Immunological Impact

Elevated BHBA during NEB occurs mostly concomitantly with other metabolic changes, like low plasma glucose and elevated NEFA concentrations, so some immunosuppressive effects cannot be exclusively ascribed to ketone bodies ⁴⁸.

In-vitro

Elevation of plasma BHBA concentration

• decreased chemotactic capacity of bovine blood leukocytes ⁴⁹
• decreased respiratory burst activity of bovine neutrophils ⁵⁰
• decreased phagocytotic activity of milk polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) ⁵¹
• inhibit lymphocyte blastogenesis, oxidative burst and IgM secretion ^{52, 53}

In-vivo

High plasma BHBA concentration

• has a negative influence on the susceptibility of mastitis, course and severity of disease ^{54, 55}
• reduced cytokine production after bacterial infection ⁵⁶
• caused a heightened immune response in the form of increased lymphocytes counts, increasing stimulative properties of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and a positive linear correlation between the inflammatory marker haptoglobin (Hp) and increased values of BHB ^{57, 58}

* see also our references page