Journal des sciences vétérinaires et du diagnostic médical

Serum Visfatin is a Predictive Indicator of Retained Placenta and Other Diseases in Dairy Cows

Fadden AN and Bobe G

Serum Visfatin is a Predictive Indicator of Retained Placenta and Other Diseases in Dairy Cows

Retained placenta (RP), defined as fetal membranes not being expelled within 24 h after calving, is an economically important disease that increases the risk of other diseases (OD) in early lactation. Early detection of cows at increased risk to develop RP, OD, or both could improve treatment success as well as milk production and reproductive performance. Visfatin is a multifunctional protein that is elevated in humans with various metabolic and infectious diseases, including placental infections, but has not been examined in dairy cows. To evaluate serum visfatin as predictive indicator of RP, OD, or both, we used a nested case-control design and compared Holstein cows that remained healthy (H; n=22) with cows that developed RP (n=31) or OD (n=10) in early lactation. Serum visfatin concentrations were compared 21, 14, 7, 3, and 1 day before calving, the morning after calving, and 1, 3, 7, 14, 21, and 28 days after calving. Serum visfatin concentrations decreased during the last three weeks before calving. RP cows had throughout the prepartal sampling period and OD cows had 7 days before calving and the morning after calving significantly higher visfatin concentrations than H cows; group differences between RP and H cows were already significant 21 days before calving (8.80 ± 0.53 vs. 7.23 ± 0.48 µg/L; P=0.03). Serum visfatin remained elevated in RP and OD cows in early lactation. In conclusion, serum visfatin may serve as chronic disease indicator and assist in early detection of cows at increased risk to develop RP and OD.