Serum Beta-hydroxybutyrate concentrations and its association with postpartum diseases in dairy cows

Objective. Establish the prevalence of bovine ketosis based on serum concentrations (mmol/L) of beta-hydroxybutyrate (βHB) and estimate its association with early postpartum diseases in dairy cows. Materials and methods. A cross-sectional epidemiological study with individual information on blood levels of βHB and clinical occurrence of puerperal diseases in 1,149 animals was carried out. Besides, the efficiency of the test was evaluated as a predictor of postpartum disease. Subsequently, univariate analysis and a final logistic regression model were performed to explore the factors associated with hyperketonemia. The association between blood βHB, the appearance of ketosis, and the occurrence of puerperal diseases were calculated by analyzing the receiver operating characteristic (ROC). Results. According to βHB levels, the prevalence of ketosis was 7.9%, clinical ketosis 0.6%, and subclinical ketosis 7.3%. The test was a predictor of puerperal diseases (LR+ of 13.6). A body condition score of ≥3.5, 2 and ≥3 number of births, the presence of retained fetal membranes, milk fever, and postpartum disease, are risk factors for ketosis. The analysis of the ROC curve showed that the measurement of βHB (≥1.2 mmol/L) in blood serves to diagnose ketosis (p<0.0001). Conclusions. The measurement of blood levels of βHB allowed establishing that the presence of ketosis is low; however, it is an alert not only for this disease but for early postpartum diseases. The results of this study confirm the risk factors observed in previous studies