Immune-Stimulatory Effects of a Bacteria-Based Probiotic on Peripheral Leukocyte Subpopulations and Cytokine mRNA Expression Levels in Scouring Holstein Calves

Abstract

Subpopulations of peripheral leukocytes and cytokine mRNA expression levels were evaluated in scouring and healthy Holstein calves (age 10 ± 5 days; n=42) treated with a probiotic consisting of Lactobacillus plantarum, Enterococcus faecium and Clostridium butyricum. The calves were assigned to the scouring or healthy group and then subdivided into pathogen-positive treated (n=8), pathogen-positive control (n=8), pathogen-negative treated (n=6), pathogen-negative control (n=6), healthy treated (n=6) and healthy control (n=8) groups. A single dose of the probiotic (3.0 g/100 kg body weight) was given to each calf in the treatment groups for 5 days. Blood samples were collected on the first day of scour occurrence (day 0) and on day 7. In the scouring calves, smaller peripheral leukocyte subpopulations and cytokine mRNA expression levels were noted on day 0. The numbers of CD3+ T cells; CD4+, CD8+ and WC1+ γδ T cell subsets; and CD14+, CD21+ and CD282+ (TLR2) cells were significantly increased in the scouring and healthy treated calves on day 7. Furthermore, interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interferon-gamma mRNA expression was elevated in the peripheral leukocytes of the scouring and healthy treated calves on day 7. The scouring calves given the probiotic recovered on day 7. A significantly smaller number of peripheral leukocytes and lower cytokine mRNA expression level might be induced by scouring in calves. Repeated probiotic administration might stimulate cellular immunity and encourage recovery from scouring in pre-weaning Holstein calves.

Serum interleukin-6 as a prognostic marker in neonatal calf diarrhea

“…Serum IL-6 concentrations were greater in the diarrhea group than in controls. This is consistent with findings of an increased IL-6 gene expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells and in intestinal epithelial cells from scouring calves ex vivo due to an infection with BRV (Aich et al, 2007;Qadis et al, 2014).…”

Effective use of probiotic-glyconutrient combination as an adjuvant to antibiotic therapy for diarrhea in rearing dairy calves

“…Although health and productivity advantages have been demonstrated when probiotics are used as a prophylactic measure in rearing calves (3,11), there is limited information of probiotics' effects on growth performance and health parameters when calf health is compromised by infectious diarrhea. However, similarly to our results, scouring calves that received probiotics (consisting of Lactobacillus plantarum, Enterococcus faecium, and Clostridium butyricum) showed fewer days of scouring and higher immune response (greater peripheral leukocytes and cytokine mRNA expression levels) compared with the controls (12). The advantages observed here for GLY supported calves may be due a positive effect of GLY on cell stability (5).…”

Pathophysiological evaluation of subacute ruminal acidosis (SARA) by continuous ruminal pH monitoring

“…2014a) and ruminal performance in cattle (Qadis et al . 2014b, 2014c). Steers that received probiotics containing both lactate‐utilizing Propionibacterium and lactate‐producing Enterococcus had higher ruminal concentrations of acetate, and the blood variables indicated a reduced risk of metabolic acidosis (Ghorbani et al .…”