Antibiotics commonly used to treat mastitis and respiratory burst of bovine polymorphonuclear leukocytes.

The in vitro effects of six doses (2 x 10(-3) to 2 x 10(-8) M) of antimicrobial drugs that are frequently used in udder infusions on the capacity of bovine blood polymorphonuclear neutrophilic leukocytes to generate reactive oxygen species were studied by the measurement of luminol-dependent chemiluminescence after stimulation with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate. All drugs, except cloxacillin, significantly decreased chemiluminescence at the highest dose. Doxycyline induced the most severe inhibition, followed by neomycin and dihydrostreptomycin. The effect of ampicillin was due to the scavenging of reactive oxygen species and interactions with luminol. The inhibition observed with oleandomycin, neomycin, lincomycin, and dihydrostreptomycin was not due to direct effects on the production of oxidative metabolites but rather to interference with other components involved in the production of light, such as interference with the interaction between luminol and the myeloperoxidase-H2O2-halide system. The deleterious effects of doxycycline can be explained by several factors: decreased production of superoxide, yellow color, the scavenging of reactive oxygen species, and Ca2+ chelating effect. In conclusion, the results of this study show that antibiotics may affect neutrophil function at concentrations that are reached in the mammary gland after local and repeated administration

Effect of recombinant bovine somatotropin on milk production and composition of cows with Streptococcus uberis mastitis.

The protective effect of bovine somatotropin (bST) during experimental Streptococcus uberis mastitis in cows was studied. The left quarters of 10 cows were infected with 500 cfu of S. uberis O140J. Five cows were subcutaneously treated with 500 mg of recombinant bST 7 d before and after infection, and 5 control cows received the excipient. In the treated cows, total milk production significantly increased after the first and second bST treatments. After infection, milk production decreased 24 and 40% in the infected quarters, 6 and 14% in the uninfected quarters, and 15 and 28% overall for treated and control cows, respectively. In the bST group, milk production was completely restored after 3 wk, but, in the control group, total production and the production of the infected quarters remained lower than preinfection production. The increase in somatic cell count occurred earlier and more rapidly in the control group, and the return to normal values was also more rapid in these cows. The amount of bacteria in milk was higher in the control cows. Changes in milk composition, such as lactose, protein, fat, Na+, K+, and Cl-, were significantly more pronounced in the control cows. Also, clinical symptoms were more prominent in the control cows. Somatotropin protected the mammary gland from excessive production losses and compositional changes during a subsequent episode of experimentally induced Streptococcus uberis mastitis and significantly improved the normalization of production and composition, which indicates a beneficial effect on the restoration of the integrity of the blood-milk barrier

Effect of bovine somatotropin on neutrophil functions and clinical symptoms during Streptococcus uberis mastitis.

The effect of recombinant bovine somatotropin (bST) on the chemiluminescence, diapedesis, and expression of adhesion receptors (CD11a, CD11b, CD18) of isolated polymorphonuclear leukocytes was studied. The plasma concentrations of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), bST, cortisol, and alpha-lactalbumin were also monitored. In addition, general and local clinical symptoms and the differentiation of circulating leukocytes were also studied during experimentally induced Streptococcus uberis mastitis in cows. Ten cows were infected with 500 cfu of S. uberis O140J in both left quarters. Five cows were subcutaneously treated with 500 mg of recombinant bST 7 d before and after infection, and 5 control cows received the excipient. General (fever, tachycardia, inappetance, and depression) and local symptoms (swelling, pain, firmness, and flecks in milk) were more acute, severe, and longer-lasting in control cows. Treatment with bST had no effect on chemiluminescence and diapedesis of circulating polymorphonuclear leukocytes and no effect on the expression of adhesion receptors. Recombinant bST induced significantly higher IGF-I and bST concentrations in plasma. The leukopenia observed after infection was less pronounced in the bST-treated cows, and the number of circulating band neutrophils and metamyelocytes was significantly lower in the treated group. The concentration of cortisol did not differ between both groups, but the blood concentration of alpha-lactalbumin significantly increased in both groups from 6 d after infection. These results showed that treatment with recombinant bST improves animal welfare by protecting the cows from severe local and general clinical symptoms during subsequent S. uberis mastitis, but that it has no effect on chemiluminescence, diapedesis, and the expression of adhesion receptors of circulating polymorphonuclear leukocytes