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Characterisation of peripheral blood mononuclear cell populations in periparturient dairy cows that develop metritis.

ABSTRACT: Bacterial contamination of the uterus following calving is ubiquitous in the dairy cow, 40% of cows develop postpartum uterine infection, including metritis. While predisposing factors like twinning and dystocia are associated with metritis, it is unclear why some cows remain healthy following calving and others develop uterine infection, negatively impacting animal health, milk production and economic return. Here, we profiled peripheral blood mononuclear cells of cows before calving and during postpartum metritis. We hypothesized that peripheral blood mononuclear cell function and proportions would be altered during the prepartum period in cows that develop postpartum metritis. Using flow cytometry we observed reduced proportions of peripheral CD3+/CD4+, CD4+/CD62L+, FOXP3+ and CD21+ populations from -10 to 40?days relative to calving associated with metritis, while the proportion of peripheral CD3+/CD4+ lymphocytes were specifically reduced in the prepartum period before the onset of metritis. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from cows with metritis had a perturbed capacity to secrete IL-1? or IFN? in response to in vitro stimulus; cells collected during the prepartum period from cows that would go on to develop metritis failed to increase IL-1? secretion in response to stimulation, while IFN? secretion was altered at calving and postpartum in cows with metritis compared to healthy herd mates. No effect of metritis was observed in the capacity of cows to mount a humoral immune response to antigen administered on the day of calving. The studies discussed here suggest that while minor changes to the prepartum immune system are observed in cows that develop metritis, changes observed in the postpartum period are more prevalent and likely a consequences of disease and not causative. Future studies to modulate the prepartum immune system may help to limit postpartum metritis.

SUBMITTER: Bromfield JJ

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6445263 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Characterisation of peripheral blood mononuclear cell populations in periparturient dairy cows that develop metritis.

Bromfield John J JJ Watt Meghan M MM Iacovides Sossi M SM

Veterinary immunology and immunopathology 20180430

Bacterial contamination of the uterus following calving is ubiquitous in the dairy cow, 40% of cows develop postpartum uterine infection, including metritis. While predisposing factors like twinning and dystocia are associated with metritis, it is unclear why some cows remain healthy following calving and others develop uterine infection, negatively impacting animal health, milk production and economic return. Here, we profiled peripheral blood mononuclear cells of cows before calving and during ...[more]

PMID: 29776614

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Project description:BackgroundDisturbed uterine involution impairs ovarian function in the first weeks after calving. This study analyzed the long-term effect of metritis on luteal function of 47 lactating Holstein-Friesian cows during the first four postpartum estrous cycles. Cows with abnormal uterine enlargement and malodorous lochia were classified as having metritis (group M, n = 18), and all others were considered healthy (group H, n = 29). Luteal size was measured once between days 9 and 13 of the first (group H, n = 11; group M, n = 12), second (group H, n = 23; group M, n = 18) and fourth (group H, n = 11; group M, n = 7) postpartum luteal phases. Serum progesterone concentration was measured at the same time. Sixteen cows (group H, n = 9; group M, n = 7) underwent transvaginal luteal biopsy for gene expression analysis of steroidogenic regulatory proteins during the second and fourth cycles. Cows with persistence of the corpus luteum (CL) underwent determination of luteal size, luteal biopsy and serum progesterone measurement once between days 29 and 33, followed by prostaglandin treatment to induce luteolysis. The same procedures were repeated once between days 9 and 13 of the induced cycle.ResultsThe cows in group M had smaller first-cycle CLs than the cows in group H (p = 0.04), but progesterone concentrations did not differ between groups. Luteal size, progesterone concentration and gene expression did not differ between the two groups during the second and fourth cycles. Compared with healthy cows (10%), there was a trend (p = 0.07) toward a higher prevalence of persistent CLs in cows with metritis (33%). Persistent CLs were limited to the first cycle. Persistent CLs and the induced cyclic CLs did not differ with regard to the variables investigated.ConclusionsAn effect of metritis on luteal activity was apparent in the first postpartum estrous cycle. However, after the first postpartum cycle, no differences occurred in analyzed parameters between metritis and control cows. Therefore, a metritis is able to impair luteal activity transiently, but does not seem to have a long-term effect on luteal function.

Project description:The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of chitosan microparticles on the uterine microbiome of cows with metritis. Dairy cows with metritis (n?=?89) were assigned to 1 of 3 treatments: chitosan microparticles (n?=?21), in which the cows received an intrauterine infusion of chitosan microparticles at metritis diagnosis (day?0), day?2, and day?4; ceftiofur (n?=?25), in which the cows received a subcutaneous injection of ceftiofur on day?0 and day?3; and no intrauterine or subcutaneous treatment (n?=?23). Nonmetritic cows (n?=?20) were healthy cows matched with cows with metritis by the number of days postpartum at metritis diagnosis. Uterine swab samples collected on days?0, 3, 6, 9, and 12 were used for 16S rRNA gene sequencing and 16S RNA gene copy number quantification by quantitative PCR. Principal-coordinate analysis showed that the microbiome of the ceftiofur-treated and metritic untreated groups progressed toward that of the nonmetritic group by day?3, whereas that of the chitosan microparticle-treated group remained unchanged. The differences on day?3 were mainly due to a greater relative abundance of Fusobacteria, particularly Fusobacterium, in the chitosan microparticle-treated group than in the ceftiofur-treated and metritic untreated groups. Furthermore, the microbiome of the ceftiofur-treated group became similar to that of the nonmetritic group by day?9, whereas the microbiome of the chitosan microparticle-treated and metritic untreated groups became similar to that of the nonmetritic group only by day?12. The total bacterial 16S rRNA gene counts in the chitosan microparticle-treated group were greater than those in the metritic untreated controls on days?6 and 9, whereas the ceftiofur treatment group was the only group in which the total bacterial 16S rRNA gene count became similar to that in the nonmetritic group by day?12. In summary, chitosan microparticles slowed the progression of the uterine microbiome toward a healthy state, whereas ceftiofur hastened the progression toward a healthy state.IMPORTANCE Third-generation cephalosporins, such as ceftiofur, are commonly used to treat metritis in dairy cows. Chitosan microparticles has been shown to have a broad spectrum of activity in vitro and to be effective against uterine pathogens in vivo; therefore, they have been hailed as a possible alternative to traditional antibiotics. Nonetheless, in the present study, we saw that chitosan microparticle treatment slowed the progression of the uterine microbiome of cows with metritis toward a healthy state, whereas ceftiofur treatment hastened the progression toward a healthy state. Given the lack of an effective alternative to traditional antibiotics and an increased concern about antimicrobial resistance, a greater effort should be devoted to the prevention of metritis in dairy cows.

Dataset Information

Characterisation of peripheral blood mononuclear cell populations in periparturient dairy cows that develop metritis.

Publications

Characterisation of peripheral blood mononuclear cell populations in periparturient dairy cows that develop metritis.

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