title: Influence of D-lactate on metabolic acidosis and on prognosis in neonatal calves with diarrhoea.
abstract: Three hundred bucket-fed diarrhoeic calves up to the age of 21 days were used to investigate the degree in which D-lactic acid contributes to metabolic acidosis in bucket-fed calves with naturally acquired neonatal diarrhoea. Fifty-five percent of all diarrhoeic calves had serum D-lactate concentrations higher than 3 mmol/l. Mean (+/-SD) D-lactate values were 5.7 mmol/l (+/-5.3, median: 4.1 mmol/l). D-lactate values were distributed over the entire range of detected values from 0 to 17.8 mmol/l in calves with base excess of -10 to -25 mmol/l. Serum D-lactate concentration was higher in patients with ruminal acidosis (6.6 +/- 5.2 mmol/l; median: 5.9 mmol/l) than in those with physiological rumen pH (5.3 +/- 5.4 mmol/l; median: 3.7 mmol/l). There was no evidence of a correlation (r = 0.051) between the serum levels of D-lactate and creatinine (as an indicator of dehydration). D-lactate was correlated significantly with both base excess (r = -0.685) and anion gap (r = 0.647). The proportion of cured patients was not significantly different between the groups with elevated (>3 mmol/l) and normal serum D-lactate concentrations. This study shows that hyper-D-lactataemia occurs frequently in diarrhoeic calves, has no impact on prognosis but may contribute to the clinical picture associated with metabolic acidosis in these animals.
authors.affiliation: Clinic for Ruminants, University of Munich, Sonnenstrasse 16, 85764 Oberschleissheim, Germany. i.lorenz@lmu.de
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Lorenz
mesh_terms: D000136:Acid-Base Equilibrium / Q000502:physiology; D000140:Acidosis, Lactic / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism / Q000662:veterinary*; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001784:Blood Gas Analysis / Q000662:veterinary; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism / Q000662:veterinary*; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007773:Lactates / Q000097:blood*; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D011379:Prognosis; D012417:Rumen / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D007773:Lactates; D019344:Lactic Acid