Milk metabolites, proteins and oxidative stress markers in dairy cows suffering from Staphylococcus aureus subclinical mastitis with or without spontaneous cure

Abstract Our objective was to evaluate relationships between milk components (acute phase proteins, enzymes, metabolic parameters and oxidative indices) and the spontaneous cure outcome of Staphylococcus aureus subclinical mastitis in dairy cows. The values of haptoglobin, serum amyloid A (SAA), malondialdehyde (MDA), total antioxidant capacity, milk urea nitrogen (MUN), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), electrolytes (Cl and K), total protein, albumin, α-lactalbumin, β-lactoglobulin, and immunoglobulin were measured in milk samples of S. aureus subclinical mastitis cows with spontaneous cure ( n = 23), S. aureus subclinical mastitis cows without spontaneous cure ( n = 29) and healthy cows ( n = 23). The comparison of measured parameters revealed that subclinical mastitis cows with spontaneous cure had lower ALP and haptoglobin concentrations both at diagnosis and after cure ( P < 0.05). In contrast, total antioxidant capacity and MDA concentration in subclinical mastitis cows without spontaneous cure significantly increased with time ( P < 0.05). We can suggest that elevated haptoglobin concentration and higher ALP activity indicative of enhanced oxidative stress could potentially serve as early diagnostic indicators of chronic disease and the persistence of S. aureus subclinical mastitis in dairy cows.