Institute of Life Science, Swansea University Medical School, Swansea University, Swansea, SA2 8PP, United Kingdom; email:
Department of Animal Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611-0910, USA; email:
Annu Rev Anim Biosci. 2019 Feb 15;7:361-384. doi: 10.1146/annurev-animal-020518-115227. Epub 2018 Oct 25.
Bacteria are ubiquitous in the bovine uterus after parturition, but 50 years ago, cows tolerated these bacteria and few animals developed uterine disease. Now, up to 40% of dairy cattle develop postpartum uterine disease. Uterine disease causes infertility by compromising the function of not only the endometrium but also the ovary. Animals defend themselves against pathogens using tolerance and resistance mechanisms. Tolerance is the ability to limit the disease severity induced by a given pathogen burden. Resistance is the ability to limit the pathogen burden and is usually the function of immunity. Endometrial cells contribute to tolerance and have roles in innate immunity and the inflammatory response to pathogens. However, failures in endometrial tolerance and the character of the inflammatory response shape postpartum uterine disease. We propose that uterine health is more dependent on the ability of the endometrium to tolerate pathogens than the ability to resist invading bacteria.
分娩后,细菌在牛的子宫中无处不在,但在 50 年前,牛可以容忍这些细菌,很少有动物会发生子宫疾病。如今,高达 40%的奶牛会在产后发生子宫疾病。子宫疾病会影响子宫内膜和卵巢的功能,从而导致不孕。动物使用耐受和抵抗机制来对抗病原体。耐受是指在给定的病原体负荷下限制疾病严重程度的能力。抵抗是指限制病原体负荷的能力,通常是免疫的功能。子宫内膜细胞有助于耐受,并在先天免疫和对病原体的炎症反应中发挥作用。然而,子宫内膜耐受的失败和炎症反应的特征塑造了产后子宫疾病。我们提出,子宫健康更多地取决于子宫内膜耐受病原体的能力,而不是抵抗入侵细菌的能力。