Emma R Rovani-Rhoades, Craig S McConnel, Kimberlee B Beckmen, Carolyn Cray, Lindsey M Dreese
Read on PubMed DOI: 10.7589/jwd-d-25-00078
Abstract: Barren-ground caribou of the subspecies Rangifer tarandus granti are distributed throughout Alaska, USA, and the Yukon, Canada. The acute phase response is an innate immune response activated due to inflammatory stimulus, resulting in changing levels of acute phase proteins, including haptoglobin (Hp) and serum amyloid A (SAA). Haptoglobin and SAA are used as indicators of inflammation in domestic species, with several studies demonstrating their use in wildlife. In this study, banked serum samples from apparently clinically normal free-ranging barren-ground caribou (reference group) were used to establish reference intervals (RI) for Hp and SAA in caribou. These RIs were compared with additional samples from a declining herd with ongoing Brucella suis biovar 4 transmission. The RIs for Hp and SAA with 90% upper confidence intervals were 0.12-1.03 (0.08-1.27) mg/mL and 0.10-18.44 (0.10-31.00) mg/L, respectively. The SAA levels in the declining herd were found to be significantly elevated from the reference group (P=0.009), whereas no difference was found in Hp levels between the two herds (P=0.389). Meanwhile, SAA and Hp levels in animals with B. suis biovar 4 titers ≥1:80 were significantly elevated from the reference group (SAA P<0.001; Hp P=0.178). The results of our study indicate that SAA and Hp hold promise in monitoring the overall herd health of caribou in Alaska.
Tara L Goertzen, Claire R Shaw, Lauren M Gilbertsen, Yufei Guo, Emma S Scudder, Phillip D Bass, Lauren E Christensen, Daniel P Fitzsimons
Read on PubMed DOI: 10.2460/ajvr.24.11.0329
Abstract:
Objective: To determine the effects of 2 storage protocols on postmortem cardiac morphology.
Methods: 11 hearts were used and randomly assigned to 1 of 2 treatment groups: refrigeration for 7 days at 4 °C (group 1) or frozen for 6 days at -20 °C (group 2). Hearts were evaluated for weight, ventricular and intraventricular septal wall thickness, and valvular thickness circumference. The hearts in group 1 were measured daily for 7 days, whereas the hearts in group 2 were measured on day 0, frozen for 6 days, and thawed at ambient temperature overnight and remeasured on day 7.
Results: The effect of day had a significant impact on left ventricular (LV) apex thickness for both groups 1 and 2. The LV apex thickness was reduced by approximately 1.9 mm (group 1) and 0.8 mm (group 2). Day also had a significant effect on LV midwall in group 1; however, it was not significant until day 6, indicating a longer period of tissue stability compared to LV apex.
Conclusions: The LV apex was the first parameter to change; however, it is important to take into consideration that the majority of the parameters did not change significantly when determining a timeline. This study found refrigeration as a viable option for short-term storage depending on collection timeframe.
Clinical relevance: This study is clinically relevant as it gives veterinarians time to assess necropsied tissue.
M. H. Rashid, A. Martelo Pereira, F. N. S. Pereira, M. C. Oliveira Costa, E. F. Santos, L. Christensen, J. A. Sexton, M. Ciccarelli, L. B. Williams, M. Binelli, M. S. Waqas, E. B. de Oliveira, C. C. Figueiredo
Read on Wiley online library DOI: 10.1111/rda.70206
Abstract: This study evaluated the long-term impact of metritis on endometrial morphology and functionality in dairy cows. Postpartum Holstein cows (n = 107) were enrolled in a cohort study at the University of Idaho Dairy Center. Metritis was diagnosed using a Metricheck device within 12 days in milk (DIM) based on the presence of fetid, watery, reddish-brown vaginal discharge (VD). Cows diagnosed with metritis (MET; n = 9) were treated with ceftiofur crystalline free acid and paired with cows without metritis (NoMET; n = 9) of similar parity and DIM. Ovulation was synchronized using a Double Ovsynch protocol starting at 35 DIM, and ovulation was confirmed by ultrasonography. To eliminate confounding effects of semen or conceptus-derived signals, cows were not inseminated. Six days after ovulation (68–75 DIM), endometrial biopsy and cytology samples were collected. Endometrial morphology was assessed by histological evaluation of haematoxylin and eosin–stained sections. Endometrial transcriptomic profiles were determined by RNA sequencing from tissues collected via biopsy, and uterine fluid collected during cytology was analysed using metabolomic profiling. Differential gene expression was assessed using DESeq2, and metabolomic differences were evaluated using partial least squares discriminant analysis and PERMANOVA. Cows with metritis exhibited a numerically greater prevalence of periglandular fibrosis (63%; 95% Exact Binomial Confidence Interval [CI] = 25–92) compared with NoMET cows (44%; 95% CI = 14–79). Transcriptomic analysis identified 17 differentially expressed genes (FDR ≤ 0.10; |log2 fold change| > 1), including upregulation of genes associated with tissue repair in MET cows. No differences were detected in uterine fluid metabolomic profiles between groups. In conclusion, metritis was associated with persistent alterations in endometrial morphology and gene expression that were detectable months after clinical resolution, although these changes were not reflected in the uterine fluid metabolome.
Lei Xie, Muhammad Hussnain Rashid, Qiang Dong, Alessandro Ricci, … Osvaldo Bogado Pascottini
Read on PubMed DOI: 10.3168/jds.2025-27374
Abstract: Subclinical (SCE) and clinical endometritis (CE) are distinct manifestations of reproductive tract inflammatory disease in dairy cows. The development of both conditions stems from postpartum dysregulation of the inflammatory response or a shift in the composition of the uterine microbiome. To gain further insight into the host responses associated with these distinct conditions, we aimed to identify changes in the endometrial transcriptomic landscape in healthy postpartum dairy cows compared with those diagnosed with SCE or CE. Twenty-four multiparous Holstein cows were evaluated for uterine health status at 35 or 36 d postpartum using vaginal discharge scoring (Metricheck) and endometrial cytology (cytobrush). Based on these evaluations, cows were classified into 3 groups: healthy (n = 12; clear or no vaginal discharge and ≤5% endometrial PMN), SCE (n = 6; clear or no vaginal discharge and >5% PMN), and CE (n = 6; mucopurulent or worse discharge and >5% PMN). Endometrial samples collected via cytobrush were stored at −80°C and total RNA was isolated; RNA sequencing was performed using an Illumina NextSeq 500 platform, generating 75 bp single-end reads. Differentially expressed genes (DEG) were identified using DESeq2 with a significance threshold of P < 0.05 and |fold change| > 2. Pathway enrichment analyses were performed using the OmicShare platform to identify enriched biological pathways among the DEG. A total of 250 DEG were identified between healthy and SCE cows, 1,291 between healthy and CE cows, and 829 between SCE and CE cows. In SCE (as compared with healthy) cows, TNF, IL-17, NOD-like receptor signaling, and cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction pathways were upregulated, whereas the FoxO signaling pathway was downregulated. In CE compared with healthy cows, upregulated DEG were enriched in IL-17, TNF, chemokine, NOD-like receptor, NF-kappa B, and toll-like receptor signaling pathways, whereas downregulated DEG were enriched in PI3K-AKT, MAPK, AMPK, Wnt, PPAR, and metabolic pathways. In CE compared with SCE, upregulated DEG were enriched in NOD-like receptor, IL-17, chemokine, B cell receptor, and cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction pathways, and downregulated DEG were enriched in the metabolic pathways, fatty acid metabolism, insulin signaling pathway, and adipocytokine signaling pathway. These findings underscore that CE and SCE conditions involve an inflammatory event but likely arise from different mechanisms. The enrichment of immune signaling pathways in CE reflects a classic infectious response, whereas the metabolic and regulatory pathway alterations in SCE suggest a dysregulated inflammatory state linked to impaired resolution mechanisms. These results highlight the need for tailored prevention and treatment strategies, such as modulating immune regulation in SCE and targeting bacterial dysbiosis and tissue damage in CE cases.
M. H. Rashid, S. Casaro, R. S. Bisinotto, R. C. Chebel, J. E. P. Santos, C. D. Nelson, J. G. Prim, S. J. Jeon, R. C. Bicalho, J. P. Driver, K. N. Galvão, and C. C. Figueiredo
Read on PubMed DOI: 10.3168/jds.2025-27607
Abstract: The objective of this study was to characterize differences in plasma and uterine metabolome from transition dairy cows according to vaginal discharge (VD) characteristics observed postpartum. Plasma samples were collected at 3 time points: prepartum (−14 d relative to calving; PP), on the day of calving (D0), and the day of diagnosis of metritis (Dx), whereas the uterine lavage samples were collected at D0 and Dx. The VD was assessed on a 5-point scale as follows: 1 = not fetid, normal lochia, viscous, clear, red, or brown; 2 = cloudy, pink, red, or brown mucoid discharge with flecks of pus; 3 = not fetid, pink, red, or brown mucopurulent discharge with <50% pus; 4 = not fetid, pink, red, or brown purulent discharge with ≥50% pus; 5 = fetid, watery, red-brown discharge. The plasma and uterine samples were analyzed via untargeted metabolomics using GC time-of-flight MS. The resulting data were analyzed using partial least squares–discriminant analysis and permutational multivariate ANOVA, and t-tests. The analyses showed no difference between VD groups in plasma at PP, and plasma or uterus at D0. At Dx, the plasma metabolome differed between VD5 and VD1, VD2, and VD3, but was similar to VD4. No differences in plasma metabolome at Dx between VD1, VD2, VD3, and VD4 were observed. The uterine metabolome at Dx differed between VD5 and VD1, VD2, VD3, and VD4. Our findings indicate that cows with fetid, watery, red-brown VD and cows with purulent VD present similar systemic (plasma) metabolic alterations compared with cows with clear or mucopurulent VD. However, local (uterine) metabolic alterations are limited to cows with fetid, watery, red-brown VD only.