J. Dairy Sci.
102:672–677
https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2018-15022
© American Dairy Science Association®, 2019.
Short communication: Blood metabolites, body reserves,
and feed efficiency of high-producing dairy cows that varied
in ruminal pH when fed a high-concentrate diet
S. M. Nasrollahi,1* A. Zali,1* G. R. Ghorbani,2 A. Kahyani,2 and K. A. Beauchemin3
1
Department of Animal Science, Campus of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Tehran 31587-77871, Iran
2
Department of Animal Sciences, College of Agriculture, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan 84156-83111, Iran
3
Lethbridge Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lethbridge, AB, Canada T1J 4B1
ABSTRACT
Recent studies report considerable variation in ru-
minal pH for lactating dairy cows even when fed the
same diet. We hypothesized that blood metabolites
would be indicators of low ruminal pH, and hence could
be used as predictors to help manage this variability.
The objective of the study was to determine whether
blood metabolite concentrations, body reserves, and
feed efficiency were associated with ruminal pH in
high-producing dairy cows fed a high-concentrate diet.
Seventy-eight individually fed lactating dairy cows
(days in milk = 103 ± 27; body weight = 638 ± 77 kg
at the start; mean ± SD) were fed a diet consisting of
35% forage and 65% concentrate (dry matter basis).
Cows were adapted for 14 d and then were sampled
for 10 d. Ruminal pH was measured by rumenocentesis
for all cows at the end of the study 4 h after feed-
ing, and reticular pH was measured on a subsample of
14 cows via indwelling sensors for 5 consecutive days.
Cows were classified according to rumenocentesis pH
as high (pH ≥ 6.0; n = 26), medium (5.8 ≤ pH < 6;
n = 21), and low (pH < 5.8; n = 31). Cows were also
classified according to reticular pH as high if pH <5.8
persisted <330 min/d (an average of 78 min/d; n =
5) or low if duration of pH <5.8 was ≥330 min/d (an
average of 920 min/d; n = 9). The classification based
on rumenocentesis pH revealed that serum activity of
aspartate aminotransferase (AST) was greater in cows
with low ruminal pH (70.7 U/L) than cows with high
(56.6 U/L) and medium (59.9 U/L) ruminal pH. Also,
the blood urea nitrogen concentration was greater in
cows with low ruminal pH (13.6 mg/dL) than cows with
medium (12.2 mg/dL) and high (12.5 mg/dL) ruminal
Received May 5, 2018.
Accepted August 25, 2018.
*Corresponding authors: smnasrolahi@​gmail​.com and a.zali@​ut​.ac​
.ir
672
pH. Blood albumin concentration was greater for cows
with low ruminal pH than for cows with medium and
high ruminal pH. The classification based on reticular
pH also resulted in a trend of greater AST activity and
greater blood urea nitrogen concentration in the blood
of cows with low pH. Regression analysis showed high
serum concentration of AST was associated with high
valerate concentration in ruminal fluid (R2 = 0.14), low
rumenocentesis pH (R2 = 0.10), and low milk fat per-
centage (R2 = 0.06). Glucose, triglyceride, cholesterol,
globulin, alkaline phosphates, and serum amyloid A
did not differ among the different ruminal pH classes.
Low pH cows (reticular and ruminal) had less backfat
thickness measured via ultrasound, and cows with low
ruminal pH tended to have greater milk:​ feed ratio.
Results indicated that cows that differ in ruminal pH
also had different concentrations of blood metabolites
and backfat thickness, and AST activity in blood may
be a plausible indicator of ruminal pH in dairy cows.
Further studies on the applicability of AST in blood as
a biomarker for detecting low ruminal pH in dairy cows
are warranted.
Key words: acidosis susceptibility, blood metabolite,
body reserve, aspartate aminotransferase
Short Communication
Individual animal variability in susceptibility to
SARA has been reported in lactating dairy cows (Gao
and Oba, 2014, 2015; Nasrollahi et al., 2017; Khiaosa-
ard et al., 2018). Those studies indicate that lactating
dairy cows with similar DIM and milk yield can have
different ruminal pH even when fed similar diets. For
Holstein cows in mid lactation, time and area of ruminal
pH under 5.8 can vary from 53 to 395 min/d and 7.7
to 107 pH × min/d, respectively (Gao and Oba, 2015).
Cows that are susceptible to SARA sort their ration in
favor of fine particles (Gao and Oba, 2014; Nasrollahi
et al., 2017) and produce milk with lower fat content
(Nasrollahi et al., 2017; Khiaosa-ard et al., 2018).
 SHORT COMMUNICATION: SUSCEPTIBILITY TO ACIDOSIS
In commercial dairy farms, it is not possible to rou-
tinely measure ruminal pH in large numbers of cows;
thus, it would be helpful to identify a means of identify-
ing cows susceptible to SARA (Gao and Oba, 2015). A
marker for detecting cows with low ruminal pH would
enable large dairy farms to group cows accordingly and
feed diets formulated for each group based on their level
of susceptibility to SARA. The biomarker could also be
used as a tool for animal selection and breeding. Blood
variables can indicate the overall health of the dairy
cow (Rowlands, 1980), and thus may provide insight
into animal variability in ruminal pH. Concentrations
of BHB, nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA), albumin,
creatinine, BUN, aspartate aminotransferase (AST),
and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) can be assessed in
blood to indicate energy and protein metabolism and
liver health (Cozzi et al., 2011). Therefore, using blood
metabolite concentrations together with information
on BW reserves, productivity, and feed efficiency may
help predict susceptibility of cows to SARA and its
consequences.
Khiaosa-ard et al. (2018) reported that plasma con-
centrations of BHB and cholesterol decreased with in-
creasing acidosis susceptibility in Simmental cows, but
it is likely that these variables would not be applicable
for Holstein cows (Urdl et al., 2015). Gao and Oba
(2015) identified MUN as an indicator of SARA sus-
ceptibility in late-lactation cows, but the applicability
of MUN as an indicator of SARA in cows throughout
the lactation cycle is not known. Furthermore, MUN
is affected by several animal and nutritional factors
(Broderick and Clayton, 1997) that might be indepen-
dent from ruminal pH and thus it may not be routinely
applicable as an indicator of SARA. Therefore, the
objective of this study was to determine whether blood
metabolite concentrations, body reserves [as indicated
by backfat thickness (BFT)], and feed efficiency was
associated with ruminal pH in high-producing dairy
cows fed a similar high-concentrate diet.
The research was part of a larger project, and full
details of cow management and housing were reported
previously (Nasrollahi et al., 2017). Briefly, Holstein
cows (n = 78, DIM = 103 ± 26.5, average milk produc-
tion = 50.1 ± 11.1 kg/d, BW = 638 ± 76.8 kg; mean ±
SD at the start of the study) were used. The cows were
selected from a subset group if they met the minimum
criteria for enrollment (60 ≤ DIM ≤150 and without
mastitis, injury, or history of chronic ailment). Before
enrollment, cows were fed a TMR consisting of 35%
forage and 65% concentrate (DM basis), as described in
our companion paper (Nasrollahi et al., 2017). The diet
was fed ad libitum for 24 d, including a 14-d adaptation
period and a 10-d data and sample collection period.
The cows were housed in individual stalls (4 m × 4 m)
673
within a roofed facility with open sides, the pens were
bedded with clean wood shavings and dry manure, and
bedding was refreshed daily. Cows were individually
fed the TMR twice daily at 1000 and 1700 h and had
free access to water. Feed was offered at approximately
110% of actual feed intake of the previous day. Cows
were cared for according to the guidelines of the Iranian
Council of Animal Care (1995), and the experiment
was approved by the Institutional Animal Care Com-
mittee for Animals Used in Research.
Ruminal pH, VFA concentrations, feed intake, feed-
ing behavior, and milk production were measured, and
the results were reported in a companion paper (Nas-
rollahi et al., 2017). In brief, ruminal pH was measured
by rumenocentesis for all cows at the end of the study,
approximately 4 h after feeding. On d 23 and 24, ru-
minal fluid from the ventral sac was sampled using the
rumenocentesis technique (Garrett et al., 1999), with
half the cows sampled each day (13 cows/d) because
of the amount of time required for the rumenocente-
sis procedure. Each day the sampling was completed
within 60 min, but the exact interval between feed-
ing and sampling was not recorded for each cow. Cows
were classified according to their rumenocentesis pH
as high (pH ≥6.0; n = 26), medium (5.8 ≤ pH <6.0;
n = 21), or low (pH <5.8; n = 31). Reticular pH was
measured for 5 consecutive days on a subsample of 14
cows using indwelling sensors dosed orally. For reticular
pH measurements, cows were classified as low when pH
<5.8 for ≥330 min/d (average of 920 min/d; n = 9)
and high when pH <5.8 for <330 min/d (average of
78 min/d; n = 5). Ruminal samples were immediately
frozen at −10°C from which ruminal NH3 concentration
was determined by the colorimetric phenol-hypochlorite
method of Broderick and Kang (1980).
Blood samples (7 mL) were collected approximately
4 h after the morning feeding on one day between d 15
and 20 of the study, via the coccygeal vein using an
evacuated tube without anticoagulant. Sampling of all
cows was completed within 30 min, but the exact inter-
val between feeding and sampling was not recorded for
each cow. Blood samples were placed on ice immediately
after collection and centrifuged at 3,000 × g for 15 min.
Serum samples were separated and stored in plastic
tubes frozen at −10°C until analysis. The concentra-
tions of serum glucose, cholesterol, BUN, high-density
lipoprotein cholesterol, triglyceride, total protein, albu-
min, creatinine, AST, and ALP were measured by an
autoanalyzer (Abbott Alcyon 300, Abbott Diagnostics,
Lake Forest, IL) using commercial kits (Pars Azmoon
Co., Tehran, Iran) according to the manufacturer’s
instructions (https:​/​/​www​.bioz​.com/​search/​pars​%20
azmoon​%20kit). Serum BHB and NEFA concentra-
tions were also determined using an autoanalyzer and
Journal of Dairy Science Vol. 102 No. 1, 2019
674 NASROLLAHI ET AL.
commercial colorimetric kits (Randox Laboratories
Ltd., Ardmore, UK). Globulin concentrations were
calculated by subtracting albumin concentrations from
total protein. The BUN, AST, and BHB concentrations
were detected at 340 nm; ALP was detected at 405 nm;
cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein, and triglycerides
were detected at 500 to 520 nm; and glucose, total
protein, albumin, creatinine, and NEFA were detected
at 550 nm. The intra-assay variation was controlled by
limiting the coefficient of variation to ≤5%.
Cows were weighed on d 4 (initial weight) and d 21
(final weight) of the study. The BFT was measured
on d 21 using a portable B-mode ultrasound generator
(SonoVet 600V, BCF Technology Ltd., West Lothian,
Scotland, UK) with a linear transducer and frequency
between 5.0 and 6.5 MHz (Schroder and Staufenbiel,
2006). The transducer was positioned vertically to an
imaginary line between the hooks and pins at the sacral
examination site.
Data were analyzed for normality using the Shapiro-
Wilk test and all variables had a normal distribution.
The MIXED procedure of SAS (version 9.1, SAS Insti-
tute Inc., Cary, NC) was used to evaluate each response
variable using a model that included the fixed effects of
pH classes based on rumenocentesis or reticular mea-
surements. Rumenocentesis-based classes consisted of
3 classes (high, medium, and low), whereas reticular-
based classes consisted of 2 classes (high and low). The
allocation group was considered as a fixed effect when
classification was based on rumenocentesis pH. Par-
ity of lactation was considered as a random effect in
the model for both classifications. The PDIFF option
was used for each comparison when the main effect
of treatment was significant. The relationship of blood
metabolites with DMI, feeding behavior, ruminal pH
and VFA, and milk fat percentage was evaluated using
simple linear regression with PROC REG of SAS. The
significance level was set at P ≤ 0.05, and tendencies
were considered from 0.05 < P ≤ 0.10.
For the pH groups based on rumenocentesis, the
number of cows with lactation number of 1, 2, and 3+
were 8, 10, and 8, respectively, for the high group; 7, 3,
and 11 for the medium group; and 9, 13, and 9 for the
low group. Therefore, it appears that parity was similar
among the groups and did not affect susceptibility of
cows to low pH.
We previously reported that cows with high ruminal
pH based on rumenocentesis exhibited greater DMI
(26.8 vs. 24.6 and 24.4 kg/d) and higher final BW (708
vs. 659 and 655 kg) compared with cows with medium
and low ruminal pH, but intake as a % of BW and
milk yield were similar (Nasrollahi et al., 2017). Also
the cows with high ruminal pH had greater milk fat
percentage (2.42 vs. 2.12 and 2.10%) but had similar
Journal of Dairy Science Vol. 102 No. 1, 2019
milk protein content as cows with medium and low ru-
minal pH. The high ruminal pH cows had a lower molar
proportion of isovalerate in ruminal fluid than the low
ruminal pH cows (1.42 vs. and 1.82% of total VFA),
with that of the medium pH cows being intermediate
(1.57% of total VFA).
When cows were classified based on rumenocentesis
pH, animals with low ruminal pH had greater serum
concentration of BUN than those with high and medium
ruminal pH (13.6 vs. 12.5 and 12.2 mg/dL; P = 0.01;
Table 1). Cows with low ruminal pH also had greater
(P = 0.02) albumin concentration in blood compared
with cows with high and medium pH (3.91 vs. 3.81 and
3.75 g/dL). The activity of AST was greater in cows
with low ruminal pH (70.7 U/L) than cows with high
pH (56.6 U/L), whereas cows with medium pH (59.9
U/L) were intermediate (P = 0.03). When ruminal pH
was classified based on reticular pH, cows with low pH
had greater (P = 0.04) BUN concentration and tended
to have greater (P = 0.08) AST activity and less (P =
0.09) BHB in blood than cows with high pH. However,
other blood metabolites did not differ among cows with
variable pH regardless of method used to classify cows.
Regression analysis of the data for all 78 cows revealed
relationships between AST activity in blood and valer-
ate proportion in ruminal fluid (Figure 1), ruminal pH
measured by ruminocentesis (Figure 2), and milk fat
percentage (Figure 3).
Both ways of classifying ruminal pH showed that cows
with high pH had greater BFT than other cows (Table
2). When cows were classified based on rumenocentesis
pH, the BFT of cows with high pH was 2.6 and 3.6 mm
greater than cows with medium and low pH, respec-
tively. Those cows with medium and low ruminal pH
tended (P = 0.10) to have greater feed efficiency than
the cows with high ruminal pH, although not when
efficiency was expressed on the basis of FCM or ECM.
Furthermore, no difference in efficiency was observed
when pH was classified based on reticular pH.
Ruminal acidosis is a syndrome that is multidimen-
sional in both causes and consequences (Calsamiglia et
al., 2012; Khiaosa-Ard and Zebeli, 2014). Cows vary
in their susceptibility to acidosis, even when fed the
same diet, and the reasons for this variability may be
multi-faceted. Part of the variation may be due to the
differences in sorting among cows, and hence the dif-
ferent diet composition of the actual feed consumed by
individual animals. If it was possible to identify cows
based on ruminal pH on commercial dairy farms, it
may be possible to group and feed them accordingly
or exploit this variation in breeding programs. Given
the impracticality of measuring ruminal pH for a large
number of cows, an easy to measure and accurate
indicator that could help identify cows susceptible to
 SHORT COMMUNICATION: SUSCEPTIBILITY TO ACIDOSIS 675
Table 1. Ruminal ammonia and blood variables of high-producing dairy cows with varying classes of rumen pH

Based on rumenocentesis pH Based on reticular pH

Pooled Pooled
Item1 High Medium Low SEM P-value High Low SEM P-value
Rumen NH3, mg/dL 6.49 7.12 7.68 0.77 0.26 3.7 5.4 1.10 0.24
Creatinine, mg/dL 0.87 0.94 0.92 0.03 0.23 0.87 0.90 0.045 0.40
Glucose, mg/dL 59.9 61.3 60.3 0.95 0.40 58.3 59.5 1.33 0.51
Cholesterol, mg/dL 276 279 274 13.5 0.93 266.5 255.1 26.0 0.68
LDL, mg/dL 206 197 200 10.6 0.72 200 190 20.0 0.67
HDL, mg/dL 73.3 69.2 70.1 3.31 0.48 65.6 63.7 6.37 0.64
Triglyceride, mg/dL 13.0 12.7 11.9 0.61 0.18 13.3 12.4 0.85 0.33
NEFA, mol/L 0.33 0.38 0.33 0.04 0.31 0.22 0.27 0.045 0.47
BHB, mol/L 0.66 0.68 0.68 0.05 0.93 0.69 0.57 0.048 0.09
BUN, mg/dL 12.5b 12.2b 13.6a 0.50 0.01 11.2 13.8 0.99 0.04
TP, g/dL 8.25 8.21 8.14 0.14 0.70 8.16 8.40 0.15 0.28
Albumin, g/dL 3.81b 3.75b 3.91a 0.06 0.02 3.98 3.96 0.11 0.88
Globulin, g/dL 4.36 4.49 4.24 0.16 0.29 4.18 4.44 0.16 0.28
AST, U/L 56.0b 59.9ab 70.7a 5.76 0.03 58.6 76.4 6.20 0.08
ALP, U/L 82.6 88.1 96.0 8.1 0.22 76.0 87.9 13.82 0.49
a,b
Least squares means within a row and pH measurement category with different superscripts are significantly different, P < 0.05.
1
LDL = low-density lipoprotein; HDL = high-density lipoprotein; NEFA = nonesterified fatty acids; TP = total protein; AST = aspartate
aminotransferase; ALP = alkaline phosphatase.

SARA would be a useful management tool. In addi-
tion, identifying metabolic factors that differ between
sensitive and tolerant animals may help to reveal new
mechanisms involved in acidosis resistance in tolerant
animals. The present study investigated low cost, easy
to measure blood metabolites in relation to ruminal pH
and production efficiency. Blood metabolites of BHB,
NEFA, albumin, creatinine, BUN, AST, and ALP as
indicators of energy and protein metabolism and liver
health were investigated (Cozzi et al., 2011).
Cows with low ruminal pH had greater AST activ-
ity in blood and this activity coincided positively with
valerate concentration in ruminal fluid, and negatively
with milk fat percentage. These correlations do not
infer causal relationships; rather the data suggest that
cows that have low ruminal pH have greater AST activ-
ity in blood and lower milk fat content. It has been
demonstrated that the liver is the major source of AST
in plasma. Histological damage to the liver will increase
the level of AST in blood due to changes in cellular
integrity and leakage of hepatocytes (Vozarova et al.,
2002; Bobe et al., 2004; Kunutsor et al., 2013). There-
fore it can be assumed that low pH cows in the current
study experienced some degree of hepatic disturbance.
Consistent with this result, Xu et al. (2016) reported an
elevated level of AST in low pH Holstein cows, although
Khiaosa-ard et al. (2018) found no effect of ruminal pH
on level of AST in plasma of Simmental cows possibly
due to breed differences.
Serum concentration of BUN was also associated
with pH, regardless of pH measurement technique, with
greater concentration of BUN observed in cows with

Figure 1. Relationship between serum activity of aspartate amino- Figure 2. Relationship between serum activity of aspartate amino-
transferase (AST) and rumen valerate concentration for 78 lactating transferase (AST) and ruminal pH measured by ruminocentesis for 78
Holstein dairy cows. lactating Holstein dairy cows.

Journal of Dairy Science Vol. 102 No. 1, 2019

676 NASROLLAHI ET AL.

tion to meet energy demands of high milk production,

Figure 3. Relationship between serum activity of aspartate ami-
notransferase (AST) and milk fat percentage for 78 lactating Holstein
dairy cows.
low ruminal pH. Previous studies that examined BUN
and MUN concentrations in relation to acidosis suscep-
tibility did not report differences for mid-lactation cows
(Xu et al., 2016; Khiaosa-ard et al., 2018). Gao and Oba
(2014, 2015, 2016) reported for late-lactation cows that,
compared with susceptible cows, tolerant cows had a
greater MUN concentration although both groups had
similar MUN concentration in mid-lactation. These au-
thors proposed that the greater MUN concentration in
high pH cows in late lactation was due to greater rumi-
nal ammonia-N concentration. Elevated BUN concen-
tration can be caused by inefficient ruminal ammonia
incorporation into microbial protein and hepatic deami-
nation of AA mobilized from skeletal muscle (Wheelock
et al., 2010). Because the concentration of ruminal am-
monia was not affected by the classes of ruminal pH
in the present study (Table 2), it is unlikely that cows
differed in efficiency of ammonia-N incorporation into
microbial protein. The lower BFT (i.e., body reserves)
of low pH cows may indicate greater tissue mobiliza-
which may have caused greater AA catabolism (NRC,
2001). Differences in BFT of cows that differ in acidosis
risk were not reported in previous studies that reported
differences in BUN or MUN concentration among cows
differing in acidosis susceptibility (Gao and Oba, 2014,
2015, 2016). Cows used in the present study had greater
energy demand than the cows used in previous studies
that examined differences in ruminal pH because in the
present study the cows produced 52 kg/d of milk and
feed:​milk ratio was ~2. In contrast, in previous studies
the mid-lactation cows produced from 31 to 40 kg/d of
milk and milk:​feed ratio ranged from 1.22 to 1.48 (Gao
and Oba, 2015; Khiaosa-ard et al., 2018).
The combined effects of less BFT, greater hepatic
damage (i.e., serum activity of AST) and a tendency
for greater milk:​feed ratio observed for cows with low
ruminal pH may indicate a change in nutrient parti-
tioning toward the mammary gland for milk synthesis
instead of use by visceral tissues and body reserves. It
is possible that acidosis in susceptible cows caused a
condition in which body reserves and liver health status
would be disrupted to promote milk production (Zachut
et al., 2013). Because body reserves and heathy liver
function is very important for reproduction and overall
health of the cow (Bertoni and Trevisi, 2013; Zebeli et
al., 2015), low pH cows might also have greater repro-
ductive and health challenges, although this needs to
be confirmed in subsequent studies.
Numerous studies (Gao and Oba, 2014, 2015; Khiao-
sa-ard et al., 2018) have shown considerable variability
in ruminal pH of dairy cows, yet measuring ruminal
pH on commercial dairy farms is problematic due to
invasiveness and time constraints. Alternative methods
of identifying low pH cows would help dairy producers
to better manage acidosis. Blood sampling is a regu-
lar practice on dairy farms and therefore identifying

Table 2. Body reserves and feed efficiency of high-producing dairy cows with varying classes of rumen pH

Based on rumenocentesis pH Based on reticular pH

Pooled Pooled
Item High Medium Low SEM P-value High Low SEM P-value
BW change between 15.4 11.9 13.9 3.64 0.75 5.6 12.7 1.60 0.35
  d 4 and 21, kg
Energy balance,1 Mcal/d 5.99 5.53 5.27 0.60 0.68 6.01 4.74 1.18 0.43
BFT,2 mm 32.4a 29.8b 28.8b 0.90 0.009 29.2 25.3 1.08 0.04
Milk yield/DMI 1.93 2.04 2.06 0.06 0.10 2.03 2.05 0.05 0.72
FCM3/DMI 1.51 1.46 1.49 0.04 0.38 1.60 1.54 0.06 0.34
ECM4/DMI 1.66 1.61 1.64 0.04 0.47 1.73 1.68 0.06 0.40
a,b
Least squares means within a row and pH measurement category with different superscripts are significantly different, P < 0.05.
1
Energy balance = net energy intake – (NEM + NEL); NEM = 0.08 × BW0.75 and NEL = [0.0929 × fat (%) + 0.0563 × protein (%) + 0.0395 ×
lactose (%)] × milk yield (kg) (NRC, 2001).
2
Backfat thickness was measured using an ultrasonographic method (Schroder and Staufenbiel, 2006).
3
3.5% FCM = 0.432 milk yield + 13.23 fat yield (Gaines, 1928).
4
ECM = 0.3246 milk yield + 12.96 fat yield + 7.04 protein yield (Jenkins et al., 1998).

Journal of Dairy Science Vol. 102 No. 1, 2019

 SHORT COMMUNICATION: SUSCEPTIBILITY TO ACIDOSIS
indicators in the blood with low cost of measurement
could be useful for separating acidosis-tolerant from
acidosis-sensitive animals. Based on findings of the cur-
rent study, serum activity of AST may be a possible
indicator of susceptibility of dairy cows to low ruminal
pH. Increased concentration of serum activity of AST
was associated with increased valerate concentration in
ruminal fluid, decreased ruminal pH, and lower milk fat
concentration, although these relationships were weak
(R2 = 0.06 to 0.14). Further studies on the applicability
of serum activity of AST for detecting SARA suscep-
tibility in dairy cows are needed to confirm the results
from the current study.
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Journal of Dairy Science Vol. 102 No. 1, 2019