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Decrease in bovine CD14 positive cells in colostrum is associated with the incidence of mastitis after calving

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Abstract

During the postpartum period there is a high incidence of mastitis in dairy cows. The reason for this increased risk of mastitis still remains unclear. Since leukocytes in colostrum have an important role in preventing the onset of mastitis, we investigated the leukocyte populations, which express CD4, CD8, CD14, CD21 or WC1, in colostrum as well as in blood obtained from 14 Holstein cows. Eight cows developed mastitis within a week after calving and the other 6 remained healthy. The percentage of CD14+ cells in colostrum was significantly lower in mastitic cows than in healthy cows. There were no significant differences in other marker positive cells either in the colostrum or in the blood. The CD14+ cells in colostrum play an important role of defense against invading microorganisms in the mammary glands. Our results suggested that the lower percentage of CD14+ cells in colostrum might predict the incidence of mastitis in the following period.

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Abbreviations

CMT:

California Mastitis Test

HC:

healthy cows

MC:

mastitic cows

PBMC:

peripheral blood mononuclear cells

PBS:

phosphate buffered saline

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B) (19780236) from The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology of Japan. Special thanks to Dr. Shaney Crawford and Ms Jodie Gilbert for their kind help and valuable advice. We thank Mr. KIMANI G. Mugia, Central Veterinary Investigation Laboratories, Kabete, Kenya, for his advices. Further we are thankful to all the staff at the Ruminants and Field Management Section, National Institute of Livestock and Grassland Science, Japan, for their help in handling the animals.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Institute of Animal Health, 3-1-5 Kan-nondai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-0856, Japan

    Yoshio Kiku, Tomomi Ozawa, Hideyuki Takahashi & Tomohito Hayashi

  2. National Institute of Livestock and Grassland Science, 2 Ikenodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-0901, Japan

    Shiro Kushibiki & Madoka Sudo

  3. Fukuoka Agricultural Research Center, 587 Yoshigi, Ooaza, Chikushino, Fukuoka, 818-8549, Japan

    Kouhei Kitazaki

  4. Iwate Prefecture Northern Regional Livestock Hygiene Service Center, 23-9-1, Sannai, Karumai, Iwate, 028-6222, Japan

    Noriaki Abe

Authors
  1. Yoshio Kiku
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  2. Tomomi Ozawa
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  3. Shiro Kushibiki
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  4. Madoka Sudo
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  5. Kouhei Kitazaki
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  6. Noriaki Abe
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  7. Hideyuki Takahashi
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  8. Tomohito Hayashi
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Correspondence to Tomohito Hayashi.

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Kiku, Y., Ozawa, T., Kushibiki, S. et al. Decrease in bovine CD14 positive cells in colostrum is associated with the incidence of mastitis after calving. Vet Res Commun 34, 197–203 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11259-009-9339-8

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