Impact of disease on metabolism

Abstract Text: The physiologic mechanisms for metabolic response to infection are not fully understood; however, a ‘stereotypical’ response to infection or non-infectious inflammatory stress is obvious. Clinically, the most prominent metabolic response during infection is body tissue mobilization.  Additional ‘stereotypical’ metabolic changes also occur during infection that alter host nutritional status including changes in metabolism of all major nutrients and include both catabolic as well as anabolic responses. The interpretation of the biochemical and physiologic changes that occur in the face of infection/stress are complicated by many factors including: 1) pre-existing host genetic, immunologic, microbiological, and nutritional factors; 2) severity and duration of infection/stress; 3) direct and secondary effects of immunologic, neural, cardiovascular, and nutritional manifestations; 4) kinetics of individual host metabolic changes; and 5) circadian rhythms.  It is apparent that the relationship between nutrient metabolism and disease is important and a greater understanding of the physiologic changes that take place before, during, and after a disease/stress event takes place is warranted.  Greater understanding of the impact of disease on metabolism will allow us to develop practical mitigation strategies in domestic livestock species.  Therefore, the objectives of this presentation are as follows: 1) review important molecular mechanisms that underlie metabolism and disease; 2) discuss potential implications for host-microbial interactions in management of disease; and 3) describe what we have learned with respect to changes in immune biomarkers, digestion, metabolism, and tissue accretion in disease-challenged pigs.

Keywords: disease, nutrient metabolism, physiology