Acute phase protein expressions in secretory and cistern lining epithelium tissues of the dairy cattle mammary gland during chronic mastitis caused by staphylococci

Abstract

Background: Mastitis is the most common disease in dairy cattle and the costliest for the dairy farming industry, as it lowers milk yield and quality. Mastitis occurs as a result of interactions between microorganisms and the individual genetic predispositions of each animal. Thus, it is important to fully understand the mechanisms underlying these interactions. Elucidating the immune response mechanisms can determine which genetic background makes an animal highly resistant to mastitis. We analyzed the innate immune responses of dairy cows naturally infected with coagulase-positive staphylococci (CoPS; N = 8) or coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS; N = 7), causing persistent mastitis (after several failed treatments) vs. infection-free (i.e., healthy [H]; N = 8) dairy cows. The expressions of the acute phase protein genes serum amyloid A3 (SAA3), haptoglobin (HP), ceruloplasmin (CP) genes in the tissues most exposed to pathogens-mammary gland cistern lining epithelial cells (CLECs) and mammary epithelial cells (MECs)-were analyzed. Results: We found constitutive and extrahepatic expressions of the studied genes in both tissue types. HP expression in the MECs of the CoPS-infected group was higher than in the H group (p ≤ 0.05). Moreover, higher SAA3 expression in the CoPS and CoNS groups than in the H group (p = 0.06 and 0.08, respectively) was found. No differences between SAA3 and HP in CLECs were revealed, regardless of the pathogen type. However, higher expression of CP (p ≤ 0.05) in the CoPS group than in the H group was noted. Conclusions: The expressions of selected acute phase proteins were similar between CLECs and MECs, which means that CLECs are not only a mechanical barrier but are also responsible for the biological immune response. Our findings agree with the results of other authors describing the immunological response of MECs during chronic mastitis, but the results for CLECs are novel.

Variations in the levels of acute-phase proteins and lactoferrin in serum and milk during bovine subclinical mastitis

“…Zalewska et al . (2020) did not find any significant differences between the SAA and Hp levels in the cistern lining epithelium of cows affected with persistent infection of coagulase negative staphylococci and healthy cows, leading them to conclude that during chronic infections, the APP production is downgraded to some extent to ensure only minimal damage to the host cells.…”

“…(2011) found the concentrations of APP to be low in mastitis caused by CNS and streptococci while a rise was noticed for S.aureus group. This is not borne out by our findings and the probable reason could be that the secretion of acute phase proteins in all persistent infections may be downgraded in the body so as to protect permanent damage to the host cells (Zalewska et al ., 2020). Another reason could be the similarity in the confinement of pathogenesis to udder tissue by both of these pathogens.…”

Does Small Ruminant Lentivirus Infection in Goats Predispose to Bacterial Infection of the Mammary Gland? A Preliminary Study

“…xylosus are able to produce endotoxins such as pathogenic S. aureus [40], and of them, only S. hemoliticus was not found in our study. In contrast to S. aureus, it is believed that CNS causes rather mild inflammation in bovines and that the infection is self-curable, without antibiotic treatments [39,41].…”

Transcripts and protein levels of CSN1S1 and CSN3 genes in dairy cattle mammary gland secretory tissue during chronic staphylococcal infection

“…In the past, CoNS bacteria were considered minor opportunistic pathogens, and since CoNS mastitis demonstrated a high spontaneous cure rate (16–70%) it was usually left untreated (Zalewska et al ., 2020). However, it is now known that many CoNS, such as S. hemolyticus , S. epidermidis , S. chromogenes , S. warneri , or S. xylosus also produce endotoxins similar to S. aureus , which is major pathogenic bacteria (de Freitas et al ., 2013), and the mastitis caused by CoNS can persist throughout lactation (Taponen et al ., 2007).…”