Abstract
BackgroundAn elevated plasma glucose concentration has been considered to be a potential risk factor in the pathogenesis of left-displaced abomasums (DA). Therefore the present study was performed to investigate if spontaneous disease (parturient paresis, metritis, ketosis etc) in dairy cows results in elevated concentrations of glucose and cortisol in blood as cortisol is the major regulator of glucose in ruminants.MethodsCortisol, insulin, β-hydroxybutyric acid (BHBA), non esterified fatty acids (NEFA), and serum calcium were analyzed in blood serum and glucose, in whole blood, from 57 spontaneously diseased cows collected at different farms. The cows were grouped according to the disease; parturient paresis, recumbent for other reasons, mastitis, metritis, ketosis, inappetance and others.ResultsNo elevated concentrations of cortisol or glucose were found in cows with metritis and mastitis but both cortisol and glucose were elevated in cows stressed by recumbency. Cows with ketonemia (BHBA > 1.5 mmol/l) did not have low concentration of glucose in blood but significantly low levels of cortisol. Some of these cows even had cortisol concentrations below the detection limit of the analysing method (< 14 nmol/l).ConclusionsThe study gives patho-physiological support to the treatment strategies of ketosis, recommending glucocorticoids, insulin etc. However further studies of this problem are needed to understand why cows with ketosis have low levels of cortisol and normal levels of glucose. To what extent elevated cortisol and glucose levels in hypocalcemic and recumbent cows are involved in the ethiology and /or the pathogenesis of DA also will need further research.
Highlights
An elevated plasma glucose concentration has been considered to be a potential risk factor in the pathogenesis of left-displaced abomasums (DA)
Beside an increase in β-hydroxybuturate (BHBA), identified by LeBlanc et al (2005) [2] as a possible metabolic predictor of DA in dairy cattle, an elevated plasma glucose level has been considered a potential risk factor for DA as hyperglycaemia has been shown to reduce the rate of abomasal outflow in dairy cows [3]
Twenty one of the diseased cows had very low concentrations of cortisol i.e. below the detection limit (< 14 nmol/l). Five of these cows were in group IK (Inappetence and Ketosis, BHBA ≥ 1.5 mmol/l (5/7)) and four in group I (Inappetence, BHBA < 1.5 mmol/l (4/5))
Summary
An elevated plasma glucose concentration has been considered to be a potential risk factor in the pathogenesis of left-displaced abomasums (DA). The present study was performed to investigate if spontaneous disease (parturient paresis, metritis, ketosis etc) in dairy cows results in elevated concentrations of glucose and cortisol in blood as cortisol is the major regulator of glucose in ruminants. The reason for collecting field material to this study was a hypothesis that the known relation between stress and/or painful diseases in high yielding dairy cows and DA [1] may be mediated through a concurrent increased cortisol secretion leading to hyperglycaemia. Beside an increase in β-hydroxybuturate (BHBA), identified by LeBlanc et al (2005) [2] as a possible metabolic predictor of DA in dairy cattle, an elevated plasma glucose level has been considered a potential risk factor for DA as hyperglycaemia has been shown to reduce the rate of abomasal outflow in dairy cows [3]. In starving ruminants the gluconeogenesis is maintained by elevated levels of glucocorticoids [4]
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