocytes and % polymorphonuclears (PMNs), whereas sheep had the lowest and leukocytes number in cows were intermediate between sheep and goats. Based on %PMN, two cell clusters were found in sheep, which overlapped with the parallel cell clusters of cows and goats, but with a slightly higher number of leukocytes in each cell cluster. At late lactation, goats had higher values for %PMN and leukocyte numbers in comparison to cows, which had a similar cellular profile to sheep. The cellular immune response to CNS infection was similar for the three animal species, although the number of cells was different, while the basal cell level at mid-lactation and especially at the end of lactation was species specific.