Preinfection Chemotactic Response of Blood Polymorphonuclear Leukocytes to Predict Severity of Escherichia coli Mastitis

¹ University of Utecht, Department of Herd Health and Reproduction, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, PO Box 80.151, 3508 TD Utrecht, The Netherlands
² University of Ghent, Department of Veterinary Physiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Casinoplein 24, 9000 Ghent, Belgium

Experimental mastitis was induced by inoculating rear right quarters of 10 healthy cows with 10³ cfu of Escherichia coli. The chemotactic responses of peripheral blood polymorphonuclear leukocytes at d –6, –5, –2, –1, and immediately prior to inoculation were measured. Chemiluminescence of polymorphonuclear leukocytes was measured immediately prior to inoculation. Severity of the experimental mastitis was assessed by bacterial growth in the inoculated quarters.

Results of this study indicated that severity of the experimental mastitis may be predicted by the chemotactic response in vitro of polymorphonuclear leukocytes isolated from the peripheral blood at d 2, d 1, and immediately prior to inoculation. The number of circulating polymorphonuclear leukocytes immediately prior to inoculation also showed a negative relationship with the severity of mastitis. No relationship existed between preinfection chemiluminescence of polymorphonuclear leukocytes and the severity of the experimental mastitis.

Preinfection chemotactic response of polymorphonuclear leukocytes and preinfection numbers of circulating polymorphonuclear leukocytes appeared to be valuable as predictors of severity of experimental E. coli mastitis in cows.

Key Words: polymorphonuclear leukocytes • chemotactic response • Escherichia coli mastitis

Submitted on November 9, 1992
Accepted on January 25, 1993

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