Changes in subpopulations of lymphocytes in peripheral blood, and supramammary and prescapular lymph nodes of cows with mastitis and normal cows

Abstract

Direct immunofluorescence (IF) and indirect IF techniques were employed to analyze the distribution of B and T lymphocyte populations in peripheral blood, and in supramammary (draining), and prescapular (non-draining) lymph nodes of cows with mastitis and normal cows. In the peripheral blood there was a significant decrease in the percent and absolute number of B lymphocytes in mastitic cows ( n=29; 17.1±10.2%; 3.4±2.7×10 5 cells/ml) as compared to normal cows ( n=38; 25.2±7.8%; 9.3±5.4×10 5 cells/ml). The percent T lymphocyte count in mastitic cows (71.2±7.1%) was slightly increased over that of normals (65.8±7.2%), although the absolute number of T lymphocytes was decreased in mastitic cows (1.49±0.91×10 6 cells/ml vs. 2.47±1.28×10 6 cells/ml). In the prescapular lymph node the percent of B lymphocytes, but not T or “null lymphocytes”, decreased significantly in mastitic cows as compared to that of normals. The decrease, i.e. 32%, paralleled the 32.1% decrease found in peripheral blood B lymphocytes. In contrast, in the supramammary lymph node of mastitic cows, the percent B lymphocytes increased over that of normals (35.1±2.0% vs. 20.4±9.4%), whereas the percent T lymphocytes decreased to 54.5±2.8% compared to 70.7±3.5% in normal cows. There was no significant change in percent “null lymphocytes”. The weight of prescapular lymph nodes did not change in mastitic cows when compared to that of normals. As a result, the estimated number of B lymphocytes, but not of T and “null lymphocytes”, decreased. In contrast, the weight of supramammary lymph nodes draining the mastitic udder was three times that of normal nodes (153.1±29.1 g vs. 54.7±9.2 g). As a result, estimated numbers of T, B, and “null lymphocytes” in mastitic cows were greater than those of normal cows.