Anyaphat Srithanasuwan. Udder immune response and bacterial virulence factors relating to persistence dynamic of intramammary infection in dairy cattle with chronic mastitis. Doctoral Degree(Veterinary Science). Chiang Mai University. Library. : Chiang Mai University, 2568.
Udder immune response and bacterial virulence factors relating to persistence dynamic of intramammary infection in dairy cattle with chronic mastitis
Abstract:
Bovine mastitis is an inflammatory condition of the udder tissue in the mammary gland, typically caused by microbial infections. Duration and severity of mastitis are determined by a combination of the following three components: udder defense efficiency, the quantity and virulence of invading microbes, and environmental risk factors. An effective immune response can completely remove the invading bacteria, resulting in a short-term infection, defined as a transient infection. If the bacteria are not successfully eliminated, persistent infections may occur, lasting longer than two months and classified as persistent infections. Most mastitis pathogens are characterized by either transient infection from environment pathogens such as E. coli and streptococci or persistent infection from contagious pathogens such as Streptococcus agalactiae and Staphylococcus aureus. In contrast to other bacteria, Streptococcus uberis frequently characterizes both persistent and transient. Therefore, this dissertation studied mainly mastitis from S. uberis. Streptococcus uberis is frequently isolated from milk collected from dairy cows with mastitis. This bacterium has been reported to cause intramammary infections (IMI) with a wide range of durations. Due to the high variability of S. uberis IMI depending on their existing virulence factors, within-strain variation in the immune response to and pathogenicity of S. uberis has not been reported previously. Accordingly, advancing knowledge about the specific characteristics of S. uberis IMI and local immune responses was needed to contribute to the development of efficient strategies for preventing and controlling this pathogen in dairy herds. To understand the persistence dynamic of IMI from S. uberis, the first study (Chapter 2) explored bacterial infection characteristics, such as the transmission dynamics and duration of S. uberis IMI. Quarter milk samples were aseptically collected for bacterial culture from all lactating cows once a month over 10 months. Molecular typing of S. uberis was performed using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) to identify episodes of IMI. Comparisons of spontaneous cure rates among PFGE types were performed using Fishers exact chi-squared tests. PFGE results revealed eight main PFGE types (AH). Some PFGE types caused only one episode, indicating no evidence of transmission. In contrast, other PFGE types caused at least two infection episodes involving the same strain in different quarters or cows, suggesting that these strains could be transmitted between quarters or cows. At least three types of contagious S. uberis IMI were identified: (1) short-duration IMI that are likely to cure spontaneously, (2) longduration IMI that are unlikely to cure spontaneously, and (3) IMI with variable durations (transient or persistent) where spontaneous cure may depend on host defense capacity. The udder immune response and bacterial virulence factors relating to the persistence dynamic of intramammary infection in mastitis dairy cattle were studied in Chapter 3 and Chapter 4. Based on another study, transient and persistent IMI of S. uberis are related to the gene expression of virulence factors (VF), especially VF related to capsular and noncapsular of persistent and transient S. uberis strains, respectively. Chapter 3 investigated the cellular and molecular immune responses of milk-white blood cells (mWBCs) in response to persistent and transient S. uberis strains with the known different virulence were examined. Quarter milk samples were aseptically collected for bacterial culture from all lactating cows once a week over 10 weeks. A transient, noncapsular strain with a one-week IMI duration was selected from this herd, while a persistent, capsular S. uberis strain with an IMI lasting longer than two months was selected based on an identical PFGE pattern during the IMI episode. Cellular and molecular responses of mWBCs were tested, and the data were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance. Results show that the immune responses differ significantly between transient and persistent strains. Transient strains elicited elevated expression of Toll-like receptors (TLR-1, TLR-2, TLR-6) and proinflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α). Furthermore, the persistent strain was able to reduce mWBCs apoptosis compared to the transient strain. Altogether, these results focus on the immune function of mWBCs, which demonstrate that a persistent strain can elicit a weaker local immune response, reduced mWBCs ROS production, thereby attenuating mWBCs apoptosis through anti-apoptosis, and, subsequently, lead to mild and prolonged inflammation and delayed recovery from mastitis. Chapter 4 continued to study the effect of strain difference on apoptosis at the early stage of infection. Persistent and transient S. uberis infections were studied to explore the apoptotic mechanisms of mWBCs during the early stages of inflammation. Initially, the early apoptotic phenotype increased but significantly decreased thereafter. mWBCs stimulated by persistent or transient S. uberis had lower levels of ROS. While proapoptotic genes (CASP3, CASP9) in mWBCs remained unchanged across treatments, anti-apoptotic genes (BCL2, BCL2L1) were upregulated in response to the persistent strain. Our data indicate that treatment with a persistent S. uberis strain reduced mWBCs ROS production, thereby attenuating mWBCs apoptosis through anti-apoptotic genes (BCL2, BCL2L1) and protein (bcl-2). This suggests that persistent S. uberis strains prolong the lifespan of mWBCs by delaying the onset of inflammation, slowing mWBCs migration, and postponing apoptosis. These adaptations make mWBCs suitable host cells for prolonged bacterial survival and multiplication following an IMI. In conclusion, the immune response and apoptosis of mWBCs differ between persistent and transient mastitis-causing strains of S. uberis. This knowledge underscores the need for further strain-specific response studies, enabling the development of effective control strategies to reduce the impact of S.uberis mastitis.