Low Neutrophil Counts in Milk Are Associated with an Increased Frequency of Antimicrobial Treatments

Several studies have demonstrated an association between impaired innate immunity and metabolic parameters, particularly during the periparturient period. However, to our knowledge, no study has been conducted under field conditions investigating the link between low milk polymorphonuclear neutrophil (PMN) levels and increased disease frequency. In an attempt to address this knowledge gap, this study examined 6209 cows from 20 dairy herds in Lombardy that were enrolled in a monthly individual dairy herd improvement milk testing program. Analyses of milk test record samples (MTR) included somatic cell count (SCC) and differential cell count (DSCC). A third variable, PLCC (polymorphonuclear neutrophil leukocyte cell count), was calculated by multiplying SCC × DSCC, thus representing PMN cells/mL. A database including compulsory records of all antimicrobial treatments applied in each herd was used as a proxy for disease frequency. In total, 58,090 valid MTR and 12,014 antimicrobial treatments (AMT) were considered for this study. Statistical analyses showed a significant association between the prevalence of cows with a low number of milk PMN and the prevalence of AMT. These results allow routine identification of whether the number of cows with low PLCC exceeds an alarm level within a herd. This threshold was calculated using an ROC curve with a cut-off point of 6% for AMT. This threshold was estimated at 2%, providing 78% accuracy in identifying herds at risk of an increasing treatment rate. This study confirms that cellular markers measured within MTR systems are useful in identifying herds at risk of impaired cellular immunity, thus paving the way for further studies assessing herd and cow immune status with routine milk sampling.