Animals under metabolic stress are often susceptible to infections. The modern dairy cow is metabolically stressed by the need to produce more than 40 litres of milk every day. An equivalent metabolic demand for humans is running two and a half marathons every day. Dairy cattle often suffer bacterial infections of the female genital tract after parturition. Robust animals respond to the infection rapidly and eliminate the bacteria. However, animals under metabolic stress are associated with an inadequate response to infection, and the bacteria persist, causing inflammation, pain and disease. Our paper provides a mechanism liking metabolic stress to suppression of inflammatory responses.

Cells use ATP, derived from glucose, as their main energy supply. This paper provides evidence that the most fundamental fuel of life – glucose – was important for mounting inflammatory responses. Furthermore, the regulator of cellular ATP, which is called AMPK, controlled the ability of uterine tissue to mount inflammatory responses. The implication from our work is provision of a diet that provides a rich source of energy will help dairy cattle counter postpartum bacterial infections of the uterus.

Martin Sheldon