Bovine neutrophils in health and disease

Bovine neutrophils have similarities to those of other species with respect to mechanisms of their activation and migration into tissue, modulation of immune responses and the balance between microbial killing and host tissue damage. However, bovine neutrophils have biochemical and functional differences from those of other species, which may yield insights about the comparative biology of neutrophils. Neutrophils play protective and harmful roles in the infectious diseases of cattle that occur at times of transition: respiratory disease in beef calves recently arrived to feedlots and mastitis and other diseases of postparturient dairy cows. An important research focus is the mechanisms by which risk factors for these diseases affect neutrophil function and thereby lead to disease and the prospect of genetic or pharmacologic improvement of disease resistance. Further, in keeping with the One Health paradigm, cattle can be considered a model for studying the role of neutrophils in naturally occurring diseases caused by host-adapted pathogens and are thus an intermediary between studies of mouse models and investigations of human disease. Finally, the study of bovine neutrophils is important for agriculture, to understand the pathogenesis of these production-limiting diseases and to develop novel methods of disease prevention that improve animal health and reduce the reliance on antimicrobial use.