Immunologisches Reaktionsvermögen als Indikator für Belastungszustände bei der Milchkuh

Veterinarian Claudia Träbing

In today's milk production, the main goal is to constantly increase milk yield. On the other hand, various studies suggest that an increase in milk yield is associated with an increased risk of metabolic and udder diseases as well as fertility problems. Diseases in dairy cows occur primarily in the puerperium. The problem of health and fertility disorders at high milk yields results from the difficulties in providing adequate energy in the first weeks of lactation. Since the diseases often take a subclinical course at the beginning, there is a problem in their early detection. An assessment of a subclinical disease using various metabolic parameters is made difficult by the fact that they generally lack sufficient diagnostic selectivity.
The planned research project should provide information on whether different stress conditions within the lactation period have an influence on the immunological reaction capacity. Furthermore, a possible correlation between the immunological reactions and the various metabolic blood parameters as well as different milk yields will be examined. In order to demonstrate the immunological reactivity of the non-specific part of the immune system of the cows, the immune system is stimulated using a paramunity inducer. To assess the response to the stimulus, the immunological competence is examined using the parameters of bactericidal activity of the whole blood, phagocytosis activity and lymphocyte proliferation of the cows on three days at the beginning and in the middle of lactation. Various clinical-chemical blood parameters are determined to assess the metabolic load. In order to assess possible relationships between the metabolic blood parameters, the responsiveness of the immune system and the performance of the cows, animal-specific data is collected that provides information on the performance of the cows.

The results should provide information on whether the responsiveness of the immune system can be used as a specific indicator of the stress status of dairy cows.

• Immunological responsiveness
• Stress conditions
• non-specific immune system
• Paramunity inducer

1 / 2003 - 9 / 2006

• Pfizer Animal Health, contribution to material costs

• Medical Veterinary Clinic of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Leipzig, Prof. Dr. Fürll
• Paul Ehrlich Institute, Federal Office for Sera and Vaccines, Langen, Dr. Duchow