Classification of Abomasal Displacement in Cows According to Histopathology of the Liver and Clinical Chemistry

Abstract

Histopathological features of livers and blood chemical values in cows with abomasal displacement were investigated. Liver biopsy samples were collected during redressment operations in 92 cows with abomasal displacement, and the samples were stained with haematoxylin and eosin or periodic acid Schiff (PAS). Blood was collected for chemical tests. Livers were histopathologically divided into the following four types: normal histology cases (21%), fatty degeneration cases (36%), cloudy swelling cases (19%) and fatty degeneration cases with cloudy swelling (24%). The number of PAS-positive samples was significantly higher in the normal histology group and significantly lower in the severe fatty degeneration group and severe cloudy swelling group. Cows with fatty degeneration had significantly higher levels of serum 3-hydroxybutyric acid, non-esterified fatty acid and aspartate aminotransferase than did those with cloudy swelling or normal histology. The results indicate that the morbid conditions of cows with abomasal displacement can be classified into four types.

Left and right displaced abomasum and abomasal volvulus: comparison of clinical, laboratory and ultrasonographic findings in 1982 dairy cows

“…An increase in the activities of γ-GT (61%), AST (81%), GLDH (84%) and SDH (98%) was seen in the cows with abomasal displacement. Similar findings have been reported previously [17,[51][52][53] and were interpreted as a result of a negative energy balance, hepatic lipidosis or inflammatory processes. Together with creatine kinase, AST is an important muscle enzyme, and increased activities can result from prolonged recumbency.…”

Blood profiles in dairy cows with displaced abomasum

“…Increased enzyme activity of AST and GD was found in the DA cows compared with the controls, indicating liver cell damage. This finding is in agreement with earlier studies of cows with DA and hepatic lipidosis (Rehage et al, 1996;Komatsu et al, 2002). Glutamate dehydrogenase was the only liver-specific parameter studied, peaking at 15 to 28 d pp, which concurs with the peak incidence of hepatic lipidosis in cows with left-sided DA, as described by Rehage et al (1996).…”

“…Cholesterol concentrations have been shown to vary with feed intake (Janovick Guretzky et al, 2006) and with fat intake (Duske et al, 2009). Low cholesterol concentrations, however, have also been associated with hepatic lipidosis (Van den Top et al, 2005), a frequent finding in cows with DA (Rehage et al, 1996;Komatsu et al, 2002). Increased enzyme activity of AST and GD was found in the DA cows compared with the controls, indicating liver cell damage.…”

“…Increased blood concentrations of NEFA, BHBA, haptoglobin, and increased enzyme activity of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and glutamate dehydrogenase (GD) (Muylle et al, 1990;Hirvonen and Pyörälä, 1998;Itoh et al, 1998;Komatsu et al, 2002;Zadnik, 2003), as well as decreased concentrations of total cholesterol (Rehage et al, 1996;Itoh et al, 1998;Komatsu et al, 2002) have been reported in cows having a DA. Findings regarding glucose and insulin concentrations have been inconsistent (van Meirhaeghe et al, 1988;Itoh et al, 1998;Komatsu et al, 2002;Stengärde and Pehrson, 2002;Zadnik, 2003;Pravet-toni et al, 2004). Fructosamine may have an advantage over glucose when monitoring for DA risks at the herd level (Herdt, 2000b), because serum concentrations of fructosamine provide a retrospective record of blood glucose concentrations during the previous 1 to 3 wk (Ropstad, 1987).…”

“…The RQUICKI value has been shown to be negatively associated with body condition (Holtenius and Holtenius, 2007) and insulin sensitivity (Bossaert et al, 2009) in dairy cows, although in one study, insulin-resistant cows did not have lowered RQUICKI values (Kerestes et al, 2009). Most cows with DA are treated in their own herds, but in most studies, DA cows are sampled after transport to a clinic (Itoh et al, 1998;Komatsu et al, 2002;Zadnik, 2003), while control cows are sampled either in the original herds (Itoh et al, 1998) or in other herds (Muylle et al, 1990;Zadnik, 2003). In addition, some studies have not used control cows, but instead use reference values for comparison (Rehage et al, 1996;Hirvonen and Pyörälä, 1998;Stengärde and Pehrson, 2002).…”