Association of bacterial load in uterus with insulin resistance in dairy cows

Research results on insulin resistance in dairy cows have been somewhat contradicting. By adding up the existing knowledge of Estonian and Belgian work-groups and carrying out a new experiment, the project aims to challenge the current state-of-the-art knowledge on this metabolic disturbance and to offer a new theory on its aetiology. According to the current understanding, insulin resistance develops at late gestation and in combination with the high metabolic load at the beginning of lactation will cause disease. The project aims to associate the bacterial load in the uterus cows with systemic immune response and insulin resistance, which is an unresearched topic. The project will improve the understanding of the associations of metabolism, immunity and insulin resistance in dairy cows.