Climate change is increasing wildfires, which release air pollutants like PM2.5. Exposure to wildfire-PM2.5 lowers milk production in dairy cows, affects calf health and metabolism, causes systemic inflammation, and can lead to death. Although systemic responses to wildfire-PM2.5 have been evaluated, the local response within the lung has yet to be described. To assess this, neonatal dairy calves were followed for the first 90-d of life, which aligned with Idaho’s wildfire season. Samples were collected before, during, and after naturally occurring wildfires. Lung inflammation was visualized using ultrasound. Immune cells were harvested from the blood and lung to assess cellular responses. Wildfire-PM2.5 increased lung inflammation for several days and altered immune cell populations within the lung and blood, indicating cell mobilization to combat inhaled PM2.5. As severe wildfires are expected to persist, mitigating wildfire-PM2.5 health deficits in dairy cattle will assist dairy producers in feeding a growing world population.
6 сен 2024
