Immune‐metabolic‐inflammatory markers in Holstein cows exposed to a nutritional and environmental stressing challenge

Abstract

Dairy cows are exposed to multiple stressors during the productive cycle, such as metabolic challenges, overcrowding, grouping change, environmental stress and dietary errors. Thus, it is essential to study reliable markers able to detect stress conditions in dairy farms. This study evaluates dairy cows' immunologic and metabolic markers after the sudden and combined exposition to a high-grain diet (75% concentrates) and the abrupt change of the housing system (from free stall to tie stall).A group of twenty-four Holstein cows were enrolled in a challenge study of 28 days duration. Several immunological and metabolic blood markers were evaluated over the trial. Blood samples were taken at day 0 (normal value) and day 1, 3, 7, 14, 21, and 28 (challenge). Data were submitted to a mixed model for repeated measures, including time as fixed and cows as random effects. The nutritional and environmental challenge had heavy effects on animal welfare and cows responded with a dramatic rumination drop. Our results suggest that the most responsive markers after abiotic stressors in cows were as follows: Serum Amyloid A and ROM in the acute response; Ceruloplasmin and GGT in the mid acute and Albumin, Paroxonase and FRAP in the chronic phase. Serum Amyloid A, Ceruloplasmin, Paraoxonase, GGT and ROM resulted as positive phase proteins, while, Albumin and FRAP resulted as negative phase proteins. Preliminary obtained results could concur to develop strategies able to mitigate stressor effects; moreover, the proposed design can be used as a model to test stress nutritional modulators.

Effect of an Immunomodulatory Feed Additive in Mitigating the Stress Responses in Lactating Dairy Cows to a High Concentrate Diet Challenge

“…At the same time, a min. safe level of 9% uNDF of DM has been recommended [ 54 , 55 ], while this was 8% in our SARA challenge diet. Therefore, a high starch content, combined with a low uNDF content, were likely the reasons for the drop observed in rumination time, which has been identified as a marker for SARA [ 56 , 57 ].…”

A high-starch vs. high-fibre diet: effects on the gut environment of the different intestinal compartments of the horse digestive tract

“…Data were statistically analysed using JMPpro v16 software (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC). Each parameter was tested for normality using the Shapiro-Wilk test and normalized, when necessary, by box-cox transformation [ 45 ]. A linear mixed-effects model was constructed in which dietary treatment, sex and their interaction were set as the model’s fixed effects.…”

Defining Fatty Acid Changes Linked to Rumen Development, Weaning and Growth in Holstein-Friesian Heifers

“…These proinflammatory cytokines have been shown to be elevated post-weaning [ 32 ]. Furthermore, nutritional and environmental changes are known to induce stress in lactating dairy cattle [ 39 ]. There is an absence of studies exploring the omics effects of indoor housing vs. pasture or grass silage vs. grass.…”