Domańska Dominika, Witkowska-Piłaszewicz Olga, Trela Michał, Pawłowski Karol, Pawliński Bartosz, Domino Malgorzata
Department of Large Animal Diseases and Clinic, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences (WULS - SGGW), Warsaw, Poland.
Department of Large Animal Diseases and Clinic, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences (WULS - SGGW), Warsaw, Poland.
Theriogenology. 2025 Dec;248:117591. doi: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2025.117591. Epub 2025 Jul 17.
Mastitis is an emerging health concern in lactating mares, particularly given the growing commercial interest in mare's milk. This study evaluated the diagnostic potential of acute phase proteins (APPs), specifically serum amyloid A (SAA), milk amyloid A (MAA), and haptoglobin (Hp), measured in blood and milk as indicators of clinical and subclinical mastitis. Twenty-four Thoroughbred mares were prospectively monitored during lactation and weaning. Plasma and milk samples were collected and analyzed using commercial ELISA kits. Plasma SAA concentrations were significantly higher in mares with clinical mastitis compared to healthy (p < 0.001) and subclinically affected mares (p < 0.01), particularly on day 1 postpartum. In contrast, plasma SAA concentrations remained low 181-183 days after foaling, even in mares with subclinical mastitis. Milk MAA and Hp concentrations were significantly elevated in mares with clinical (p < 0.001) and subclinical mastitis (p < 0.05) compared to healthy mares. MAA concentrations were higher in subclinical mastitis detected during weaning (SM II group) than postpartum (SM I group) (p < 0.05). A moderate positive correlation between MAA and plasma Hp concentrations was observed in clinical mastitis cases (r = 0.57, p < 0.01), suggesting concurrent systemic and local responses, while weak correlations were found in subclinical and healthy mares. These findings suggest that plasma SAA is a useful marker of systemic inflammation in clinical mastitis, whereas MAA and milk Hp are more sensitive markers of local mammary gland inflammation, particularly in subclinical cases. Further research with larger populations is warranted to define diagnostic thresholds and explore APP dynamics throughout lactation.
乳腺炎是泌乳母马中一个新出现的健康问题，尤其是考虑到对马奶的商业兴趣日益增长。本研究评估了急性期蛋白（APPs），特别是血清淀粉样蛋白A（SAA）、乳淀粉样蛋白A（MAA）和触珠蛋白（Hp）在血液和乳汁中的诊断潜力，将其作为临床和亚临床乳腺炎的指标。对24匹纯种母马在泌乳期和断奶期进行前瞻性监测。采集血浆和乳汁样本，并使用商用ELISA试剂盒进行分析。与健康母马（p < 0.001）和亚临床感染母马（p < 0.01）相比，临床乳腺炎母马的血浆SAA浓度显著更高，尤其是在产后第1天。相比之下，即使是患有亚临床乳腺炎的母马，产后181 - 183天血浆SAA浓度仍保持较低水平。与健康母马相比，临床（p < 0.001）和亚临床乳腺炎（p < 0.05）母马的乳汁MAA和Hp浓度显著升高。断奶期间检测到的亚临床乳腺炎（SM II组）的MAA浓度高于产后（SM I组）（p < 0.05）。在临床乳腺炎病例中观察到MAA与血浆Hp浓度之间存在中度正相关（r = 0.57，p < 0.01），表明存在全身性和局部性的并发反应，而在亚临床和健康母马中发现的相关性较弱。这些发现表明，血浆SAA是临床乳腺炎全身性炎症的有用标志物；而MAA和乳汁Hp是局部乳腺炎症更敏感的标志物，特别是在亚临床病例中。有必要对更多群体进行进一步研究，以确定诊断阈值并探索整个泌乳期APP的动态变化。
