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Short communication: Haptoglobin as an early indicator of metritis

J. M. Huzzey^*, T. F. Duffield, S. J. LeBlanc, D. M. Veira, D. M. Weary^* and M. A. G. von Keyserlingk^*,1

^* Animal Welfare Program, Faculty of Land and Food Systems, University of British Columbia, 2357 Main Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z4, Canada
Department of Population Medicine, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1, Canada
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, PO Box 1000, Agassiz, British Columbia, V0M 1A0, Canada

¹ Corresponding author: nina{at}interchange.ubc.ca

The purpose of this study was to determine whether haptoglobin (Hp) could be used as a predictive measure for metritis. Cattle were grouped into 3 health categories based on the condition of vaginal discharge and body temperature after calving: severe metritis (n = 12), mild metritis (n = 32), and healthy (n = 23). Blood was collected and analyzed for Hp concentration on d –20 ± 5, –6 ± 2, –2 ± 1, and d 0 relative to calving, and then every 3 d after calving until d +21. Cows with mild and severe metritis had greater Hp concentrations than healthy cows between d 0 and d +12. Mean (±SE) Hp concentrations peaked on d +3 in the cows with mild metritis (1.06 ± 0.15 g/L) and on d +6 in cows with severe metritis (1.62 ± 0.47 g/L). Mean concentrations for the healthy group were 0.58 ± 0.12 g/L and 0.31 ± 0.08 g/L on d +3 and d +6, respectively. Clinical signs of pathological discharge for the mildly and severely metritic cows did not occur until, on average, 8.6 ± 3.9 d and 5.3 ± 1.9 d after calving, respectively. Cows with Hp concentrations 1 g/L on d +3 were 6.7 times more likely to develop severe or mild metritis; this predictive threshold has a sensitivity of 50% and specificity of 87%. These results indicate that an acute phase inflammatory response precedes clinical metritis and that Hp screening may assist in the early detection of metritis, providing increased opportunities for early treatment and prevention.

Key Words: transition cow • haptoglobin • metritis