THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN TUMOR-NECROSIS-FACTOR-ALPHA, INTERLEUKIN-6 AND MICROBIOLOGICAL FINDINGS IN THE SYNOVIAL-FLUID OF ABORTED AND NEONATAL CALVES

Tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF alpha) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were detected in the intra-carpal synovial fluids collected from aborted a nd recently dead young calves. Five out of seven TNF-alpha positive jo int fluids were bacteriologically positive and two were sterile. Only one out of 20 TNF-alpha negative joint aspirates was infected (P = 0.0 014). Sixteen of the synovial fluid samples were examined for the pres ence of IL-6. In 12 samples IL-6 was detected, six of which were bacte riologically contaminated. Four out of the 16 samples were IL-6 negati ve. These findings indicated the possible association between TNF-alph a and the intra-articular inflammatory processes in young calves, whic h in the present study were either found in combination with or withou t IL-6.