Georgieva, T. M., N. Vasilev, M. Karadaev, I. Fasulkov & F. Ceciliani, 2018. Field study on plasma haptoglobin concentrations and total milk somatic cell counts in cows with untreated and treated mastitis. Bulg. J. Vet. Med., 21, No 2, 160–168.

DOI: 10.15547/bjvm.1052

The aim of the present study was to determine plasma haptoglobin concentrations in cows in field conditions. Experiments were carried out a total of 106 cows, divided in 5 groups. The 1^st group comprised 25 cows with low milk somatic cell counts (SCC), without microbiological findings used as controls; the II^nd group –23 cows with untreated subclinical mastitis with high milk SCC and without microbiological findings;  the III^rd group: 13 cows with untreated subclinical mastitis with high milk SCC and with microbiological findings. The IV^th group consisted of 17 cows with subclinical mastitis, high milk SCC, microbiological findings, treated with tetracycline HCL 200 mg, neomycin 250 mg, bacitracin 2000 IU, prednisolone 10 mg  (Mastijet fort^®, MSD Animal Health), and the V^th group – 28 cows with clinical mastitis treated with Mastijet fort^®, MSD Animal Health. Our results showed that the mean plasma haptoglobin concentrations in the I (control) group was 0.054±0.003 g/L. In the II^nd group (0.288±0.04 g/L) Hp was 5.2 times higher that the mean values of controls (P<0.001). Mean Hp concentration of group III was also statistically significantly different (P<0.001) than that of the control group. The value of Hp in group IV (0.215±0.04 g/L) was significantly lower (P<0.05) that mean values of II^nd group but substantially higher (P<0.001) vs controls. The concentration of haptoglobin in cows of the V^th group was statistically significantly lower (P<0.001) compared both with control and II^nd groups. In this study, total somatic cell count showed statistically significant differences (P<0.001) between the control and experimental groups.

Key words: acute phase response, cows, haptoglobin, mastitis, total somatic cell count

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