Bactericidal and phagocytic activity in cows with a normal puerperium

Investigations were carried out to follow up the changes in the bactericidal and the phagocytic activity of the blood in cows with normal puerperal period. The experimental work was done with 70 cows of the Bulgarian Brown breed, blood for investigations being sampled on the 1st, 3rd, 6th, 9th, and twelfth day following calving. It was found that with cows having normal calving and puerperium the bactericidal activity of the blood serum and the phagocytic activity of the neutrophilic leukocytes were highest during the first three days following calving, after which they dropped.