title: Acute phase response in lame crossbred dairy cattle.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The study was undertaken to study acute phase response based on acute phase proteins (APPs) such as C-reactive protein (CRP), haptoglobin (Hp), serum amyloid A (SAA), and fibrinogen in lame crossbred dairy cattle.
  
  
  METHODS
  Lame animals (n=30) were selected within 3-7 days of being noticed as lame by the farm veterinarian, from a local dairy farm in southeast Ludhiana over a period of 6 months, stratified proportionately with respect to stage of lactation with non-lame healthy cows (n=10). All the cows were otherwise healthy and did not have any other inflammatory problems such as pneumonia, enteritis, mastitis, or any kind of acute uterine inflammation. Blood samples were collected from all the animals; serum and plasma samples were separated and stored at -20°C. The levels of CRP, Hp, and SAA were estimated using Sandwich ELISA, whereas fibrinogen was estimated by heat precipitation method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  SAA levels in lame cows were significantly higher (22.19±0.85 µg/ml), approximately 3 times as compared to non-lame cows (8.89±0.72 µg/ml), whereas serum Hp concentration was approximately 20 times higher in the lame cattle (21.71±3.32 mg/dl) as compared to non-lame cows (1.17±0.07 mg/dl). Fibrinogen also increased in the lame cattle (3.97±0.22 g/L) as compared to non-lame group (1.40±0.17 g/L). Serum CRP levels analyzed in the lame cattle for the first time in the present study, and significant high concentration was appreciated in lame cattle (4.41±0.33 mg/L) as compared to non-lame cattle (0.61±0.14 mg/L). Lame cattle were having more of sole hemorrhages, sole ulcers, and white line lesions as compared to non-lame cattle.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It can be concluded that lame cattle exhibit high levels of APPs including CRP, Hp, SAA, and fibrinogen as compared to non-lame cattle.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Husbandry, CVH, Mehatpur, Jalandhar, Punjab, India.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bagga
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Science, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana - 141 004, Punjab, India.
authors.forename: Swaran Singh
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Randhawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Science, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana - 141 004, Punjab, India.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Science, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana - 141 004, Punjab, India.
authors.forename: B K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Bansal
keywords: acute phase proteins; cattle; lameness