Immune cell counts and signaling in body fluids of cows vaccinated against .

BACKGROUND

New treatment options are needed to prevent relapses following failed antibiotic therapies of infections (CDI) in humans. The concomitant therapy with an anti- IgA containing whey protein concentrate can support the sustainable recovery of CDI patients. For 31 weeks, nine dairy cows were continuously vaccinated with several anti- vaccines by certain routes of administration to produce anti- IgA enriched milk. The study aimed at finding decisive differences between low responder (LR) and high responder (HR) cows (> 8.0 µg ml total milk specific IgA) concerning their immune response to vaccination on cellular and molecular biological levels.

RESULTS

The results of total and differential cell counting (DCC) in blood and milk and the outcomes of the gene expression analysis of selected immune factors were assessed relating to the usage of two vaccine batches for injection (- batch A and B), marking two immunization (IM) periods, and compared to a control group (Ctr). The - batch A caused short-term leukopenia followed by leukocytosis in the blood of LR and HR. The total somatic cell counts in milk were not altered by the treatment. The DCC revealed that the leukocytes of the treated groups were partly impaired by the treatment. The gene expression analysis exposed cumulative and sustainable differences ( < 0.05) between LR and HR for the genes encoding for , , , , , , , and . The regulation of the epithelial IgA cell receptor was not impaired by the IM. In contrast to the vaccination with - batch A, the second IM period with - batch B resulted in mitigation and synchronization of the treated groups' immune responses.

CONCLUSIONS

The inversely regulated cytokines in the blood and milk cells of the treated groups led to a variously directed, local T cell response resulting in their different production intensities of specific IgA in milk.