Procalcitonin as an Endogenous Biomarker for Mastitis in Cows

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Medicine
• Biochemistry
• Animal Health

Background:

• Mastitis is a prevalent dairy cow disease.
• Procalcitonin (PCT) is an inflammatory biomarker for bacterial infections.

Purpose of the Study:

• Correlate PCT concentrations in serum and milk with mastitis clinical signs and disease progression.
• Evaluate PCT's utility in differentiating mastitis types and healthy controls.

Main Methods:

• Studied 88 dairy cows: 30 clinical mastitis, 30 subclinical mastitis, 28 healthy controls.
• Measured serum and milk PCT levels using species-specific ELISA.
• Re-examined diseased animals after 12 days to assess disease kinetics.

Main Results:

• Significant differences in PCT levels observed across all groups (clinical mastitis, subclinical mastitis, healthy).
• Clinical mastitis cows exhibited highest PCT (serum: 2641 pg/mL; milk: 1326 pg/mL).
• Healthy cows had lowest PCT (serum: 1166 pg/mL; milk: 176 pg/mL); levels remained elevated in diseased cows throughout observation.

Conclusions:

• Serum and milk PCT concentrations can reliably differentiate between clinical mastitis, subclinical mastitis, and healthy cows.
• PCT serves as a valuable biomarker for mastitis diagnosis and monitoring in dairy cattle.