Link from infectious disease to metabolic disorders

DAIRY cows encountering metabolic disorders as well as infectious disease in early lactation was not a coincidence, said Barry Bradford of Kansas State University, USA.

When a cow’s immune system responded to inflammation caused by infectious disease, such as mastitis or metritis, it had a knock-on effect on the whole body, particularly the liver, leading to metabolic disorders such as DAs, he said.

And there did not necessarily have to be clinical disease to irritate the liver, as stress could sometimes activate the same response as inflammation.

Prof Bradford was working on ways to reduce inflammation, without suppressing any immune response to true infection. This included looking at antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents, including vitamin E, flunixin - the active ingredient in many non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) - and aspirin.

“While it might be depressing to think so many things can screw the cow up, on the bright side there’s some evidence to say we don’t have to block all of them to stop the problems,” Prof Bradford said.

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