Laminitis: A Multisystems Veterinary Perspective with Omics Technologies

Abstract

Laminitis and lameness-associated diseases in dairy cattle have plagued the dairy industry for decades. It is a costly illness with significant impact on dairy production and the animal’s health and welfare. Laminitis in dairy cattle is complex and the initiation, progression, and severity of disease is affected by multiple factors including the individual animal’s health, heritable traits, and its environment. As such, understanding the pathophysiology of bovine laminitis in dairy cattle requires research that explores both local events (i.e., histopathology alterations and mechanical injury) directly affecting the hoof and indirect pathophysiology perturbations (i.e., hyperinsulinemia) distant from the hoof. This provides a more generalized understanding of multiple physiologic systems—a systems veterinary approach. Presently, there is a relative paucity of information investigating the induction and progression of this disease in dairy cattle. Incorporating new omics technologies into the study of laminitis in cattle should shed light on the disease processes. Indeed, omics sciences, namely genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics demonstrate that laminitis is a collection of complex changes in gene expression, protein translation, and the metabolism of components involved in the inflammatory process. Most certainly bovine laminitis is associated with increased production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, matrix metalloproteinases, and the metabolism of amino acids, carbohydrates, lipids, and energy producing molecules. As research advances, a comprehensive understanding of the pathophysiology of laminitis in dairy cattle will ensue and this could translate into better animal husbandry practices for the dairy industry and treatment modalities for mitigating the disease.