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This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: jas.2009-1905v1 87/10/3187    most recent Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Google Scholar Articles by Pang, W. Y. Articles by Crowe, M. A. PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Pang, W. Y. Articles by Crowe, M. A.

Effects of banding or burdizzo castration of bulls on neutrophil phagocytosis and respiratory burst, CD62-L expression, and serum interleukin-8 concentration¹

W. Y. Pang^*,, B. Earley^*,2, T. Sweeney, S. Pirani^*, V. Gath and M. A. Crowe

^* Teagasc, Animal Bioscience Research Centre, Dunsany, Co. Meath, Ireland; and School of Agriculture, Food Science & Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland

² Corresponding author: bernadette.earley{at}teagasc.ie

The objective was to investigate measures of neutrophil function in response to banding or burdizzo castration of bulls. Thirty-two Holstein-Friesian bulls (14 mo old, 505 ± 7.8 kg of BW) were assigned to 1 of 4 treatment groups: 1) sham-handled control (CON); 2) banding castration alone (BAND); 3) burdizzo castration alone (BURD); or 4) cortisol infusion (CORT) as a further control group. For each group on d –14, 8 animals (2 animals/treatment) were tied up in tie stalls (day of treatment = d 0). At –2, 2, 6, 12, 24, 48, 72, and 144 h relative to treatment time, blood samples were collected for analyses of neutrophil phagocytosis and respiratory burst, neutrophil CD62-L expression, and serum IL-8 concentration. Leukocyte counts, phagocytosis activity, and CD62-L expression were similar (P > 0.05) among the 4 treatment groups. The BURD castrates had greater burst activity compared with BAND castrates (P = 0.048) and CON (P = 0.01) at 72 h posttreatment. The BURD castrates had a greater percentage of granulocyte positive leukocytes (Gr%; P < 0.01) at 2 h posttreatment compared with CON and CORT bulls. The BURD castrates had greater (P < 0.05) Gr% compared with BAND, CON, and CORT animals at 24, 48, and 72 h posttreatment. The BURD and BAND castrates had greater Gr% (P < 0.05) compared with CORT bulls at 144 h posttreatment. In general, BAND, BURD, and CORT did not affect serum IL-8 concentration. Banding castration, BURD, and CORT did not induce leukocytosis, whereas BURD induced a modest neutrophilia. Neutrophil functioning in terms of phagocytosis and respiratory burst and serum IL-8 concentration were not compromised by BAND, BURD, and CORT. These findings indicate nonsurgical castration is unlikely to induce a severe acute systemic inflammatory response in terms of neutrophil function.

Key Words: castration • cattle • CD62-L • interleukin-8 • phagocytosis • respiratory burst