Assessment of the innate immune response in the periparturient cow

The transition period is the most critical phase in the life of high yielding dairy cows. Within a few weeks, cows are submitted to many challenges (physiological, nutritional, psychological, management) that require prompt and effective adaptive responses. The immune system is involved in this proc...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Research in veterinary science 2018-02, Vol.116, p.47-54
Main Authors: Trevisi, Erminio, Minuti, Andrea
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptive systems
Animal lactation
Cattle
Critical phenomena
Cytokines
Dairy cattle
Dairy cows
Diapedesis
Disease
Fertility
Homeostasis
Hormones
Immune dysregulation
Immune response
Immune system
Inflammation
Inflammo-metabolic profile
Innate immunity
Lactation
Liver
Liver functionality
Metabolism
Neutrophils
Nutrition
Parturition
Phagocytosis
Physiology
Prognostic biomarkers
Rodents
Transition period
Veterinary medicine
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Summary:The transition period is the most critical phase in the life of high yielding dairy cows. Within a few weeks, cows are submitted to many challenges (physiological, nutritional, psychological, management) that require prompt and effective adaptive responses. The immune system is involved in this process, and many changes of the cow's immune system components have been observed around calving. Cows are considered to be immunosuppressed in late lactation, and available data suggest that the immune system is dysregulated around parturition. Significant attention has been focused on modification of cellular functions (e.g. the reduction of phagocytosis and diapedesis), but growing interest concerns the components of the innate immune system, which often exhibits increased responses such as susceptibility to inflammatory events and the related acute phase response (APR). Systemic inflammation plays a significant role in early lactation, affects many liver functions and has been associated with the impairment of cow performance (i.e. reduced feed intake, milk yield, fertility, welfare). The assessment of variations in immune-metabolic indices offers opportunities to predict the onset of the health troubles and to anticipate the proper therapies needed to guarantee health, good welfare and fertility in the following lactation. The frequency of diseases (metabolic and infectious) before calving is rare, but several clues suggest that various metabolic and immune variations can begin during the dry period. Interesting preliminary results encourage this perspective and possible candidates are suggested. •Review of the physiological critical points of the transition period•Are dairy cows truly immunosuppressed in late pregnancy?•Crucial and conflicting roles for the liver during the transition period
ISSN:0034-5288
1532-2661
DOI:10.1016/j.rvsc.2017.12.001