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Association between prepartum nonesterified fatty acids serum concentrations and postpartum diseases in dairy cows
Nicola, I.; Chupin, H.; Roy, J.P...
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Objectives: The objective of the present study was to evaluate the association between prepartum nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA) concentrations and development of post- partum diseases and culling occurring during the first 50 days in milk (DIM). A secondary objective was to identify optimal thresholds allowing identification of animals at greater risk of diseases or culling.
Materials and methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study over a 1-year period on 50 commercial Holstein dairy farms that were regular clients of the Bovine Ambulatory Clinic of the Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire of the Université de Montréal (St-Hyacinthe, QC, Canada). Herds were selected by convenience based on being enrolled in a preventive veterinary medicine program involving herd health visits every 14 days, and on being willing to participate.
At every herd visit, blood samples were taken from all cows within 35 days (±7) of subsequent predicted calving date. The samples were centrifuged (3,500 rpm x 10 minutes) and sera were stored at -20°C. After calving, the number of days between sampling and calving were calculated. Cows sampled between 1 and 14 days before calving were included in the study; their serum samples were submitted for quantification of NEFA concentrations. Data about diseases occurring during the first 50 DIM were collected. Disease definitions were standardized during the study and included: retained placenta (RP; ≥24 hours after calving); hyperketonemia (HK; BHBA ≥1.4 mmol/l) during the first 15 DIM; puerperal metritis (MET) during the first 20 DIM (fetid watery vaginal discharge with general signs of illness); displaced abomasum (DA) during the first 30 DIM; clinical mastitis (CM) in the first 30 DIM (milk aspect alteration with or without quarter swelling, with or without fever/anorexia); purulent vaginal discharge (PVD) at 35 ± 7 DIM inspected with a Metricheck device (threshold ≥ 3 based on McDougall et al., 2007), cytological endometritis (CYTO) measured at 35 ± 7 DIM with a leucocyte colorimetric test (threshold ≥ 1). Diseases were diagnosed by veterinary practitioners except for RP and mild or moderate case of CM. Descriptive statistics and multivariable mixed logistic regression models were computed. Diseases and culling were considered to be the dependent variables of each model. Independent variables included prepartum NEFA serum concentration, parity, and season of calving. Herd was also included in the models as random variable. At first, NEFA concentrations were offered to the models as a continuous variable. Subsequently, for variables with significant correlation with NEFA, NEFA concentrations were dichotomized in order to find the optimal thresholds using non-nested models (lowest AIC value).
Results: A total of 1,299 cows were included in the study. The incidence of diseases was 10% for RP, 20% for HK, 16% for MET, and 7% for DA, 13% for PVD, 40% for CYTO, 9% for CM, 3% for culling. Overall, 47% of cows had experienced at least one disease during the first 30 DIM. In the study, the NEFA concentration was associated with a greater risk of developing every individual disease for RP, HK, MET, DA and CM (P<0.05); with a greater risk of developing any of the aforementioned diseases in the first 30 DIM (P<0.05); and with a greater risk of being culled in the first 50 DIM (P<0.05). Based on the lowest AIC value from non-nested models, the optimal NEFA thresholds were ≥290 μEq/L for RP (OR 2.2, 95%CI: 1.5-3.1; P<0.01), ≥280 μEq/L for HK (OR 2, 95%CI 1.5-2.7; P<0.01), ≥300 μEq/L for MET (OR 4.0, 95%CI: 2.7-5.7; P<0.01) , ≥300 μEq/L for DA (OR 4.2, 95%CI: 2.9-6.1, P<0.01), ≥ 280 μEq/L for CM (OR 3.4, 95%CI: 2.2-5.3, P<0.01), ≥ 260 μEq/L for culling (OR 4.7, 95%CI: 2.2-10, P<0.01).
Conclusions: These study results confirm the association between prepartum NEFA serum concentrations and postpartum diseases (30 DIM) and culling (50 DIM). The optimal thresholds found in the present study were similar to those reported elsewhere. No association was found between NEFA and PVD or CYTO, in accordance with previous studies. We can conclude that prepartum NEFA thresholds of ≥280 can help to identify animals at greater risk of developing diseases in the first 30 DIM or being culled in the first 50 DIM.
Keywords: Nonesterified Fatty Acids, Post-partum diseases, Clinical mastitis.
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Affiliation of the authors at the time of publication
Université de Montréal, Saint Hyacinthe, Canada;
Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, Canada;
Université de Toulouse, Toulouse, France;
McGill University, Ste-Anne-De-Bellevue, Canada.
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