Diagnosis of abomasal ulcer in dairy cows

• Grant number: 22/09262-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: December 01, 2022
• End date: August 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Animal Clinics and Surgery
• Principal Investigator: Maria Claudia Araripe Sucupira
• Grantee: Jennifer Evangelista de Amorim
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Abomasal ulcer is a serious condition that affects dairy cows in certain stages of production, especially in the period of transmission. It is considered a silent disease, but it can bring great damage to the producer. The symptoms are according to the classification of the ulcer in question, the animals may have milder symptoms such as anorexia, change in their behavior status or progress to tachycardia, tachypnea, have clear manifestations of pain and blackened stools due to the presence of blood, resulting in anemia. In the worst cases, when they present an ulcer with leakage of the abomasal contents into the cavity, the animals can progress to septic shock and die. However, the disease can present itself silently, thus there is a gap to perform the diagnosis of abomasal ulcer with precision, impairing the treatment and the lifespan of the animals. The objective of this project will be to search for possible biomarkers that could help in the early diagnosis of abomasal ulcer in cattle. In addition, to correlate with common diseases in dairy animals such as ketosis and hypocalcemia.