A comparative study of blood and milk chemiluminescence in healthy cows and with subclinical and clinical mastitis

Authors: RADOSLAW SKORZEWSKI, WIESLAW KRUMRYCH, HANNA MARKIEWICZ, ELZBIETA SANDURSKA

Abstract: The aim of the study was to evaluate the luminol-dependent spontaneous and stimulated chemiluminescence (CL) of whole blood and milk in cows with subclinical and clinical mastitis. The research was carried out on 108 Holstein-Friesian dairy cows aged 3-5 years. Based on the assessment of somatic cell count (SCC) in quarter milk, the animals were divided into 3 groups: I - clinically healthy cows (n = 35), II - animals with subclinical mastitis (n = 30) and III - cows with clinical mastitis (n = 43). The material for the research was whole blood and quarter milk. The samples were examined for spontaneous CL and stimulated by a Fc receptor binding antibody and complement (zymosan-Z), opsonized zymosan (OZ) and a chemotactic receptor (N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine - fMLP) as well as nonreceptor stimuli (phorbol myristate acetate - PMA). The conducted studies showed that inflammation of the mammary gland of cows results in an increase in the spontaneous and stimulated chemiluminescence of not only quarter milk but also peripheral blood. It was found that there is a greater correlation between SCC and milk CL indices than there is a correlation between SCC and blood CL. Thus, milk CL determinations better reflect the intensity of the inflammation of the udder, which suggests their usefulness in the early detection of the disease. On the other hand, blood CL tests, especially with the use of PMA as a PMN cell stimulator, can be a useful tool, especially in the diagnosis of subclinical mastitis.

Keywords: Chemiluminescence, blood, milk, mastitis, cows

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