Veterinary session

Acute phase proteins are non-specific clinical markers of various inflammatory processes in all animal species. In cattle, in addition to individual tests, their use is also becoming more widespread in herd-level screening.

In our study we took blood samples in 5 Hungarian dairy farms on days 1 to 7 after calving. A total of 218 animals were sampled. The collected blood samples were analysed for serum haptoglobin concentrations by spectrophotometer using an Olympus AU 480 automated biochemical analyzer. In addition to the measured haptoglobin concentrations, we collected data about the course of parturition, clinical diseases around calving, milk production of the animals in the study and the lifespan production of the animals.

Animals were sampled between the first and the seventh day of lactation, respectively. Study animals were mostly in their first three lactations. Dystocia, twinning or stillbirth did not have outstanding incidence with a possible effect on our results. The measured haptoglobin concentrations did not show normal distribution. Haptoglobin concentration averages did not differ statistically between farms. The concentrations measured on the 5th and 6th days of lactation statistically differed from those that were measured in the first three days of lactation. The prevalence of the clinical diseases were low in our study. The clinical cases of the different diseases showed increased haptoglobin concentration, while mastitis occurrences both in the first ten days and between 20-30 days did not show this phenomenon. Choosing the 0,6 mg/dl clinical threshold for diseases there was no significant correlation between diseases a haptoglobin concentration whereas odds ratios did not exceed 1,15.

Because haptoglobin was measurable only in traces in the first three days of lactation, primary focus is on the sampling day for the future evaluations. This variable was probably effecting our results: however we measured considerable concentrations in the different clinical cases, correlation was not present between disease occurence and haptoglobin concentrations. Herd level screening programs therefore must have a focus on the day of sampling.