Analysis of cerebrospinal fluid in recumbent cowswith different duration of recumbency

Chronic recumbency results in progressive ischemic muscle damage, systemic inflammation and disruption of blood brain barrier, leading to neuroinflammation and irreversible recumbency in dairy cows. The present study evaluated the CSF changes into recumbent cows with different duration of recumbency from January to November 2025. The recumbent cows were unresponsive to routine therapy for more than 24 hours and were grouped as 2-5 days, 6-10 days and more than 10 days of recumbency. CSF samples were analyzed for biochemical, electrolyte, lactate, bicarbonate and neuro biomarkers. CSF analysis revealed significant reductions in glucose and increased protein, CK, LDH and neuron-specific enolase, as expected in prolonged recumbency. A significant change in CSF indicated the disruption of blood brain barrier and neuroinflammation in more than 10 days of recumbency cases.