Changes in serum proteins, haemogram and cytokine profile in white veal calves exposed to prolonged heat stress

Heat stress has direct impact on cattle performance, health and welfare and research has been directed mainly on dairy cattle, which seems more likely to suffer from this kind of stress than the beef type. Nevertheless, it has been suggested that a heath wave of short duration (3-4 days) is effective to impact on the immune system function of white veal calves shifting the immune response from a Th-1 type (IFN-gamma driven) to Th-2 type (IL-4 driven). The aim of this work was to assess the effects of prolonged and intense heat stress during more than 10 days on white veal calves by means of evaluating hematological parameters, serum proteins and serum cytokines profiles (IL-4, IL-6, TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma).