Elucidating the immune suppressive effects of antibiotics in cattle

Abstract

The impact of antibiotic therapy on antimicrobial drug-resistance is well known in the cattle industry yet the potential effects of antibiotic administration on immune modulation is unknown. Data from various animal models indicate that some antibiotics can suppress adaptive immune responses. Azithromycin for example, can suppress inflammation and innate immune defenses inferring that indiscriminate use of antibiotics may paradoxically increase susceptibility to infection and interfere with vaccine immunity. For cattle, we aim to identify classes of immune modulatory antibiotics to determine whether treatment interferes with vaccine responses. We hypothesize that macrolide and tetracycline antibiotics will significantly suppress immune responses in cattle which will be tested using assays that evaluate immunity in vitro.