The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between
uterine disease and indicators of neutrophil (PMN) and systemic energy status in dairy cows. Peripheral blood (120 mL) was collected weekly from 84 Holstein cows for PMN isolation and plasma collection from calving until 42 d in milk (DIM). The final analysis included 80 cows. Of those, 20 cows were classified as having metritis (fetid uterine discharge and
fever), 15 as having subclinical
endometritis (SCE; >or=10% PMN on uterine cytology), and 45 as healthy controls. Plasma
haptoglobin concentration was increased only in cows that developed metritis. Neutrophil
glycogen content was reduced in cows developing metritis compared with healthy cows on the day of calving and at 7 and 42 DIM. Cows with SCE had lower PMN
glycogen content than healthy cows at 7, 28, and 42 DIM.
Blood glucose was affected by disease status within parity. Primiparous metritis cows had greater
blood glucose concentrations than healthy primiparous cows. Multiparous metritis cows tended to have lower
blood glucose concentration than multiparous SCE cows. Cows that developed metritis and SCE had or tended to have greater
NEFA and BHBA than healthy cows, mainly around calving. At calving, cows that developed metritis had higher plasma
estradiol concentration than healthy cows and greater plasma
cortisol than cows that had SCE. Plasma
insulin was not affected. Plasma
glucagon was increased for SCE cows. Cows that developed
uterine disease experienced a greater degree of negative energy balance and had decreased lower intracellular PMN
glycogen levels, which could be a major predisposing factor for disease because of decreased availability of oxidative fuels.