Two Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine researchers recently discovered that biochemicals specific to liver abscesses might be utilised as biomarkers in live cattle to identify liver abscesses.
“Cattle with liver abscesses do not exhibit clinical signs, and the abscesses are only detected during processing,” said Raghavendra Amachawadi, associate professor of food animal therapeutics in the clinical sciences department. “The goal was to identify biochemicals by conducting a comprehensive metabolites analysis, known as metabolomics, of purulent materials from liver abscesses.”
Amachawadi and T.G. Nagaraja, university distinguished professor of microbiology in the department of diagnostic medicine and pathobiology, led a multidisciplinary team whose findings are now published as “Metabolome of purulent materials of liver abscesses from crossbred cattle and Holstein steers fed finishing diets with or without in-feed tylosin” in the Journal of Animal Science.
“The main reason we did the study was because there is no diagnostic test that detects whether an animal has an abscessed liver or not,” Nagaraja said. “A liver abscess is only seen after the animal has died.” People have attempted a variety of diagnostic procedures, but none of them are efficient in identifying liver abscesses in live animals, thus our primary aim is to create a diagnostic test.”
This study, according to Nagaraja, will most likely result in the identification of a biomarker in the blood that indicates the animal’s liver is abscessed while it is still alive.
Typically, an abscess is not identified until the cattle die after three to five months on the feedlot. Cattle develop the condition, according to Nagaraja, throughout this three-to-five-month period. The identification of the biomarker may hasten intervention testing.
The new study is the first step towards establishing a diagnostic test for live animals, and it has prompted the researchers to conduct a thorough biochemical examination of material taken from liver abscesses. In all, 759 biochemicals were found in the sample. The researchers detail these biochemicals and how they assist identify the origins of liver abscesses in their publication. The study’s samples were all collected from spontaneously occurring abscesses located on the livers of dead animals.
The next investigation, according to Amachawadi, would include artificially creating abscesses to determine whether biomarkers from the current study are present in the live cattle.
“Then we will pick a couple of them and make sure these are the molecules that are really important in causing an abscess,” Amachawadi said. “That helps us come up with intervention strategies to prevent this from happening.”
This research is the initial step of a larger investigation.
According to Nagaraja, the finding has substantial consequences. In addition to developing a diagnostic test, the research study could provide insight into when cattle develop liver abscesses, evaluate intervention strategies for abscessed cattle, and possibly aid in effective cattle management by providing feedlots with information about the liver abscess status.
