The progression from gestation into lactation represents the transition period, and it is
accompanied by marked physiological, metabolic, and inflammatory adjustments. The entire …

For dairy cattle, the first several weeks of lactation represent the highest-risk period in their
lives after their own neonatal period. Although more than 50% of cows during this period are …

Various body sites of vertebrates provide stable and nutrient-rich ecosystems for a diverse
range of commensal, opportunistic, and pathogenic microorganisms to thrive. The collective …

Dairy cattle are susceptible to increased incidence and severity of both metabolic and
infectious diseases during the periparturient period. A major contributing factor to increased …

The physiological response to infections and injuries involves local inflammation and the
initiation of events leading to a systemic response, also called acute phase reaction (APR) …

The transition period, from 3 wk before to 3 wk after parturition, is critically important to
health, production, and profitability of dairy cows. Most health disorders occur during this …

Dairy cows pass through a period of negative energy balance as they transition from late
gestation to early lactation. Poor adaptation through this period, expressed as excessively …

In dairy cattle, late gestation is a critical period for fetal growth and physiological transition
into the next lactation. Environmental factors, such as temperature and light, exert dramatic …

Tremendous metabolic and endocrine adjustments must be made as dairy cows move from
late gestation to early lactation. Requirements for glucose and metabolizable energy …

This paper describes some of the major points of progress and challenges in health
management of dairy cattle in the last 25 yr. A selection of the leading contributors in the …