COULD VEGETAL EXTRACTS ENHANCE THE CELL-MEDIATED IMMUNITY AND ALEVIATE VACCINATION STRESS IN DAIRY CATTLE?

This study investigates influence of the anti-anthrax vaccination on blast transformation capacity of the leukocytes and also the possible in vitro influence of two, taxonomically different, autochthonous plants, Calendula officinalis and Vaccinium mirtyllus in promoting post-vaccinal proliferation. For that, blood was sampled on heparine (50 IU/ml) before and two weeks after the anti-anthrax vaccination (R 1190 Stamatin strain) of twenty-three dairy cows and 11 calves raised extensively. Blood samples were subjected to the in vitro blast transformation test, where glucose consumption was read after 72 hours of incubation at 37oC by the o-toluidine test. The experimental variants included samples treated with alcoholic extracts of the plants (7.5 µ/ml). There was a statistically significant increase in all the stimulation indices after the vaccination of the animals in cows, including those for Vaccinium myrtillus (48.57±13.27 to 53.53±12.49, p=0.02) and Calendulla officinalis (56.39±12.57 and 61.51±13.85, p=0.01). The increase induced in the growth of calf lymphocytes by the two plants was non-significant post vaccination. Both extracts could be used to enhance cell mediated immunity but there was an age dependent improvement of their in vitro response.