Mortality in East African shorthorn zebu cattle under one year: predictors of infectious-disease mortality.

PubMed

Thumbi, Samuel M; Bronsvoort, Mark B M de C; Kiara, Henry; Toye, P G; Poole, Jane; Ndila, Mary; Conradie, Ilana; Jennings, Amy; Handel, Ian G; Coetzer, J A W; Steyl, Johan; Hanotte, Olivier; Woolhouse, Mark E J

2013-09-08

Infectious livestock diseases remain a major threat to attaining food security and are a source of economic and livelihood losses for people dependent on livestock for their livelihood. Knowledge of the vital infectious diseases that account for the majority of deaths is crucial in determining disease control strategies and in the allocation of limited funds available for disease control. Here we have estimated the mortality rates in zebu cattle raised in a smallholder mixed farming system during their first year of life, identified the periods of increased risk of death and the risk factors for calf mortality, and through analysis of post-mortem data, determined the aetiologies of calf mortality in this population. A longitudinal cohort study of 548 zebu cattle was conducted between 2007 and 2010. Each calf was followed during its first year of life or until lost from the study. Calves were randomly selected from 20 sub-locations and recruited within a week of birth from different farms over a 45 km radius area centered on Busia in the Western part of Kenya. The data comprised of 481.1 calf years of observation. Clinical examinations, sample collection and analysis were carried out at 5 week intervals, from birth until one year old. Cox proportional hazard models with frailty terms were used for the statistical analysis of risk factors. A standardized post-mortem examination was conducted on all animals that died during the study and appropriate samples collected. The all-cause mortality rate was estimated at 16.1 (13.0-19.2; 95% CI) per 100 calf years at risk. The Cox models identified high infection intensity with Theileria spp., the most lethal of which causes East Coast Fever disease, infection with Trypanosome spp., and helminth infections as measured by Strongyle spp. eggs per gram of faeces as the three important infections statistically associated with infectious disease mortality in these calves. Analysis of post-mortem data identified East Coast Fever as

When and how did Bos indicus introgress into Mongolian cattle?

PubMed

Yue, Xiangpeng; Li, Ran; Liu, Li; Zhang, Yunsheng; Huang, Jieping; Chang, Zhenhua; Dang, Ruihua; Lan, Xianyong; Chen, Hong; Lei, Chuzhao

2014-03-10

The Mongolian cattle are one of the most widespread breeds with strictly Bos taurus morphological features in northern China. In our current study, we presented a diversity of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) D-loop region and Y chromosome SNP markers in 25 male and 8 female samples of Mongolian cattle from the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region in Western China, and detected 21 B. taurus and four Bos indicus (zebu) mtDNA haplotypes. Among four B. indicus mtDNA haplotypes, two haplotypes belonged to I1 haplogroup and the remaining two haplotypes belonged to I2 haplogroup. In contrast, all 25 male Mongolian cattle samples revealed B. taurus Y chromosome haplotype and no B. indicus haplotypes were found. Historical and archeological records indicate that B. taurus was introduced to Xinjiang during the second millennium BC and B. indicus appeared in this region by the second century AD. The two types of cattle coexisted for many centuries in Xinjiang, as depicted in clay and wooden figurines unearthed in the Astana cemetery in Turfan (3rd-8th century AD). Multiple lines of evidence suggest that the earliest B. indicus introgression in the Mongolian cattle may have occurred during the 2nd-7th centuries AD through the Silk Road around the Xinjiang region. This conclusion differs from the previous hypothesis that zebu introgression to Mongolian cattle happened during the Mongol Empire era in the 13th century. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Genetic diversity, population structure, and correlations between locally adapted zebu and taurine breeds in Brazil using SNP markers.

PubMed

Campos, Bárbara Machado; do Carmo, Adriana Santana; do Egito, Andrea Alves; da Mariante, Arthur Silva; do Albuquerque, Maria Socorro Muaés; de Gouveia, João José Simoni; Malhado, Carlos Henrique Mendes; Verardo, Lucas Lima; da Silva, Marcos Vinícius Gualberto Barbosa; Carneiro, Paulo Luiz Souza

2017-12-01

Genetic diversity is one of the most important issues in studies on conservation of cattle breeds and endangered species. The objective of this study was to estimate the levels of genetic differentiation between locally adapted taurine (Bos taurus taurus) and zebu (Bos taurus indicus) breeds in Brazil, which were genotyped for more than 777,000 SNPs. The fixation index (F ST ), principal component analysis (PCA), and Bayesian clustering were estimated. The F ST highlighted genetic differentiation between taurine and zebu breeds. The taurine lines, Caracu and Caracu Caldeano, had significant genetic differentiation (F ST close to 5%) despite their recent selection for different uses (meat and milk). This genetic variability can be used for conservation of locally adapted animals, as well as for breeding programs on zebu breeds. Introgression of zebu in locally adapted breeds was identified, especially in Curraleiro Pé-Duro breed. The Gyr breed, however, had low breed purity at genomic level due to its very heterogeneous mixing pattern.

Detrimental effect of selection for milk yield on genetic tolerance to heat stress in purebred Zebu cattle: Genetic parameters and trends.

PubMed

Santana, M L; Pereira, R J; Bignardi, A B; Filho, A E Vercesi; Menéndez-Buxadera, A; El Faro, L

2015-12-01

In an attempt to determine the possible detrimental effects of continuous selection for milk yield on the genetic tolerance of Zebu cattle to heat stress, genetic parameters and trends of the response to heat stress for 86,950 test-day (TD) milk yield records from 14,670 first lactations of purebred dairy Gir cows were estimated. A random regression model with regression on days in milk (DIM) and temperature-humidity index (THI) values was applied to the data. The most detrimental effect of THI on milk yield was observed in the stage of lactation with higher milk production, DIM 61 to 120 (-0.099kg/d per THI). Although modest variations were observed for the THI scale, a reduction in additive genetic variance as well as in permanent environmental and residual variance was observed with increasing THI values. The heritability estimates showed a slight increase with increasing THI values for any DIM. The correlations between additive genetic effects across the THI scale showed that, for most of the THI values, genotype by environment interactions due to heat stress were less important for the ranking of bulls. However, for extreme THI values, this type of genotype by environment interaction may lead to an important error in selection. As a result of the selection for milk yield practiced in the dairy Gir population for 3 decades, the genetic trend of cumulative milk yield was significantly positive for production in both high (51.81kg/yr) and low THI values (78.48kg/yr). However, the difference between the breeding values of animals at high and low THI may be considered alarming (355kg in 2011). The genetic trends observed for the regression coefficients related to general production level (intercept of the reaction norm) and specific ability to respond to heat stress (slope of the reaction norm) indicate that the dairy Gir population is heading toward a higher production level at the expense of lower tolerance to heat stress. These trends reflect the genetic

Signatures of positive selection in East African Shorthorn Zebu: A genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism analysis

PubMed Central

Bahbahani, Hussain; Clifford, Harry; Wragg, David; Mbole-Kariuki, Mary N; Van Tassell, Curtis; Sonstegard, Tad; Woolhouse, Mark; Hanotte, Olivier

2015-01-01

The small East African Shorthorn Zebu (EASZ) is the main indigenous cattle across East Africa. A recent genome wide SNP analysis revealed an ancient stable African taurine x Asian zebu admixture. Here, we assess the presence of candidate signatures of positive selection in their genome, with the aim to provide qualitative insights about the corresponding selective pressures. Four hundred and twenty-five EASZ and four reference populations (Holstein-Friesian, Jersey, N’Dama and Nellore) were analysed using 46,171 SNPs covering all autosomes and the X chromosome. Following FST and two extended haplotype homozygosity-based (iHS and Rsb) analyses 24 candidate genome regions within 14 autosomes and the X chromosome were revealed, in which 18 and 4 were previously identified in tropical-adapted and commercial breeds, respectively. These regions overlap with 340 bovine QTL. They include 409 annotated genes, in which 37 were considered as candidates. These genes are involved in various biological pathways (e.g. immunity, reproduction, development and heat tolerance). Our results support that different selection pressures (e.g. environmental constraints, human selection, genome admixture constrains) have shaped the genome of EASZ. We argue that these candidate regions represent genome landmarks to be maintained in breeding programs aiming to improve sustainable livestock productivity in the tropics. PMID:26130263

Development of methane conversion factor models for Zebu beef cattle fed low-quality crop residues and by-products in tropical regions.

PubMed

Kaewpila, Chatchai; Sommart, Kritapon

2016-10-01

The enteric methane conversion factor ( Y m ) is an important country-specific value for the provision of precise enteric methane emissions inventory reports. The objectives of this meta-analysis were to develop and evaluate the empirical Y m models for the national level and the farm level for tropical developing countries according to the IPCC's categorization. We used datasets derived from 18 in vivo feeding experiments from 1999 to 2015 of Zebu beef cattle breeds fed low-quality crop residues and by-products. We found that the observed Y m value was 8.2% gross energy (GE) intake (~120 g methane emission head -1  day -1 ) and ranged from 4.8% to 13.7% GE intake. The IPCC default model (tier 2, Y m  = 6.5% ± 1.0% GE intake) underestimated the Y m values by up to 26.1% compared with its refinement of 8.4% ± 0.4% GE intake for the national-level estimate. Both the IPCC default model and the refined model performed worse in predicting Y m trends at the farm level (root mean square prediction error [MSPE] = 15.1%-23.1%, concordance correlation coefficient [CCC] = 0.16-0.18, R 2  = .32). Seven of the extant Y m models based on a linear regression approach also showed inaccurately estimated Y m values (root MSPE = 16.2%-36.0%, CCC = 0.02-0.27, R 2  < .37). However, one of the developed models, which related to the complexity of the energy use efficiencies of the diet consumed to Y m , showed adequate accuracy at the farm level (root MSPE = 9.1%, CCC = 0.75, R 2  = .67). Our results thus suggest a new Y m model and future challenges for estimating Zebu beef cattle production in tropical developing countries.

Independent mitochondrial origin and historical genetic differentiation in North Eastern Asian cattle.

PubMed

Mannen, H; Kohno, M; Nagata, Y; Tsuji, S; Bradley, D G; Yeo, J S; Nyamsamba, D; Zagdsuren, Y; Yokohama, M; Nomura, K; Amano, T

2004-08-01

In order to clarify the origin and genetic diversity of cattle in North Eastern Asia, this study examined mitochondrial displacement loop sequence variation and frequencies of Bos taurus and Bos indicus Y chromosome haplotypes in Japanese, Mongolian, and Korean native cattle. In mitochondrial analyses, 20% of Mongolian cattle carried B. indicus mitochondrial haplotypes, but Japanese and Korean cattle carried only B. taurus haplotypes. In contrast, all samples revealed B. taurus Y chromosome haplotypes. This may be due to the import of zebu and other cattle during the Mongol Empire era with subsequent crossing with native taurine cattle. B. taurus mtDNA sequences fall into several geographically distributed haplogroups and one of these, termed here T4, is described in each of the test samples, but has not been observed in Near Eastern, European or African cattle. This may have been locally domesticated from an East Eurasian strain of Bos primigenius.

The influence of cattle breed on susceptibility to bovine tuberculosis in Ethiopia

PubMed Central

Vordermeier, Martin; Ameni, Gobena; Berg, Stefan; Bishop, Richard; Robertson, Brian D.; Aseffa, Abraham; Hewinson, R. Glyn; Young, Douglas B.

2012-01-01

Bovine tuberculosis in domestic livestock such as cattle is an economically important disease with zoonotic potential, particularly in countries with emerging economies. We discuss the findings of recent epidemiological and immunological studies conducted in Ethiopia on host susceptibility differences between native zebu and the exotic Holstein–Friesian cattle that are increasingly part of the Ethiopian National herd, due to the drive to increase milk yields. These findings support the hypothesis that native Zebu cattle are more resistant to bovine tuberculosis. We also summarise the results of experimental infections that support the epidemiological data, and of laboratory experiments that suggest a role for the innate immune response, and in particular interleukin-6, in the outcome of bovine tuberculosis infection. PMID:22304898

Genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationships in local cattle breeds of Senegal based on autosomal microsatellite markers

PubMed Central

Ndiaye, Ndèye Penda; Sow, Adama; Dayo, Guiguigbaza-Kossigan; Ndiaye, Saliou; Sawadogo, Germain Jerôme; Sembène, Mbacké

2015-01-01

Aim: In Senegal, uncontrolled cross-breeding of cattle breeds and changes in production systems are assumed to lead to an increase of gene flow between populations. This might constitute a relevant threat to livestock improvement. Therewith, this study was carried out to assess the current genetic diversity and the phylogenetic relationships of the four native Senegalese cattle breeds (Gobra zebu, Maure zebu, Djakoré, and N’Dama). Methods: Genomic DNA was isolated from blood samples of 120 unrelated animals collected from three agro-ecological areas of Senegal according to their phenotypic traits. Genotyping was done using 11 specific highly polymorphic microsatellite makers recommended by Food and Agriculture Organization. The basic measures of genetic variation and phylogenetic trees were computed using bioinformatics’ software. Results: A total of 115 alleles were identified with a number of alleles (Na) at one locus ranging from 6 to 16. All loci were polymorphic with a mean polymorphic information content of 0.76. The mean allelic richness (Rs) lay within the narrow range of 5.14 in N’Dama taurine to 6.10 in Gobra zebu. While, the expected heterozygosity (HE) per breed was high in general with an overall mean of 0.76±0.04. Generally, the heterozygote deficiency (FIS) of 0.073±0.026 was relatively due to inbreeding among these cattle breeds or the occurrence of population substructure. The high values of allelic and gene diversity showed that Senegalese native cattle breeds represented an important reservoir of genetic variation. The genetic distances and clustering trees concluded that the N’Dama cattle were most distinct among the investigated cattle populations. So, the principal component analyses showed qualitatively that there was an intensive genetic admixture between the Gobra zebu and Maure zebu breeds. Conclusions: The broad genetic diversity in Senegalese cattle breeds will allow for greater opportunities for improvement of productivity

Genetic diversity of Y-short tandem repeats in Chinese native cattle breeds.

PubMed

Xin, Y P; Zan, L S; Liu, Y F; Tian, W Q; Wang, H B; Cheng, G; Li, A N; Yang, W C

2014-11-14

The aim of this study is to use Y-chromosome gene polymorphism method to investigate regional differences in genetic variation and population evolution history of the Chinese native cattle breeds. Six Y-chromosome short tandem repeat (Y-STR) loci (UMN0929, UMN0108, UMN0920, INRA124, UMN2404, and UMN0103) were analyzed using 1016 healthy and heterogenetic males and 90 females of 9 native cattle breeds (Qinchuan, Jinnan, Zaosheng, Luxi, Nanyang, Jiaxian, Dabieshan, Yanbian, and Menggu) in China. Allele frequency and gene diversity were calculated for the various populations. The results indicated that Y-STRs in the 6 loci have polymorphisms and genetic diversity in Chinese cattle populations. The genetic diversity analysis revealed that the Chinese cattle populations have a close genetic relationship. The analysis of INRA124, UMN2404, and UMN0103 loci revealed the original history of Chinese cattle because of which cattle belonging to Bos taurus or Bos indicus could be determined. Interestingly, a declining zebu introgression was displayed from South to North and from East to West in the Chinese geographical distribution, which implied that cattle population from various regions of China had been subjected to somewhat different evolutionary history. This conclusion supported other evidences such as earlier archaeological, historical research, and blood protein polymorphism analysis.

Genetic Footprints of Iberian Cattle in America 500 Years after the Arrival of Columbus

PubMed Central

Martínez, Amparo M.; Gama, Luis T.; Cañón, Javier; Ginja, Catarina; Delgado, Juan V.; Dunner, Susana; Landi, Vincenzo; Martín-Burriel, Inmaculada; Penedo, M. Cecilia T.; Rodellar, Clementina; Vega-Pla, Jose Luis; Acosta, Atzel; Álvarez, Luz A.; Camacho, Esperanza; Cortés, Oscar; Marques, Jose R.; Martínez, Roberto; Martínez, Ruben D.; Melucci, Lilia; Martínez-Velázquez, Guillermo; Muñoz, Jaime E.; Postiglioni, Alicia; Quiroz, Jorge; Sponenberg, Philip; Uffo, Odalys; Villalobos, Axel; Zambrano, Delsito; Zaragoza, Pilar

2012-01-01

Background American Creole cattle presumably descend from animals imported from the Iberian Peninsula during the period of colonization and settlement, through different migration routes, and may have also suffered the influence of cattle directly imported from Africa. The introduction of European cattle, which began in the 18th century, and later of Zebu from India, has threatened the survival of Creole populations, some of which have nearly disappeared or were admixed with exotic breeds. Assessment of the genetic status of Creole cattle is essential for the establishment of conservation programs of these historical resources. Methodology/Principal Findings We sampled 27 Creole populations, 39 Iberian, 9 European and 6 Zebu breeds. We used microsatellite markers to assess the origins of Creole cattle, and to investigate the influence of different breeds on their genetic make-up. The major ancestral contributions are from breeds of southern Spain and Portugal, in agreement with the historical ports of departure of ships sailing towards the Western Hemisphere. This Iberian contribution to Creoles may also include some African influence, given the influential role that African cattle have had in the development of Iberian breeds, but the possibility of a direct influence on Creoles of African cattle imported to America can not be discarded. In addition to the Iberian influence, the admixture with other European breeds was minor. The Creoles from tropical areas, especially those from the Caribbean, show clear signs of admixture with Zebu. Conclusions/Significance Nearly five centuries since cattle were first brought to the Americas, Creoles still show a strong and predominant signature of their Iberian ancestors. Creole breeds differ widely from each other, both in genetic structure and influences from other breeds. Efforts are needed to avoid their extinction or further genetic erosion, which would compromise centuries of selective adaptation to a wide range of

Evaluation of Genetic Diversity, Population Structure, and Relationship Between Legendary Vechur Cattle and Crossbred Cattle of Kerala State, India.

PubMed

Radhika, G; Aravindakshan, T V; Jinty, S; Ramya, K

2018-01-02

The legendary Vechur cattle of Kerala, described as a very short breed, and the crossbred (CB) Sunandini cattle population exhibited great phenotypic variation; hence, the present study attempted to analyze the genetic diversity existing between them. A set of 14 polymorphic microsatellites were chosen from FAO-ISAG panel and amplified from genomic DNA isolated from blood samples of 30 Vechur and 64 unrelated crossbred cattle, using fluorescent labeled primers. Both populations revealed high genetic diversity as evidenced from high observed number of alleles, Polymorphic Information Content and expected heterozygosity. Observed heterozygosity was lesser (0.699) than expected (0.752) in Vechur population which was further supported by positive F IS value of 0.1149, indicating slight level of inbreeding in Vechur population. Overall, F ST value was 0.065, which means genetic differentiation between crossbred and Vechur population was 6.5%, indicating that the crossbred cattle must have differentiated into a definite population that is different from the indigenous Vechur cows. Structure analysis indicated that the two populations showed distinct differences, with two underlying clusters. The present study supports the separation between Taurine and Zebu cattle and throws light onto the genetic diversity and relationship between native Vechur and crossbred cattle populations in Kerala state.

A review on prevalence, control measure, and tolerance of Tanzania Shorthorn Zebu cattle to East Coast fever in Tanzania.

PubMed

Laisser, E L K; Chenyambuga, S W; Karimuribo, E D; Msalya, G; Kipanyula, M J; Mwilawa, A J; Mdegela, R H; Kusiluka, L J M

2017-04-01

In Tanzania, control of East Coast fever (ECF) has predominantly relied on tick control using acaricides and chemotherapy, little on ECF vaccination, and very little on dissemination regarding animal immunization. In this paper, the prevalence, control measure, and tolerance of Tanzania Shorthorn Zebu (TSHZ) cattle to ECF are reviewed. In addition, the opportunities available for reducing the use of acaricides for the benefit of the farmers in terms of reduction of costs of purchasing acaricides and environmental pollution are described. The tick distribution and epidemiological factors for ECF such as the agro-ecological zones (AEZ), livestock production systems (LPS), strain, and age of the animals are also described. These factors influence the epidemiology of ECF and the distribution of TSHZ strains in different geographic locations of Tanzania. We have further showed that there is a tendency of farmers to select among the strains of TSHZ for animals which can tolerate ticks and ECF and crossbreed them with their local strains with the aim of benefiting from the inherent characteristics of the most tolerant strains. Generally, many strains of TSHZ cattle are tolerant to tick infestation and ECF infection and can be bred to respond to the needs of the people. In this review paper, we recommend that in future, ECF epidemiological studies should account for factors such as livestock production system, agro-climate, breed of animal, tick control strategy, and the dynamic interactions between them. In conclusion, we have demonstrated that an integrated control method involving use of acaricides, immunization, and ECF-tolerant/-resistant animals is required.

Differences in global gene expression in muscle tissue of Nellore cattle with divergent meat tenderness.

PubMed

Fonseca, Larissa Fernanda Simielli; Gimenez, Daniele Fernanda Jovino; Dos Santos Silva, Danielly Beraldo; Barthelson, Roger; Baldi, Fernando; Ferro, Jesus Aparecido; Albuquerque, Lucia Galvão

2017-12-04

Meat tenderness is the consumer's most preferred sensory attribute. This trait is affected by a number of factors, including genotype, age, animal sex, and pre- and post-slaughter management. In view of the high percentage of Zebu genes in the Brazilian cattle population, mainly Nellore cattle, the improvement of meat tenderness is important since the increasing proportion of Zebu genes in the population reduces meat tenderness. However, the measurement of this trait is difficult once it can only be made after animal slaughtering. New technologies such as RNA-Seq have been used to increase our understanding of the genetic processes regulating quantitative traits phenotypes. The objective of this study was to identify differentially expressed genes related to meat tenderness, in Nellore cattle in order to elucidate the genetic factors associated with meat quality. Samples were collected 24 h postmortem and the meat was not aged. We found 40 differentially expressed genes related to meat tenderness, 17 with known functions. Fourteen genes were up-regulated and 3 were down-regulated in the tender meat group. Genes related to ubiquitin metabolism, transport of molecules such as calcium and oxygen, acid-base balance, collagen production, actin, myosin, and fat were identified. The PCP4L1 (Purkinje cell protein 4 like 1) and BoLA-DQB (major histocompatibility complex, class II, DQ beta) genes were validated by qRT-PCR. The results showed relative expression values similar to those obtained by RNA-Seq, with the same direction of expression (i.e., the two techniques revealed higher expression of PCP4L1 in tender meat samples and of BoLA-DQB in tough meat samples). This study revealed the differential expression of genes and functions in Nellore cattle muscle tissue, which may contain potential biomarkers involved in meat tenderness.

Maternal and paternal genealogy of Eurasian taurine cattle (Bos taurus).

PubMed

Kantanen, J; Edwards, C J; Bradley, D G; Viinalass, H; Thessler, S; Ivanova, Z; Kiselyova, T; Cinkulov, M; Popov, R; Stojanović, S; Ammosov, I; Vilkki, J

2009-11-01

Maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) has been used extensively to determine origin and diversity of taurine cattle (Bos taurus) but global surveys of paternally inherited Y-chromosome diversity are lacking. Here, we provide mtDNA information on previously uncharacterised Eurasian breeds and present the most comprehensive Y-chromosomal microsatellite data on domestic cattle to date. The mitochondrial haplogroup T3 was the most frequent, whereas T4 was detected only in the Yakutian cattle from Siberia. The mtDNA data indicates that the Ukrainian and Central Asian regions are zones where hybrids between taurine and zebu (B. indicus) cattle have existed. This zebu influence appears to have subsequently spread into southern and southeastern European breeds. The most common Y-chromosomal microsatellite haplotype, termed here as H11, showed an elevated frequency in the Eurasian sample set compared with that detected in Near Eastern and Anatolian breeds. The taurine Y-chromosomal microsatellite haplotypes were found to be structured in a network according to the Y-haplogroups Y1 and Y2. These data do not support the recent hypothesis on the origin of Y1 from the local European hybridization of cattle with male aurochsen. Compared with mtDNA, the intensive culling of breeding males and male-mediated crossbreeding of locally raised native breeds has accelerated loss of Y-chromosomal variation in domestic cattle, and affected the contribution of genetic drift to diversity. In conclusion, to maintain diversity, breeds showing rare Y-haplotypes should be prioritised in the conservation of cattle genetic resources.

Genetic diversity and relationships among six local cattle populations in semi-arid areas assessed by a bovine medium-density single nucleotide polymorphism data.

PubMed

Boushaba, N; Boujenane, I; Moazami-Goudarzi, K; Flori, L; Saïdi-Mehtar, N; Tabet-Aoul, N; Laloë, D

2018-06-18

The local cattle populations belonging to the 'Brune de l'Atlas' cattle in Algeria and Morocco are potential resources in terms of genetic diversity and socioeconomic prevalence and their characterization is an essential step in any program designed to conserve genetic diversity. Our objectives were to assess the genetic diversity, the population structure and relationships among four Algerian cattle breeds, the Biskra, Cheurfa, Chelifienne and Guelmoise and of two Moroccan, the Oulmès-Zaër and Tidili by genotyping 50 309 single nucleotide polymorphism in 203 unrelated animals. A low population structure was observed across breeds with pairwise F ST values ranging from 0.008 to 0.043, suggesting a high level of gene flow. These data were combined with the available data on cattle populations representative of Europe (EUT), West African taurine (WAT) and zebu (ZEB). Principle Components Analysis was carried out which revealed that the Maghrebin populations are closer to the EUT/ZEB population than to the WAT. Structure analysis confirmed this mixed origin of the Maghrebin cattle populations. We also detected the influence of zebu breeds in Cheurfa and Guelmoise populations. This study provides the first information about genetic diversity within and between Algerian and Moroccan cattle populations and gives a detailed description of their genetic structure and relationships according to their historical origins. This study revealed that several combined effects contributed to shape the genetic diversity of the six Maghrebin populations studied: (i) gene flow among local breeds, (ii) the recent introgression of European breeds in local Algerian breeds and (iii) the traditional management systems. The results of this study will primarily assist policy makers and livestock keepers to make useful decisions for improvement of genetic resources while ensuring the preservation and conservation of local breeds in Algeria and Morocco.

Diurnal variations in blood gases and metabolites for draught Zebu and Simmental oxen.

PubMed

Zanzinger, J; Hoffmann, I; Becker, K

1994-01-01

In previous articles it has been shown that blood parameters may be useful to assess physical fitness in draught cattle. The aim of the present study was to detect possible variations in baseline values for the key metabolites: lactate and free fatty acids (FFA), and for blood gases in samples drawn from a catheterized jugular vein. Sampling took place immediately after venipuncture at intervals of 3 min for 1 hr in Simmental oxen (N = 6) and during a period of 24 hr at intervals of 60 min for Zebu (N = 4) and Simmental (N = 6) oxen. After puncture of the vein, plasma FFA and oxygen (pvO2) were elevated for approximately 15 min. All parameters returned to baseline values within 1 hr of the catheter being inserted. Twenty-four-hour mean baseline values for all measured parameters were significantly different (P < or = 0.001) between Zebu and Simmental. All parameters elicited diurnal variations which were mainly related to feed intake. The magnitude of these variations is comparable to the responses to light draught work. It is concluded that a strict standardization of blood sampling, at least in respect of time after feeding, is required for a reliable interpretation of endurance-indicating blood parameters measured under field conditions.

Analysis of conservation priorities of Iberoamerican cattle based on autosomal microsatellite markers

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Determining the value of livestock breeds is essential to define conservation priorities, manage genetic diversity and allocate funds. Within- and between-breed genetic diversity need to be assessed to preserve the highest intra-specific variability. Information on genetic diversity and risk status is still lacking for many Creole cattle breeds from the Americas, despite their distinct evolutionary trajectories and adaptation to extreme environmental conditions. Methods A comprehensive genetic analysis of 67 Iberoamerican cattle breeds was carried out with 19 FAO-recommended microsatellites to assess conservation priorities. Contributions to global diversity were investigated using alternative methods, with different weights given to the within- and between-breed components of genetic diversity. Information on Iberoamerican plus 15 worldwide cattle breeds was used to investigate the contribution of geographical breed groups to global genetic diversity. Results Overall, Creole cattle breeds showed a high level of genetic diversity with the highest level found in breeds admixed with zebu cattle, which were clearly differentiated from all other breeds. Within-breed kinships revealed seven highly inbred Creole breeds for which measures are needed to avoid further genetic erosion. However, if contribution to heterozygosity was the only criterion considered, some of these breeds had the lowest priority for conservation decisions. The Weitzman approach prioritized highly differentiated breeds, such as Guabalá, Romosinuano, Cr. Patagonico, Siboney and Caracú, while kinship-based methods prioritized mainly zebu-related breeds. With the combined approaches, breed ranking depended on the weights given to the within- and between-breed components of diversity. Overall, the Creole groups of breeds were generally assigned a higher priority for conservation than the European groups of breeds. Conclusions Conservation priorities differed significantly according to the

Using participatory epidemiology to investigate management options and relative importance of tick-borne diseases amongst transhumant zebu cattle in Karamoja Region, Uganda.

PubMed

Byaruhanga, C; Oosthuizen, M C; Collins, N E; Knobel, D

2015-12-01

A participatory epidemiological (PE) study was conducted with livestock keepers in Moroto and Kotido districts, Karamoja Region, Uganda, between October and December 2013 to determine the management options and relative importance of tick-borne diseases (TBDs) amongst transhumant zebu cattle. Data collection involved 24 focus group discussions (each comprising 8-12 people) in 24 settlement areas (manyattas), key informant interviews (30), direct observation, a review of surveillance data, clinical examination, and laboratory confirmation of cases of TBDs. Methods used in group discussions included semi-structured interviews, simple ranking, pairwise ranking, matrix scoring, proportional piling and participatory mapping. The results of pairwise comparison showed the Ngakarimojong-named diseases, lokit (East Coast fever, ECF), lopid (anaplasmosis), loukoi (contagious bovine pleuropneumonia, CBPP), lokou (heartwater) and lokulam (babesiosis), were considered the most important cattle diseases in Moroto in that order, while ECF, anaplasmosis, trypanosomosis (ediit), CBPP and nonspecific diarrhoea (loleo) were most important in Kotido. Strong agreement between informant groups (Kendall's coefficient of concordance W=0.568 and 0.682; p<0.001) in pairwise ranking indicated that the diseases were a common problem in selected districts. East Coast fever had the highest median score for incidence (18% [range: 2, 33]) in Moroto, followed by anaplasmosis (17.5% [8,32]) and CBPP (9% [1,21]). Most animals that suffered from ECF, anaplasmosis, heartwater and babesiosis died, as the respective median scores for case fatality rates (CFR) were 89.5% (42, 100), 82.8% (63, 100), 66.7% (20, 100) and 85.7% (0, 100). In Kotido, diseases with high incidence scores were ECF (21% [6,32]), anaplasmosis (17% [10,33]) and trypanosomosis (8% [2,18]). The CFRs for ECF and anaplasmosis were 81.7% (44, 100) and 70.7% (48, 100), respectively. Matrix scoring revealed that disease indicators showed

Genetic origin, admixture and population history of aurochs (Bos primigenius) and primitive European cattle

PubMed Central

Upadhyay, M R; Chen, W; Lenstra, J A; Goderie, C R J; MacHugh, D E; Park, S D E; Magee, D A; Matassino, D; Ciani, F; Megens, H-J; van Arendonk, J A M; Groenen, M A M; Marsan, P A; Balteanu, V; Dunner, S; Garcia, J F; Ginja, C; Kantanen, J

2017-01-01

The domestication of taurine cattle initiated ~10 000 years ago in the Near East from a wild aurochs (Bos primigenius) population followed by their dispersal through migration of agriculturalists to Europe. Although gene flow from wild aurochs still present at the time of this early dispersion is still debated, some of the extant primitive cattle populations are believed to possess the aurochs-like primitive features. In this study, we use genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms to assess relationship, admixture patterns and demographic history of an ancient aurochs sample and European cattle populations, several of which have primitive features and are suitable for extensive management. The principal component analysis, the model-based clustering and a distance-based network analysis support previous works suggesting different histories for north-western and southern European cattle. Population admixture analysis indicates a zebu gene flow in the Balkan and Italian Podolic cattle populations. Our analysis supports the previous report of gene flow between British and Irish primitive cattle populations and local aurochs. In addition, we show evidence of aurochs gene flow in the Iberian cattle populations indicating wide geographical distribution of the aurochs. Runs of homozygosity (ROH) reveal that demographic processes like genetic isolation and breed formation have contributed to genomic variations of European cattle populations. The ROH also indicate recent inbreeding in southern European cattle populations. We conclude that in addition to factors such as ancient human migrations, isolation by distance and cross-breeding, gene flow between domestic and wild-cattle populations also has shaped genomic composition of European cattle populations. PMID:27677498

Genetic origin, admixture and population history of aurochs (Bos primigenius) and primitive European cattle.

PubMed

Upadhyay, M R; Chen, W; Lenstra, J A; Goderie, C R J; MacHugh, D E; Park, S D E; Magee, D A; Matassino, D; Ciani, F; Megens, H-J; van Arendonk, J A M; Groenen, M A M

2017-02-01

The domestication of taurine cattle initiated ~10 000 years ago in the Near East from a wild aurochs (Bos primigenius) population followed by their dispersal through migration of agriculturalists to Europe. Although gene flow from wild aurochs still present at the time of this early dispersion is still debated, some of the extant primitive cattle populations are believed to possess the aurochs-like primitive features. In this study, we use genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms to assess relationship, admixture patterns and demographic history of an ancient aurochs sample and European cattle populations, several of which have primitive features and are suitable for extensive management. The principal component analysis, the model-based clustering and a distance-based network analysis support previous works suggesting different histories for north-western and southern European cattle. Population admixture analysis indicates a zebu gene flow in the Balkan and Italian Podolic cattle populations. Our analysis supports the previous report of gene flow between British and Irish primitive cattle populations and local aurochs. In addition, we show evidence of aurochs gene flow in the Iberian cattle populations indicating wide geographical distribution of the aurochs. Runs of homozygosity (ROH) reveal that demographic processes like genetic isolation and breed formation have contributed to genomic variations of European cattle populations. The ROH also indicate recent inbreeding in southern European cattle populations. We conclude that in addition to factors such as ancient human migrations, isolation by distance and cross-breeding, gene flow between domestic and wild-cattle populations also has shaped genomic composition of European cattle populations.

An epidemiological perspective on bovine tuberculosis spotlighting facts and dilemmas in Iran, a historically zebu-dominant farming country

PubMed Central

Tadayon, Keyvan; Mosavari, Nader; Feizabadi, Mohammad Mehdi

2013-01-01

For the whole 20th century, bovine tuberculosis (BTB) challenged the international community efforts to control this zoonotic disease. Asia and Africa accommodate the largest BTB-infected zebu cattle in the world. Similar to other few Asian nations, Iran has been actively running its BTB-control plan for the last four decades. BTB however, is still a number-one health concern for Iranian veterinary practitioners and also farmers across the country. Why is that? Here we have addressed this question in the light of most recent epidemiological data as well as microbiology and molecular biology observations. PMID:23463850

BREEDING AND GENETICS SYMPOSIUM:Breeding heat tolerant dairy cattle: the case for introgression of the "slick" prolactin receptor variant into dairy breeds.

PubMed

Davis, S R; Spelman, R J; Littlejohn, M D

2017-04-01

Increasing environmental temperatures are a threat to the sustainability of livestock production and, because of the high metabolic demands of lactation, to dairy production in particular. Summer heat waves in temperate climates reduce feed intake, milk production, and cow comfort. In extreme heat events, there is an increase in cow mortality. In tropical climates, dairy cattle are mostly (zebu) type or zebu crossbred with temperate dairy breeds. Crossbreeding is undertaken to combine the heat tolerance and tick resistance of zebu with the productivity of temperate dairy breeds. In the absence of improved heat tolerance, milk production and fertility of temperate cattle is severely impaired. We have recently identified a key role for the prolactin pathway in regulating heat tolerance. A de novo mutation in prolactin that impairs prolactin activity was discovered in hairy and heat intolerant, New Zealand dairy cattle. The phenotypes produced were remarkably similar to those seen in fescue toxicosis, a syndrome seen in grazing cattle in the U.S. where ingestion of ergovaline, a fungal toxin from infected pasture, inhibits prolactin secretion. Recognition of the role of prolactin in hairy cattle led us to identify a deletion in exon 10 of the long-form of the prolactin receptor in Senepol cattle that causes truncation of the protein and determines the slick coat and heat tolerance traits found in this , beef breed. The short form of the prolactin receptor is predicted to be unaffected by the deletion. Knowledge of this dominant mutation has provided the impetus to begin a crossbreeding program to investigate performance and heat tolerance of temperate dairy cattle carrying the slick, prolactin receptor variant. The perceived opportunity is to introgress this variant into temperate dairy cattle to enable performance and welfare improvement in hot climates. Heat tolerance of cattle with slick coats appears to be mostly associated with coat type although sweating ability

Treatment of acute kidney injury secondary to oak intoxication with hemodialysis in a miniature zebu.

PubMed

Davy-Moyle, Rachel B; Londoño, Leo; Nelson, Elizabeth A; Bandt, Carsten

2018-06-13

To describe the successful management of acute kidney injury (AKI) secondary to oak intoxication using hemodialysis in a miniature zebu. A 1-year-old male intact miniature zebu was presented for evaluation of a 2-day history of lethargy, anorexia, decreased urine production, and dry, firm stool. Initial diagnostics revealed severe azotemia and the bull was presumptively diagnosed with AKI secondary to oak intoxication due to free access to oak trees in the pasture. Despite conventional management with IV fluids and supportive therapy, the degree of azotemia progressively worsened, and the bull became oliguric and fluid overloaded. Two treatments with hemodialysis resulted in reduction of azotemia and ketonemia, and resolution of fluid overload and oliguria. The zebu was discharged from the hospital after 10 days of hospitalization. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first reported case using hemodialysis for AKI in a bovid. Treatment with hemodialysis was effective in this case resulting in rapid resolution of azotemia, fluid overload, and oliguria. Hemodialysis may hasten the recovery and decrease morbidity and mortality in bovids with AKI. © Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society 2018.

A note comparing the welfare of Zebu cattle following three stunning-slaughter methods.

PubMed

Neves, J E G; Paranhos da Costa, M J R; Roça, R O; Faucitano, L; Gregory, N G

2016-07-01

The objective of this study was to assess welfare of cattle during bleeding after slaughter with or without stunning. A total of 434 bulls were distributed across three slaughter treatments: penetrating captive bolt stunning followed by chest sticking (PCB, N=279), non-penetrating captive bolt stunning followed by halal slaughter (NPCB, N=67) and shechita without previous stunning (SHE, N=88). Four measures of possible consciousness and return to sensibility were recorded 20 and 60 s after bleeding as welfare indicators. They were the frequencies of responses to nostril stimulation and tongue pinch, spontaneous eye blinking, and rhythmic breathing. All responses were absent in stunned cattle at both 20 and 60 s, and in SHE cattle 7, 4, 10, and 100% of the animals presented these responses, respectively. Repeat shots were required for 46% NPCB and 2% PCB (P<0.05). The application of religious slaughter without previous stunning may result in greater risk of cattle suffering, pain and distress at slaughter. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparative expression profile of NOD1/2 and certain acute inflammatory cytokines in thermal-stressed cell culture model of native and crossbred cattle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhanuprakash, V.; Singh, Umesh; Sengar, Gyanendra Singh; Raja, T. V.; Sajjanar, Basavraj; Alex, Rani; Kumar, Sushil; Alyethodi, R. R.; Kumar, Ashish; Sharma, Ankur; Kumar, Suresh; Bhusan, Bharat; Deb, Rajib

2017-05-01

Thermotolerance depends mainly on the health and immune status of the animals. The variation in the immune status of the animals may alter the level of tolerance of animals exposed to heat or cold stress. The present study was conducted to investigate the expression profile of two important nucleotide binding and oligomerization domain receptors (NLRs) (NOD1 and NOD2) and their central signalling molecule RIP2 gene during in vitro thermal-stressed bovine peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of native (Sahiwal) and crossbred (Sahiwal X HF) cattle. We also examined the differential expression profile of certain acute inflammatory cytokines in in vitro thermal-stressed PBMC culture among native and its crossbred counterparts. Results revealed that the expression profile of NOD1/2 positively correlates with the thermal stress, signalling molecule and cytokines. Present findings also highlighted that the expression patterns during thermal stress were comparatively superior among indigenous compared to crossbred cattle which may add references regarding the better immune adaptability of Zebu cattle.

Nucleotide polymorphisms in the bovine lymphotoxin A gene and their distribution among Bos indicus zebu cattle breeds.

PubMed

Behl, Jyotsna Dhingra; Mishra, Priyanka; Verma, N K; Niranjan, S K; Dangi, P S; Sharma, Rekha; Behl, Rahul

2016-03-15

The present study was undertaken to characterize the genetic variation present in lymphoxin A gene (LTA gene) encoding for the lymphotoxin A protein also known as tumor necrosis factor beta, a cytokine produced by lymphocytes, known to be cytotoxic for a wide range of tumor cells both in vitro and in vivo, and, which is essential for normal immunological development; in 40 animals of 5 diverse Bos indicus Indian zebu cattle breeds. These breeds survive under the harsh and tough tropical climatic conditions of various parts of the Indian subcontinent. The LTA gene in the present study was observed to contain 33 SNPs and 3 small insertion/deletion polymorphisms. Four SNPs occurred in the coding regions of the gene viz. g.1327A>G and g.1400C>T in exon 2 and g.1840C>T and g.1942C>T in exon 3, of which the SNP g.1327A>G in exon 2 resulted in a non-synonymous amino acid change G38D. This amino acid change was however predicted not be affecting the protein function in any manner. The gene contained putative transcription factor binding sites for the c-Re1 and for Pax-4 transcription factors. A putative promoter region was also predicted on the reverse DNA strand from position 894 to 644. Several repeat elements and microsatellite repeats were detected to be occurring across the 3.2kb LTA gene sequence. The study showed the occurrence of 40 genotypes and 48 most probable haplotypes. The genotypes at the observed SNP positions in the LTA gene were in near Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. A negative Tajima's D value that was not significant statistically at P>0.10 indicated that the neutral mutation hypothesis could not be excluded. The genetic variations observed in the LTA gene in the present study have not been reported earlier and these could possibly be used as molecular markers for further studies involving association of the gene variability with disease resistance/tolerance traits. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Genome-wide analysis of the heat stress response in Zebu (Sahiwal) cattle.

PubMed

Mehla, Kusum; Magotra, Ankit; Choudhary, Jyoti; Singh, A K; Mohanty, A K; Upadhyay, R C; Srinivasan, Surendran; Gupta, Pankaj; Choudhary, Neelam; Antony, Bristo; Khan, Farheen

2014-01-10

Environmental-induced hyperthermia compromises animal production with drastic economic consequences to global animal agriculture and jeopardizes animal welfare. Heat stress is a major stressor that occurs as a result of an imbalance between heat production within the body and its dissipation and it affects animals at cellular, molecular and ecological levels. The molecular mechanism underlying the physiology of heat stress in the cattle remains undefined. The present study sought to evaluate mRNA expression profiles in the cattle blood in response to heat stress. In this study we report the genes that were differentially expressed in response to heat stress using global scale genome expression technology (Microarray). Four Sahiwal heifers were exposed to 42°C with 90% humidity for 4h followed by normothermia. Gene expression changes include activation of heat shock transcription factor 1 (HSF1), increased expression of heat shock proteins (HSP) and decreased expression and synthesis of other proteins, immune system activation via extracellular secretion of HSP. A cDNA microarray analysis found 140 transcripts to be up-regulated and 77 down-regulated in the cattle blood after heat treatment (P<0.05). But still a comprehensive explanation for the direction of fold change and the specific genes involved in response to acute heat stress still remains to be explored. These findings may provide insights into the underlying mechanism of physiology of heat stress in cattle. Understanding the biology and mechanisms of heat stress is critical to developing approaches to ameliorate current production issues for improving animal performance and agriculture economics. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Genetic improvement of beef cattle in the United States: cattle, people and their interaction.

PubMed

Willham, R L

1982-03-01

The purpose of this essay is to develop a historic perspective of the beef cattle population and the legion of people directing its genetic change so that future leadership can increase the rate of breeding technology assimilation. Use of cattle for beef to feed millions is relatively recent. The beef industry of the United States has a rich, romantic heritage that combined Spanish exploitation with British tradition. Spanish cattle became adapted as the Texas longhorn and the European cattle became indigenous. Breeds developed in Britain replaced both. The Zebu was introduced to produce cattle adapted to the Gulf Coast. Selection for early maturity in the British breeds promoted by livestock shows was ended by the dwarf gene. The Charolais breed demonstrated growth potential. Then in 1967, Continental European breeds were imported, given an array of biological types from which to select. Beef cattle breeding research expanded after the second world war through the three regional projects. Performance Registry International was the focal point for performance. The Beef Improvement Federation produced guidelines for recording beef performance including those for national sire evaluation. U.S. Meat Animal Research Center evaluated the several newly introduced breeds. To date, breeding researchers have developed breeding technology for the use by breeder. The major breed association are keeping and utilizing performance records. The genetic structure of the beef breeds is being altered by the use of AI such that genetic change can be made rapidly by the use of superior sires evaluated on their progeny in many herds.

Genetic characterization of Colombian Bahman cattle using microsatellites markers.

PubMed

Gómez, Y M; Fernandez, M; Rivera, D; Gómez, G; Bernal, J E

2013-07-01

Genetic structure and diversity of 3789 animals of the Brahman breed from 23 Colombian regions were assessed. Considering the Brahman Zebu cattle as a single population, the multilocus test based on the HW equilibrium, shows significant differences (P < 0.001). Genetic characterization made on the cattle population allowed to examine the genetic variability, calculating a H(o) = 0.6621. Brahman population in Colombia was a small subdivision within populations (F(it) = 0.045), a geographic subdivision almost non-existent or low differentiation (F(st) = 0.003) and the F(is) calculated (0.042) indicates no detriment to the variability in the population, despite the narrow mating takes place or there is a force that causes the variability is sustained without inbreeding actually affect the cattle population. The outcomes of multivariate analyses, Bayesian inferences and interindividual genetic distances suggested that there is no genetic sub-structure in the population, because of the high rate of animal migration among regions.

Insight into the genetic composition of South African Sanga cattle using SNP data from cattle breeds worldwide.

PubMed

Makina, Sithembile O; Whitacre, Lindsey K; Decker, Jared E; Taylor, Jeremy F; MacNeil, Michael D; Scholtz, Michiel M; van Marle-Köster, Este; Muchadeyi, Farai C; Makgahlela, Mahlako L; Maiwashe, Azwihangwisi

2016-11-15

Understanding the history of cattle breeds is important because it provides the basis for developing appropriate selection and breed improvement programs. In this study, patterns of ancestry and admixture in Afrikaner, Nguni, Drakensberger and Bonsmara cattle of South Africa were investigated. We used 50 K single nucleotide polymorphism genotypes that were previously generated for the Afrikaner (n = 36), Nguni (n = 50), Drakensberger (n = 47) and Bonsmara (n = 44) breeds, and for 394 reference animals representing European taurine, African taurine, African zebu and Bos indicus. Our findings support previous conclusions that Sanga cattle breeds are composites between African taurine and Bos indicus. Among these breeds, the Afrikaner breed has significantly diverged from its ancestral forebears, probably due to genetic drift and selection to meet breeding objectives of the breed society that enable registration. The Nguni, Drakensberger and Bonsmara breeds are admixed, perhaps unintentionally in the case of Nguni and Drakensberger, but certainly by design in the case of Bonsmara, which was developed through crossbreeding between the Afrikaner, Hereford and Shorthorn breeds. We established patterns of admixture and ancestry for South African Sanga cattle breeds, which provide a basis for developing appropriate strategies for their genetic improvement.

Multivariate analysis to evaluate genetic groups and production traits of crossbred Holstein × Zebu cows.

PubMed

Fraga, Angelina Bossi; de Lima Silva, Fabiane; Hongyu, Kuang; Da Silva Santos, Darlim; Murphy, Thomas Wayne; Lopes, Fernando Brito

2016-03-01

The objective of this research was to try to unveil the relationship between production traits and genotypic proportions of crossbred dairy cattle using principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis. The herd consists of crossbred animals of Holstein (H) and Zebu (Z) (Gir and Guzerat) in different genotypic proportions; the composition of which varies from 12.5 to 100.0 % of the genetic group H. For this study, 834 milk production records from 257 cows from the years 1997 to 2014 were analyzed. The animals were all managed at a farm located in northeastern Brazil. The variables in the PCA were total milk yield per lactation (MY), milk yield adjusted to 305 days (MY305), lactation length (LL), and proportion of H and Z breeding. This analysis reduced the size of the sample space from the original five variables to two principal components (PCs) that together explained 89.4 % of the total variation. MY, MY305, LL, and genotypic proportion of H all contributed positively to PC1. The genotypic proportion of Z contributed negatively, which established a contrast between H and Z. Further cluster analysis identified two distinct groups when considering production performance and genotype of the animals. The high-performance group was predominantly Holstein breeding, while the lower performing group consisted mostly of Zebu. Under the environmental and management conditions in which this research was conducted, the best performances for the traits considered were achieved from cows whose genotypic proportion was between 38.0 and 94.0 % Holstein breeding.

Cattle genome-wide analysis reveals genetic signatures in trypanotolerant N'Dama.

PubMed

Kim, Soo-Jin; Ka, Sojeong; Ha, Jung-Woo; Kim, Jaemin; Yoo, DongAhn; Kim, Kwondo; Lee, Hak-Kyo; Lim, Dajeong; Cho, Seoae; Hanotte, Olivier; Mwai, Okeyo Ally; Dessie, Tadelle; Kemp, Stephen; Oh, Sung Jong; Kim, Heebal

2017-05-12

Indigenous cattle in Africa have adapted to various local environments to acquire superior phenotypes that enhance their survival under harsh conditions. While many studies investigated the adaptation of overall African cattle, genetic characteristics of each breed have been poorly studied. We performed the comparative genome-wide analysis to assess evidence for subspeciation within species at the genetic level in trypanotolerant N'Dama cattle. We analysed genetic variation patterns in N'Dama from the genomes of 101 cattle breeds including 48 samples of five indigenous African cattle breeds and 53 samples of various commercial breeds. Analysis of SNP variances between cattle breeds using wMI, XP-CLR, and XP-EHH detected genes containing N'Dama-specific genetic variants and their potential associations. Functional annotation analysis revealed that these genes are associated with ossification, neurological and immune system. Particularly, the genes involved in bone formation indicate that local adaptation of N'Dama may engage in skeletal growth as well as immune systems. Our results imply that N'Dama might have acquired distinct genotypes associated with growth and regulation of regional diseases including trypanosomiasis. Moreover, this study offers significant insights into identifying genetic signatures for natural and artificial selection of diverse African cattle breeds.

Cross-sectional prevalence of gastrointestinal helminth parasites in cattle in Lira District, Uganda.

PubMed

Kagenda, Gabriel Atwoki; Angwech, Harriet

2018-04-27

The prevalence of gastrointestinal helminth parasite infections and associated risk factors was studied in traditionally reared East African short-horned zebu cattle in Lira District, Uganda. Fecal samples were collected from 205 cattle and coprologically examined for the presence of helminth parasites using the simple salt flotation method complemented with the sedimentation method. The overall prevalence of gastrointestinal helminth parasites (GITPs) in cattle in Adekokwok, Lira District, was 32.2%. Of these, 12 (18.18%) were cases of mixed infections mainly of Amphistomes and other GITPs. Paramphistomum was the most prevalent parasite contributing up to 45.5% of infections, followed by Fasciola, Toxocara, strongyles, Trichuris, and Nematodirus, in descending order of abundance. GITP infections were not influenced by the sex of cattle, while infection with Toxocara was associated with cattle age. The mean body condition score (BCS) for all animals studied was 2.37 ± 0.07. A low BCS was associated with gastrointestinal helminth infections. Nevertheless, other factors such as nutritional stress are likely to augment the effects of parasites in the traditional agro-pastoral system particularly in the dry season and should therefore be considered when using the cattle body condition as an indicator of parasitism.

Assessment of adaptability of zebu cattle ( Bos indicus) breeds in two different climatic conditions: using cytogenetic techniques on genome integrity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Anil; Waiz, Syma Ashraf; Sridhar Goud, T.; Tonk, R. K.; Grewal, Anita; Singh, S. V.; Yadav, B. R.; Upadhyay, R. C.

2016-06-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the genome integrity so as to assess the adaptability of three breeds of indigenous cattle reared under arid and semi-arid regions of Rajasthan (Bikaner) and Haryana (Karnal) India. The cattle were of homogenous group (same age and sex) of indigenous breeds viz. Sahiwal, Tharparkar and Kankrej. A total of 100 animals were selected for this study from both climatic conditions. The sister chromatid exchanges (SCE's), chromosomal gaps and chromatid breaks were observed in metaphase plates of chromosome preparations obtained from in vitro culture of peripheral blood lymphocytes. The mean number of breaks and gaps in Sahiwal and Tharparkar of semi-arid zone were 8.56 ± 3.16, 6.4 ± 3.39 and 8.72 ± 2.04, 3.52 ± 6.29, respectively. Similarly, the mean number of breaks and gaps in Tharparkar and Kankrej cattle of arid zone were 5.26 ± 1.76, 2.74 ± 1.76 and 5.24 ± 1.84, 2.5 ± 1.26, respectively. The frequency of SCEs in chromosomes was found significantly higher ( P < 0.05) in Tharparkar of semi-arid region (4.72 ± 1.55) compared to arid region (2.83 ± 1.01). Similarly, the frequency of SCEs was found to be 4.0 ± 1.41 in the Sahiwal of semi-arid region and 2.69 ± 1.12 in Kankrej of arid zone. Statistical analysis revealed significant differences ( P < 0.05) amongst the different zones, i.e. arid and semi-arid, whereas no significant difference ( P > 0.05) was observed in the same zone. The analysis of frequency of CAs and SCEs revealed significant effects of environmental conditions on the genome integrity of animals, thereby indicating an association with their adaptability.

Evidence of Bos javanicus x Bos indicus hybridization and major QTLs for birth weight in Indonesian Peranakan Ongole cattle.

PubMed

Hartati, Hartati; Utsunomiya, Yuri Tani; Sonstegard, Tad Stewart; Garcia, José Fernando; Jakaria, Jakaria; Muladno, Muladno

2015-07-04

Peranakan Ongole (PO) is a major Indonesian Bos indicus breed that derives from animals imported from India in the late 19(th) century. Early imports were followed by hybridization with the Bos javanicus subspecies of cattle. Here, we used genomic data to partition the ancestry components of PO cattle and map loci implicated in birth weight. We found that B. javanicus contributes about 6-7% to the average breed composition of PO cattle. Only two nearly fixed B. javanicus haplotypes were identified, suggesting that most of the B. javanicus variants are segregating under drift or by the action of balancing selection. The zebu component of the PO genome was estimated to derive from at least two distinct ancestral pools. Additionally, well-known loci underlying body size in other beef cattle breeds, such as the PLAG1 region on chromosome 14, were found to also affect birth weight in PO cattle. This study is the first attempt to characterize PO at the genome level, and contributes evidence of successful, stabilized B. indicus x B. javanicus hybridization. Additionally, previously described loci implicated in body size in worldwide beef cattle breeds also affect birth weight in PO cattle.

Dual Origins of Dairy Cattle Farming – Evidence from a Comprehensive Survey of European Y-Chromosomal Variation

PubMed Central

Edwards, Ceiridwen J.; Ginja, Catarina; Kantanen, Juha; Pérez-Pardal, Lucía; Tresset, Anne; Stock, Frauke; Gama, Luis T.; Penedo, M. Cecilia T.; Bradley, Daniel G.; Lenstra, Johannes A.; Nijman, Isaäc J.

2011-01-01

Background Diversity patterns of livestock species are informative to the history of agriculture and indicate uniqueness of breeds as relevant for conservation. So far, most studies on cattle have focused on mitochondrial and autosomal DNA variation. Previous studies of Y-chromosomal variation, with limited breed panels, identified two Bos taurus (taurine) haplogroups (Y1 and Y2; both composed of several haplotypes) and one Bos indicus (indicine/zebu) haplogroup (Y3), as well as a strong phylogeographic structuring of paternal lineages. Methodology and Principal Findings Haplogroup data were collected for 2087 animals from 138 breeds. For 111 breeds, these were resolved further by genotyping microsatellites INRA189 (10 alleles) and BM861 (2 alleles). European cattle carry exclusively taurine haplotypes, with the zebu Y-chromosomes having appreciable frequencies in Southwest Asian populations. Y1 is predominant in northern and north-western Europe, but is also observed in several Iberian breeds, as well as in Southwest Asia. A single Y1 haplotype is predominant in north-central Europe and a single Y2 haplotype in central Europe. In contrast, we found both Y1 and Y2 haplotypes in Britain, the Nordic region and Russia, with the highest Y-chromosomal diversity seen in the Iberian Peninsula. Conclusions We propose that the homogeneous Y1 and Y2 regions reflect founder effects associated with the development and expansion of two groups of dairy cattle, the pied or red breeds from the North Sea and Baltic coasts and the spotted, yellow or brown breeds from Switzerland, respectively. The present Y1-Y2 contrast in central Europe coincides with historic, linguistic, religious and cultural boundaries. PMID:21253012

Lack of haplotype structuring for two candidate genes for trypanotolerance in cattle.

PubMed

Álvarez, I; Pérez-Pardal, L; Traoré, A; Fernández, I; Goyache, F

2016-04-01

Bovine trypanotolerance is a heritable trait associated to the ability of the individuals to control parasitaemia and anaemia. The INHBA (BTA4) and TICAM1 (BTA7) genes are strong candidates for trypanotolerance-related traits. The coding sequence of both genes (3951 bp in total) were analysed in a panel including 79 Asian, African and European cattle (Bos taurus and B. indicus) to identify naturally occurring polymorphisms on both genes. In general, the genetic diversity was low. Nineteen of the 33 mutations identified were found just one time. Seventeen different haplotypes were defined for the TICAM1 gene, and 9 and 12 were defined for the exon 1 and the exon 2 of the INHBA gene, respectively. There was no clear separation between cattle groups. The most frequent haplotypes identified in West African taurine samples were also identified in other cattle groups including Asian zebu and European cattle. Phylogenetic trees and principal component analysis confirmed that divergence among the cattle groups analysed was poor, particularly for the INHBA sequences. The European cattle subset had the lowest values of haplotype diversity for both the exon1 (monomorphic) and the exon2 (0.077 ± 0.066) of the INHBA gene. Neutrality tests, in general, did not suggest that the analysed genes were under positive selection. The assessed scenario would be consistent with the identification of recent mutations in evolutionary terms. © 2015 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Age and Zebu-Holstein additive and heterotic effects on lactation performance and reproduction in Brazil.

PubMed

Martinez, M L; Lee, A J; Lin, C Y

1988-03-01

Data of 6482 lactations from 14 crossbred (Holstein x Zebu) herds in Brazil were used to study breed additive and heterosis effects for first, second, third, and first to fifth lactation milk yields, age at first calving, calving interval, and milk yield divided by calving interval, as well as the effect of age at calving on milk yield. Holstein additive expressed as deviation from Zebu and heterosis effects were highly significant for all traits. For each percentage of Holstein gene contribution an increase of 10.02, 12.02, 12.51, and 12.15 kg of milk were expected for first, second, third, and first to fifth lactation yields, respectively. Corresponding heterosis effects on those traits were 3.80, 3.39, 4.02, and 3.90 kg of milk for each percentage of heterozygosity. Replacement of pure Zebu genes by Holstein genes reduced age at first calving by 6 mo and shortened calving interval by 37 d. Holstein x Zebu heterotic effect decreased age at first calving by 2 mo and calving interval by 39 d. Holstein additive and heterosis effects for milk yield divided by calving interval were 3.4 and 1.3 kg of milk/d, respectively. Fitting breed additive and heterozygosity effects accounted for 99% of the genetic effects except for first to fifth lactation milk yield.

Assessment of adaptability of zebu cattle (Bos indicus) breeds in two different climatic conditions: using cytogenetic techniques on genome integrity.

PubMed

Kumar, Anil; Waiz, Syma Ashraf; Sridhar Goud, T; Tonk, R K; Grewal, Anita; Singh, S V; Yadav, B R; Upadhyay, R C

2016-06-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the genome integrity so as to assess the adaptability of three breeds of indigenous cattle reared under arid and semi-arid regions of Rajasthan (Bikaner) and Haryana (Karnal) India. The cattle were of homogenous group (same age and sex) of indigenous breeds viz. Sahiwal, Tharparkar and Kankrej. A total of 100 animals were selected for this study from both climatic conditions. The sister chromatid exchanges (SCE's), chromosomal gaps and chromatid breaks were observed in metaphase plates of chromosome preparations obtained from in vitro culture of peripheral blood lymphocytes. The mean number of breaks and gaps in Sahiwal and Tharparkar of semi-arid zone were 8.56 ± 3.16, 6.4 ± 3.39 and 8.72 ± 2.04, 3.52 ± 6.29, respectively. Similarly, the mean number of breaks and gaps in Tharparkar and Kankrej cattle of arid zone were 5.26 ± 1.76, 2.74 ± 1.76 and 5.24 ± 1.84, 2.5 ± 1.26, respectively. The frequency of SCEs in chromosomes was found significantly higher (P < 0.05) in Tharparkar of semi-arid region (4.72 ± 1.55) compared to arid region (2.83 ± 1.01). Similarly, the frequency of SCEs was found to be 4.0 ± 1.41 in the Sahiwal of semi-arid region and 2.69 ± 1.12 in Kankrej of arid zone. Statistical analysis revealed significant differences (P < 0.05) amongst the different zones, i.e. arid and semi-arid, whereas no significant difference (P > 0.05) was observed in the same zone. The analysis of frequency of CAs and SCEs revealed significant effects of environmental conditions on the genome integrity of animals, thereby indicating an association with their adaptability.

Membrane proteins associated with sperm-oocyte interaction: A proteomic comparison between Kedah Kelantan (Bos indicus) and Mafriwal (Bos taurus × Bos indicus) sperm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ashrafzadeh, Ali; Nathan, Sheila; Othman, Iekhsan; Yee, Tee Ting; Karsani, Saiful Anuar

2013-11-01

Production performance of European cattle breeds has significantly improved through various breeding programs. However, European breeds are more susceptible to heat stress compared to zebu cattle (Bos indicus) as their conception rate can range between 20 to 30% in hot seasons compared to winter. To identify cattle sperm proteins associated with zebu cattle higher fertility and heat tolerance in tropical environments, we utilised a proteomics-based approach to compare sperm from the highly fertile Malaysian indigenous breed, Kedah Kelantan (Bos indicus), with sperm from the sub-fertile crossbreed, Mafriwal (Bos taurus × Bos indicus). Frozen semen of three high performance bulls from each breed was processed to obtain live and pure sperm. Proteins were separated and gel bands were processed by in-gel tryptic digestion. For each breed, mass spectrometry data was acquired over 11 replicates. The analyzed data identified peptides with different expression levels (99% confidence level) and protein identification was determined by targeted MS/MS. Among the identified proteins associated with sperm-oocyte interaction, two proteins were up-regulated in Kedah Kelantan sperm and 7 proteins were up-regulated in or specific to Mafriwal. Our results suggest that the higher fertility of zebu cattle in tropical areas may not be related to more efficient sperm-oocyte interaction. Further analysis of the other regulated proteins in these two breeds may contribute further knowledge on the physiological reason/s for higher fertility and heat tolerance of Zebu cattle in tropical areas.

A Meta-Assembly of Selection Signatures in Cattle

PubMed Central

Randhawa, Imtiaz A. S.; Khatkar, Mehar S.; Thomson, Peter C.; Raadsma, Herman W.

2016-01-01

Since domestication, significant genetic improvement has been achieved for many traits of commercial importance in cattle, including adaptation, appearance and production. In response to such intense selection pressures, the bovine genome has undergone changes at the underlying regions of functional genetic variants, which are termed “selection signatures”. This article reviews 64 recent (2009–2015) investigations testing genomic diversity for departure from neutrality in worldwide cattle populations. In particular, we constructed a meta-assembly of 16,158 selection signatures for individual breeds and their archetype groups (European, African, Zebu and composite) from 56 genome-wide scans representing 70,743 animals of 90 pure and crossbred cattle breeds. Meta-selection-scores (MSS) were computed by combining published results at every given locus, within a sliding window span. MSS were adjusted for common samples across studies and were weighted for significance thresholds across and within studies. Published selection signatures show extensive coverage across the bovine genome, however, the meta-assembly provides a consensus profile of 263 genomic regions of which 141 were unique (113 were breed-specific) and 122 were shared across cattle archetypes. The most prominent peaks of MSS represent regions under selection across multiple populations and harboured genes of known major effects (coat color, polledness and muscle hypertrophy) and genes known to influence polygenic traits (stature, adaptation, feed efficiency, immunity, behaviour, reproduction, beef and dairy production). As the first meta-assembly of selection signatures, it offers novel insights about the hotspots of selective sweeps in the bovine genome, and this method could equally be applied to other species. PMID:27045296

Prevalence of tuberculous lesion in cattle slaughtered in Mubende district, Uganda.

PubMed

Nalapa, Daniel Pakasi; Muwonge, Adrian; Kankya, Clovice; Olea-Popelka, Francisco

2017-03-21

The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of gross pathology suggestive of bovine tuberculosis (TB-like lesions) and evaluate animal's characteristics associated with the risk of having bovine TB-like lesions among cattle slaughtered in Mubende district in the Uganda cattle corridor. We conducted a cross sectional study in which 1,576 slaughtered cattle in Mubende district municipal abattoir underwent post-mortem inspection between August 2013 and January 2014. The presence of bovine TB-like lesions in addition to the animal's sex, age, breed, and sub-county of origin prior to slaughter were recorded. Associations between the presence of bovine TB-like lesions and animal's age, sex, breed, and sub-county of origin prior to slaughter were initially analysed using a univariable approach with the chi-square test, and subsequently with a multivariable logistic regression model to assess the combined impact of these animal characteristics with the risk of having a bovine TB-like lesion. Additionally, and as a secondary objective, tissue samples were collected from all carcases that had a bovine TB-like lesion and were processed using standard Mycobacterium culture and identification methods. The culture and acid fast positive samples were tested using Capilia TB-neo® assay to identify Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTC). Of 1,576 carcasses inspected, 9.7% (153/1,576) had bovine TB-like lesions from which Mycobacterium spp and Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Complex (MTC) were isolated in 13 (8.4%) and 12 (7.8%) respectively. Bovine TB-like lesions were more likely to be found in females (OR = 1.49, OR 95% CI: 1.06-2.13) and in older cattle (OR = 2.5, 95% CI: 1.64-3.7). When compared to Ankole cattle, Cross breed (OR = 6.5, OR 95% CI: 3.37-12.7) and Zebu cattle (OR = 2.57, 95% CI: 1.78-3.72) had higher odds of having bovine TB-like lesions. Animals from Kasanda (OR = 2.5, 95% CI: 1.52-4.17) were more likely to have bovine TB-like lesions

Genome-wide association study for birth, weaning and yearling weight in Colombian Brahman cattle

PubMed Central

Martínez, Rodrigo; Bejarano, Diego; Gómez, Yolanda; Dasoneville, Romain; Jiménez, Ariel; Even, Gael; Sölkner, Johann; Mészáros, Gabor

2017-01-01

Abstract Genotypic and phenotypic data of 1,562 animals were analyzed to find genomic regions that potentially influence the birth weight (BW), weaning weight at seven months of age (WW) and yearling weight (YW) of Colombian Brahman cattle, with genotyping conducted using Illumina Bead chip array with 74,669 SNPs. A Single Step Genomic BLUP (ssGBLP), approach was used to estimate the proportion of variance explained by each marker. Multiple regions scattered across the genome were found to influence weights at different ages, also dependent on the trait component (direct or maternal). The most interesting regions were connected to previously identified QTLs and genes, such as ADAMTSL3, CAPN2, CAPN2, FABP6, ZEB2 influencing growth and weight traits. The identified regions will contribute to the development and refinement of genomic selection programs for Zebu Brahman cattle in Colombia. PMID:28534927

Conservation of indigenous cattle genetic resources in Southern Africa's smallholder areas: turning threats into opportunities - A review.

PubMed

Nyamushamba, G B; Mapiye, C; Tada, O; Halimani, T E; Muchenje, V

2017-05-01

The current review focuses on characterization and conservation efforts vital for the development of breeding programmes for indigenous beef cattle genetic resources in Southern Africa. Indigenous African cattle breeds were identified and characterized using information from refereed journals, conference papers and research reports. Results of this current review reviewed that smallholder beef cattle production in Southern Africa is extensive and dominated by indigenous beef cattle strains adaptable to the local environment. The breeds include Nguni, Mashona, Tuli, Malawi Zebu, Bovino de Tete, Angoni, Landim, Barotse, Twsana and Ankole. These breeds have important functions ranging from provision of food and income to socio-economic, cultural and ecological roles. They also have adaptive traits ranging from drought tolerant, resistance to ticks and tick borne diseases, heat tolerance and resistance to trypanosomosis. Stakeholders in the conservation of beef cattle were also identified and they included farmers, national government, research institutes and universities as well as breeding companies and societies in Southern Africa. Research efforts made to evaluate threats and opportunities of indigenous beef cattle production systems, assess the contribution of indigenous cattle to household food security and income, genetically and phenotypically characterize and conserve indigenous breeds, and develop breeding programs for smallholder beef production are highlighted. Although smallholder beef cattle production in the smallholder farming systems contributes substantially to household food security and income, their productivity is hindered by several constraints that include high prevalence of diseases and parasites, limited feed availability and poor marketing. The majority of the African cattle populations remain largely uncharacterized although most of the indigenous cattle breeds have been identified.

Genomic Signatures Reveal New Evidences for Selection of Important Traits in Domestic Cattle

PubMed Central

Xu, Lingyang; Bickhart, Derek M.; Cole, John B.; Schroeder, Steven G.; Song, Jiuzhou; Tassell, Curtis P. Van; Sonstegard, Tad S.; Liu, George E.

2015-01-01

We investigated diverse genomic selections using high-density single nucleotide polymorphism data of five distinct cattle breeds. Based on allele frequency differences, we detected hundreds of candidate regions under positive selection across Holstein, Angus, Charolais, Brahman, and N'Dama. In addition to well-known genes such as KIT, MC1R, ASIP, GHR, LCORL, NCAPG, WIF1, and ABCA12, we found evidence for a variety of novel and less-known genes under selection in cattle, such as LAP3, SAR1B, LRIG3, FGF5, and NUDCD3. Selective sweeps near LAP3 were then validated by next-generation sequencing. Genome-wide association analysis involving 26,362 Holsteins confirmed that LAP3 and SAR1B were related to milk production traits, suggesting that our candidate regions were likely functional. In addition, haplotype network analyses further revealed distinct selective pressures and evolution patterns across these five cattle breeds. Our results provided a glimpse into diverse genomic selection during cattle domestication, breed formation, and recent genetic improvement. These findings will facilitate genome-assisted breeding to improve animal production and health. PMID:25431480

The first aurochs genome reveals the breeding history of British and European cattle.

PubMed

Orlando, Ludovic

2015-10-26

The first genome sequence of the extinct European wild aurochs reveals the genetic foundation of native British and Irish landraces of cattle.See related Research article: www.dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13059-015-0790-2.

Effects of body conformation and udder morphology on milk yield of zebu cows in North region of Cameroon

PubMed Central

Mingoas, Kilekoung Jean-Pierre; Awah-Ndukum, Julius; Dakyang, Houinga; Zoli, Pagnah André

2017-01-01

Aim: The aim of the study was to assess the effect of udder morphological characteristics on milk yield in zebu cows of Cameroon. Materials and Methods: The diameter and height of the udder, length and diameter of the teat, and the milk yield were measured in 29 Djafun (Red Mbororo) and 19 Aku (White Fulani) cows in Louggueré zootechnical station in the North region of Cameroon. Results: Overall, strong positive correlation (rp=0.60) between the diameter (240.21±28.58 mm) and height (131.12±23.64 mm) of udders (p<0.001) and between length (39.51±6.44 mm) and diameter (19.85±3.08 mm) of teats (rp=0.78) were found in the zebu cows. Udder morphologic characteristics varied significantly (p<0.005) according to breed, lactation stage and parity, and height at whiters. There was significant (p<0.001) correlations between udder diameter (rp=0.541) and height (rp=0.549) with milk yield. Conclusion: This study ascertained udder morphological characteristics values in local zebu cows, and showed that udder size is strong and positively correlated to milk yield. The findings are useful in genetic improvement programs of zebu cows. PMID:28919680

The use of antibiotics in cattle in North-East Benin: pharmaceutical inventory and risk practices of cattle breeders.

PubMed

Dognon, S R; Antoine-Moussiaux, N; Douny, C; Gustin, P; Moula, N; Scippo, M L; Youssao, A K I

2018-05-07

This study's aim is to inventory antibiotics used in cattle in North-East Benin and assess risk practices that could be the cause of both food chain contamination by antibiotic residues and selection of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in animals and humans. A survey was conducted among 98 cattle breeders in the districts of Banikoara, Kandi, Bembereke, and Kalale in North Benin. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, covering breeder status, breeding system, and antibiotic use. Multiple correspondence analysis and hierarchical classification analysis were conducted to establish a breeder typology. Breeders mainly belonged to the Fulani ethnic group (71.4 ± 8.9%) and almost all of them received "no formal education" (96.9 ± 3.4%). Cattle herds were mainly composed of a single breed, the Borgou (76.4 ± 8.1%) or the Fulani Zebu (16.0 ± 7.0%). Some herds were mixed. Antibiotics groups used in cattle breeding were tetracyclines, beta-lactams, sulfonamides, aminoglycosides, and macrolides, used by respectively 100%, 69.4 ± 9.1%, 56.1 ± 9.8%, 44.9 ± 9.8%, and 34.7 ± 9.4% of breeders. These drugs were purchased in local markets (59.0 ± 15.4%) and veterinary pharmacy (41.0 ± 15.4%). They were mainly used against respiratory diseases, lameness, mastitis, omphalitis and neonatal enteritis, and skin diseases. Only 49.0 ± 9.9% of breeders seek veterinary services to treat animals and 92.9 ± 5.1% of them did not respect antibiotic withdrawal times. These practices suggest that both contamination of bovine meat with antibiotic residues and selection of resistant bacteria are to be expected, resulting in adverse health effects on consumers.

Lack of specific alleles for the bovine chemokine (C-X-C) receptor type 4 (CXCR4) gene in West African cattle questions its role as a candidate for trypanotolerance.

PubMed

Álvarez, Isabel; Pérez-Pardal, Lucía; Traoré, Amadou; Fernández, Iván; Goyache, Félix

2016-08-01

A panel of 81 Asian, African and European cattle (Bos taurus and B. indicus) was analysed for the whole sequence of the CXCR4 gene (3844bp), a strong candidate for cattle trypanotolerance. Thirty-one polymorphic sites identified gave 31 different haplotypes. Neutrality tests rejected the hypothesis of either positive or purifying selection. Bayesian phylogenetic tree showed differentiation of haplotypes into two clades gathering genetic variability predating domestication. Related with clades definition, linkage disequilibrium analyses suggested the existence of one only linkage block on the CXCR4 gene. Two tag SNPs identified on exon 2 captured 50% of variability. Whatever the analysis carried out, no clear separation between cattle groups was identified. Most haplotypes identified in West African taurine cattle were also found in European cattle and in Asian and West African zebu. West African taurine samples did not carry unique variants on the CXCR4 gene sequence. The current analysis failed in identifying a causal mutation on the CXCR4 gene underlying a previously reported QTL for cattle trypanotolerance on BTA2. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Genome-wide association study on growth traits in Colombian creole breeds and crossbreeds with Zebu cattle.

PubMed

Martínez, R; Gómez, Y; Rocha, J F M

2014-08-25

Whole genome selection represents an important tool for improving parameters related to the production of livestock. In order to build genomic selection indexes within a particular breed, it is important to identify polymorphisms that have the most significant association with a desired trait. A genome-wide marker association approach based on the Illumina BovineSNP50 BeadChip(TM) was used to identify genomic regions affecting birth weight (BW), weaning weight (WW), and daily weight gain (DWG) in purebred and crossbred creole cattle populations. We genotyped 654 individuals of Blanco Orejinegro (BON), Romosinuano (ROMO) and Cebú breeds and the crossbreeds BON x Cebú and ROMO x Cebú, and tested 5 genetic control models. In total, 85 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were related (P < 0.05) to the 3 evaluated traits; BW was associated with the highest number of SNPs. For statistical false-positive correction, Bonferroni correction was used. From the results, we identified 7, 6, and 4 SNPs with strong associations with BW, WW, and DWG, respectively. Many of these SNPs were located on important coding regions of the bovine genome; their ontology and interactions are discussed herein. The results could contribute to the identification of genes involved in the physiology of beef cattle growth and the development of new strategies for breeding management via genomic selection to improve the productivity of creole cattle herds.

Prevalence and spectrum of Johne's disease lesions in cattle slaughtered at two abattoirs in Kampala, Uganda.

PubMed

Okuni, Julius Boniface; Reinacher, Manfred; Loukopoulos, Panayiotis; Ojok, Lonzy

2013-06-01

This study was conducted to determine the prevalence and characteristics of Johne's disease (JD) lesions in Ugandan cattle slaughtered at two of the main abattoirs in Kampala. Ileocaecal junction and the associated lymph nodes of 1,022 cattle were examined for gross and microscopic lesions, followed by Ziehl Neelsen staining of the tissues bearing lesions. Confirmation of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis infection was done in some of the tissues using culture and IS900 PCR. The lesions were then described, characterised and tabulated. Characteristic Johne's disease granulomas were found in 4.7% of the samples examined, derived from Zebu, Ankole longhorn, Friesian breeds of cattle and their crosses. Lesions were found both in the lymph nodes and ileocaecal junction mucosa. The lesions tended to be more severe in the lymph node than in the mucosa. There were also some unique and atypical lesions found in association with Johne's disease granulomas. The diagnostic values of various gross lesions and criteria of lesion classifications and diagnosis are revisited and discussed based on the findings of this study. The prevalence of Johne's disease lesions among slaughtered cattle in Kampala's two abattoirs indicates that the disease is well established in the cattle population in the country. The diverse manifestations in lesions of JD need to be considered when making histological diagnosis in tissues where the disease is suspected.

Antibody responses to a 33 kDa cysteine protease of Trypanosoma congolense: relationship to 'trypanotolerance' in cattle.

PubMed

Authié, E; Duvallet, G; Robertson, C; Williams, D J

1993-08-01

A cysteine protease of Trypanosoma congolense (congopain) elicited IgG1 antibodies in those cattle which exhibited a degree of resistance to disease during experimental infections (Authié et al. 1992, 1993). The aim of the present study was to investigate further the association between anti-congopain antibodies and resistance to trypanosomiasis, and to provide a lead into the mechanisms responsible for the differential responses to congopain in cattle. Isotype characteristics and kinetics of the antibody response to congopain were studied in three N'Dama (trypanoresistant) and three Boran (susceptible) cattle during primary infection with T. congolense ILNat 3.1. In both groups an IgM response to congopain was elicited, thus demonstrating that congopain is antigenic in both types of cattle. Most of the IgM appeared to be incorporated into immune complexes. IgG was detected as free antibody; IgG1 but not IgG2 was detected. All three N'Dama, but none of the three Boran cattle, mounted a significant IgG response to congopain. Sera from 70 primary-infected cattle belonging to five breeds of differing susceptibility were tested for their reactivity to congopain. High levels of IgG to congopain were observed in the two trypanotolerant breeds, whereas the three susceptible breeds had lower levels of these antibodies. Crosses between N'Dama and Boran cattle, which exhibit an intermediate susceptibility, had intermediate levels of antibodies. Thus, the results from experimental infections confirmed our initial observations. However, under natural tsetse challenge, repeated infections and trypanocidal treatments in Zebu cattle stimulated as high anti-congopain antibody levels as in non-treated trypanotolerant taurine cattle.

Squamous metaplasia of the rete ovarii in a Zebu cow

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Stratified keratinizing squamous epithelium in the ovary has been associated with the diagnosis of ovarian teratoma in cows. Recently, the diagnosis of “epidermoid cyst” has been proposed. A case of squamous metaplasia of the rete ovarii in a Zebu cow is described in this report. Case presentation A crossbreed Zebu cow had both ovaries enlarged with multiple cysts. Most cysts were lined by well differentiated keratinizing stratified squamous epithelium and filled with keratinized lamellar material. Some cysts were lined by an epithelial layer that ranged from single cuboidal, double cuboidal epithelium, stratified non keratinized epithelium, and areas of keratinizing stratified squamous epithelium. Single or double layered cuboidal epithelia of the cysts expressed low molecular weight cytokeratin 7, whose expression was absent in the keratinizing stratified squamous epithelia of same cysts. Conversely, high molecular weight cytokeratins 1, 5, 10, and 14 were strongly expressed by the keratinizing stratified epithelium. Conclusion Squamous metaplasia of the rete ovarii was diagnosed. Squamous metaplasia of the rete ovarii, may account for some of the previously described squamous lesions in the ovary, which may have been misinterpreted as teratoma or epidermoid cysts. PMID:23217175

Conservation of indigenous cattle genetic resources in Southern Africa’s smallholder areas: turning threats into opportunities — A review

PubMed Central

Nyamushamba, G. B.; Mapiye, C.; Tada, O.; Halimani, T. E.; Muchenje, V.

2017-01-01

The current review focuses on characterization and conservation efforts vital for the development of breeding programmes for indigenous beef cattle genetic resources in Southern Africa. Indigenous African cattle breeds were identified and characterized using information from refereed journals, conference papers and research reports. Results of this current review reviewed that smallholder beef cattle production in Southern Africa is extensive and dominated by indigenous beef cattle strains adaptable to the local environment. The breeds include Nguni, Mashona, Tuli, Malawi Zebu, Bovino de Tete, Angoni, Landim, Barotse, Twsana and Ankole. These breeds have important functions ranging from provision of food and income to socio-economic, cultural and ecological roles. They also have adaptive traits ranging from drought tolerant, resistance to ticks and tick borne diseases, heat tolerance and resistance to trypanosomosis. Stakeholders in the conservation of beef cattle were also identified and they included farmers, national government, research institutes and universities as well as breeding companies and societies in Southern Africa. Research efforts made to evaluate threats and opportunities of indigenous beef cattle production systems, assess the contribution of indigenous cattle to household food security and income, genetically and phenotypically characterize and conserve indigenous breeds, and develop breeding programs for smallholder beef production are highlighted. Although smallholder beef cattle production in the smallholder farming systems contributes substantially to household food security and income, their productivity is hindered by several constraints that include high prevalence of diseases and parasites, limited feed availability and poor marketing. The majority of the African cattle populations remain largely uncharacterized although most of the indigenous cattle breeds have been identified. PMID:27004814

Prevalence of Theileria annulata in dairy cattle in Nyala, South Darfur State, Sudan.

PubMed

Abaker, Ismail A; Salih, Diaeldin A; Haj, Lima M El; Ahmed, Rawia E; Osman, Manal M; Ali, Awadia M

2017-12-01

This study was conducted in dairy cattle in Nyala, South Darfur State, during the period from June to September 2015, to study the prevalence of bovine tropical theileriosis. Apparently, healthy cattle of different age groups, different breeds, and from both sexes were randomly selected from seven locations. Three age groups of cattle were selected, group one <1 year old, group two 1-3 years old, and group three older than 3 years. These cattle were indigenous and cross (Friesian X zebu). A total of 150 blood samples were collected for blood smears, blood in EDTA tubes, and serum samples as well as ticks infesting cattle. Three diagnostic techniques were used such as blood smear, indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT), and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Of 150 samples, 11 (7.3%, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 9.1-5.5) were positive for Theileria spp. piroplasms in the blood smears, 70 (46.7%, 95% CI: 35.7-57.7) were positive for Theileria annulata antibodies in the IFAT, and of 100 samples, 39 (39%, 95% CI: 46.6-31.4) were positive for T. annulata using PCR. The prevalence of T. annulata was higher in indigenous breed than cross cattle by the three diagnostic techniques. The highest prevalence of T. annulata was recorded among cattle older than 3 years old. There were three genera and ten species of ticks found feeding on cattle. These were Rhipicephalus evertsi evertsi, Rhipicephalus decoloratus, Rhipicephalus annulatus, Hyalomma dromedrii, Hyalomma impeltatum, Hyalomma rufipes, Hyalomma anatolicum, Hyalomma truncatum, Amblyomma variegatum , and Amblyomma lepidum . The study concluded that tropical theileriosis is prevalent among dairy cattle in Nyala. H. anatolicum was found in very low numbers, suggesting other ticks may play a role in the transmission of the disease. Molecular characterization of T. annulata is recommended for accurate mapping of the disease and evaluates the magnitude problem of tropical theileriosis in South Darfur region.

Prevalence of Theileria annulata in dairy cattle in Nyala, South Darfur State, Sudan

PubMed Central

Abaker, Ismail A.; Salih, Diaeldin A.; Haj, Lima M. El; Ahmed, Rawia E.; Osman, Manal M.; Ali, Awadia M.

2017-01-01

Aim: This study was conducted in dairy cattle in Nyala, South Darfur State, during the period from June to September 2015, to study the prevalence of bovine tropical theileriosis. Materials and Methods: Apparently, healthy cattle of different age groups, different breeds, and from both sexes were randomly selected from seven locations. Three age groups of cattle were selected, group one <1 year old, group two 1-3 years old, and group three older than 3 years. These cattle were indigenous and cross (Friesian X zebu). A total of 150 blood samples were collected for blood smears, blood in EDTA tubes, and serum samples as well as ticks infesting cattle. Three diagnostic techniques were used such as blood smear, indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT), and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results: Of 150 samples, 11 (7.3%, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 9.1-5.5) were positive for Theileria spp. piroplasms in the blood smears, 70 (46.7%, 95% CI: 35.7-57.7) were positive for Theileria annulata antibodies in the IFAT, and of 100 samples, 39 (39%, 95% CI: 46.6-31.4) were positive for T. annulata using PCR. The prevalence of T. annulata was higher in indigenous breed than cross cattle by the three diagnostic techniques. The highest prevalence of T. annulata was recorded among cattle older than 3 years old. There were three genera and ten species of ticks found feeding on cattle. These were Rhipicephalus evertsi evertsi, Rhipicephalus decoloratus, Rhipicephalus annulatus, Hyalomma dromedrii, Hyalomma impeltatum, Hyalomma rufipes, Hyalomma anatolicum, Hyalomma truncatum, Amblyomma variegatum, and Amblyomma lepidum. Conclusion: The study concluded that tropical theileriosis is prevalent among dairy cattle in Nyala. H. anatolicum was found in very low numbers, suggesting other ticks may play a role in the transmission of the disease. Molecular characterization of T. annulata is recommended for accurate mapping of the disease and evaluates the magnitude problem of tropical

Whole-genome sequencing reveals mutational landscape underlying phenotypic differences between two widespread Chinese cattle breeds.

PubMed

Xu, Yao; Jiang, Yu; Shi, Tao; Cai, Hanfang; Lan, Xianyong; Zhao, Xin; Plath, Martin; Chen, Hong

2017-01-01

Whole-genome sequencing provides a powerful tool to obtain more genetic variability that could produce a range of benefits for cattle breeding industry. Nanyang (Bos indicus) and Qinchuan (Bos taurus) are two important Chinese indigenous cattle breeds with distinct phenotypes. To identify the genetic characteristics responsible for variation in phenotypes between the two breeds, in the present study, we for the first time sequenced the genomes of four Nanyang and four Qinchuan cattle with 10 to 12 fold on average of 97.86% and 98.98% coverage of genomes, respectively. Comparison with the Bos_taurus_UMD_3.1 reference assembly yielded 9,010,096 SNPs for Nanyang, and 6,965,062 for Qinchuan cattle, 51% and 29% of which were novel SNPs, respectively. A total of 154,934 and 115,032 small indels (1 to 3 bp) were found in the Nanyang and Qinchuan genomes, respectively. The SNP and indel distribution revealed that Nanyang showed a genetically high diversity as compared to Qinchuan cattle. Furthermore, a total of 2,907 putative cases of copy number variation (CNV) were identified by aligning Nanyang to Qinchuan genome, 783 of which (27%) encompassed the coding regions of 495 functional genes. The gene ontology (GO) analysis revealed that many CNV genes were enriched in the immune system and environment adaptability. Among several CNV genes related to lipid transport and fat metabolism, Lepin receptor gene (LEPR) overlapping with CNV_1815 showed remarkably higher copy number in Qinchuan than Nanyang (log2 (ratio) = -2.34988; P value = 1.53E-102). Further qPCR and association analysis investigated that the copy number of the LEPR gene presented positive correlations with transcriptional expression and phenotypic traits, suggesting the LEPR CNV may contribute to the higher fat deposition in muscles of Qinchuan cattle. Our findings provide evidence that the distinct phenotypes of Nanyang and Qinchuan breeds may be due to the different genetic variations including SNPs, indels

Whole-genome sequencing reveals mutational landscape underlying phenotypic differences between two widespread Chinese cattle breeds

PubMed Central

Jiang, Yu; Shi, Tao; Cai, Hanfang; Lan, Xianyong; Zhao, Xin; Plath, Martin; Chen, Hong

2017-01-01

Whole-genome sequencing provides a powerful tool to obtain more genetic variability that could produce a range of benefits for cattle breeding industry. Nanyang (Bos indicus) and Qinchuan (Bos taurus) are two important Chinese indigenous cattle breeds with distinct phenotypes. To identify the genetic characteristics responsible for variation in phenotypes between the two breeds, in the present study, we for the first time sequenced the genomes of four Nanyang and four Qinchuan cattle with 10 to 12 fold on average of 97.86% and 98.98% coverage of genomes, respectively. Comparison with the Bos_taurus_UMD_3.1 reference assembly yielded 9,010,096 SNPs for Nanyang, and 6,965,062 for Qinchuan cattle, 51% and 29% of which were novel SNPs, respectively. A total of 154,934 and 115,032 small indels (1 to 3 bp) were found in the Nanyang and Qinchuan genomes, respectively. The SNP and indel distribution revealed that Nanyang showed a genetically high diversity as compared to Qinchuan cattle. Furthermore, a total of 2,907 putative cases of copy number variation (CNV) were identified by aligning Nanyang to Qinchuan genome, 783 of which (27%) encompassed the coding regions of 495 functional genes. The gene ontology (GO) analysis revealed that many CNV genes were enriched in the immune system and environment adaptability. Among several CNV genes related to lipid transport and fat metabolism, Lepin receptor gene (LEPR) overlapping with CNV_1815 showed remarkably higher copy number in Qinchuan than Nanyang (log2 (ratio) = -2.34988; P value = 1.53E-102). Further qPCR and association analysis investigated that the copy number of the LEPR gene presented positive correlations with transcriptional expression and phenotypic traits, suggesting the LEPR CNV may contribute to the higher fat deposition in muscles of Qinchuan cattle. Our findings provide evidence that the distinct phenotypes of Nanyang and Qinchuan breeds may be due to the different genetic variations including SNPs, indels

Accuracy of genomic breeding values for meat tenderness in Polled Nellore cattle.

PubMed

Magnabosco, C U; Lopes, F B; Fragoso, R C; Eifert, E C; Valente, B D; Rosa, G J M; Sainz, R D

2016-07-01

Zebu () cattle, mostly of the Nellore breed, comprise more than 80% of the beef cattle in Brazil, given their tolerance of the tropical climate and high resistance to ectoparasites. Despite their advantages for production in tropical environments, zebu cattle tend to produce tougher meat than Bos taurus breeds. Traditional genetic selection to improve meat tenderness is constrained by the difficulty and cost of phenotypic evaluation for meat quality. Therefore, genomic selection may be the best strategy to improve meat quality traits. This study was performed to compare the accuracies of different Bayesian regression models in predicting molecular breeding values for meat tenderness in Polled Nellore cattle. The data set was composed of Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF) of longissimus muscle from 205, 141, and 81 animals slaughtered in 2005, 2010, and 2012, respectively, which were selected and mated so as to create extreme segregation for WBSF. The animals were genotyped with either the Illumina BovineHD (HD; 777,000 from 90 samples) chip or the GeneSeek Genomic Profiler (GGP Indicus HD; 77,000 from 337 samples). The quality controls of SNP were Hard-Weinberg Proportion -value ≥ 0.1%, minor allele frequency > 1%, and call rate > 90%. The FImpute program was used for imputation from the GGP Indicus HD chip to the HD chip. The effect of each SNP was estimated using ridge regression, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO), Bayes A, Bayes B, and Bayes Cπ methods. Different numbers of SNP were used, with 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 10, 20, 40, 60, 80, or 100% of the markers preselected based on their significance test (-value from genomewide association studies [GWAS]) or randomly sampled. The prediction accuracy was assessed by the correlation between genomic breeding value and the observed WBSF phenotype, using a leave-one-out cross-validation methodology. The prediction accuracies using all markers were all very similar for all models, ranging from 0

Microbiota composition, gene pool and its expression in Gir cattle (Bos indicus) rumen under different forage diets using metagenomic and metatranscriptomic approaches.

PubMed

Pandit, Ramesh J; Hinsu, Ankit T; Patel, Shriram H; Jakhesara, Subhash J; Koringa, Prakash G; Bruno, Fosso; Psifidi, Androniki; Shah, S V; Joshi, Chaitanya G

2018-03-09

Zebu (Bos indicus) is a domestic cattle species originating from the Indian subcontinent and now widely domesticated on several continents. In this study, we were particularly interested in understanding the functionally active rumen microbiota of an important Zebu breed, the Gir, under different dietary regimes. Metagenomic and metatranscriptomic data were compared at various taxonomic levels to elucidate the differential microbial population and its functional dynamics in Gir cattle rumen under different roughage dietary regimes. Different proportions of roughage rather than the type of roughage (dry or green) modulated microbiome composition and the expression of its gene pool. Fibre degrading bacteria (i.e. Clostridium, Ruminococcus, Eubacterium, Butyrivibrio, Bacillus and Roseburia) were higher in the solid fraction of rumen (P<0.01) compared to the liquid fraction, whereas bacteria considered to be utilizers of the degraded product (i.e. Prevotella, Bacteroides, Parabacteroides, Paludibacter and Victivallis) were dominant in the liquid fraction (P<0.05). Likewise, expression of fibre degrading enzymes and related carbohydrate binding modules (CBMs) occurred in the solid fraction. When metagenomic and metatranscriptomic data were compared, it was found that some genera and species were transcriptionally more active, although they were in low abundance, making an important contribution to fibre degradation and its further metabolism in the rumen. This study also identified some of the transcriptionally active genera, such as Caldicellulosiruptor and Paludibacter, whose potential has been less-explored in rumen. Overall, the comparison of metagenomic shotgun and metatranscriptomic sequencing appeared to be a much richer source of information compared to conventional metagenomic analysis. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Genome-wide association study for birth weight in Nellore cattle points to previously described orthologous genes affecting human and bovine height

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Birth weight (BW) is an economically important trait in beef cattle, and is associated with growth- and stature-related traits and calving difficulty. One region of the cattle genome, located on Bos primigenius taurus chromosome 14 (BTA14), has been previously shown to be associated with stature by multiple independent studies, and contains orthologous genes affecting human height. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) for BW in Brazilian Nellore cattle (Bos primigenius indicus) was performed using estimated breeding values (EBVs) of 654 progeny-tested bulls genotyped for over 777,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Results The most significant SNP (rs133012258, PGC = 1.34 × 10-9), located at BTA14:25376827, explained 4.62% of the variance in BW EBVs. The surrounding 1 Mb region presented high identity with human, pig and mouse autosomes 8, 4 and 4, respectively, and contains the orthologous height genes PLAG1, CHCHD7, MOS, RPS20, LYN, RDHE2 (SDR16C5) and PENK. The region also overlapped 28 quantitative trait loci (QTLs) previously reported in literature by linkage mapping studies in cattle, including QTLs for birth weight, mature height, carcass weight, stature, pre-weaning average daily gain, calving ease, and gestation length. Conclusions This study presents the first GWAS applying a high-density SNP panel to identify putative chromosome regions affecting birth weight in Nellore cattle. These results suggest that the QTLs on BTA14 associated with body size in taurine cattle (Bos primigenius taurus) also affect birth weight and size in zebu cattle (Bos primigenius indicus). PMID:23758625

The effects of trypanosomosis on sperm morphology in Zebu x Friesian crossbred bulls.

PubMed

Sekoni, V O; Rekwot, P I; Bawa, E K

2004-01-01

Detailed studies of sperm morphological abnormalities were carried out on 12 Zebu x Friesian crossbred bulls used in a study of the effects of trypanosomosis. Four bulls were infected with T. vivax, another four with T. congolense, while four served as controls. The infected bulls developed chronic trypanosomosis. All the bulls initially had very low sperm morphological abnormalities that were within acceptable limits for fertile animals. After infection there was a rapid and progressive increase in all sperm abnormalities. Spermatozoa of infected bulls were highly deformed with multiple morphological defects. Mean percentage pre-infection baseline values prior to infection for acrosomal, sperm-head, detached heads, proximal cytoplasmic droplets, distal cytoplasmic droplets, sperm-tail, midpiece and total sperm morphological defects ranged between 0.1 +/- 0.1 for acrosomal and 8.3 +/- 3.2 for total morphological abnormalities in the semen of the bulls. All the infected bulls developed sperm morphological abnormalities of more than a mean of 40.0% from the 4th week after infection until the end of the investigation and were considered unfit for breeding. At 7 weeks post-infection (PI) until the end of the study (12 weeks PI), the controls had a mean of less than 5% sperm morphological defects, while the infected bulls had 100%. Mean percentage values of sperm morphological defects throughout the duration of the investigation for control bulls were low and within the normal range for fertile bulls. These values differed significantly (p<0.001) from the elevated values of the infected bulls. The results show that trypanosomosis due to T. vivax or T. congolense infection can render Zebu x Friesian crossbred bulls unfit for breeding within a very short time. The resultant infertility could be of economic importance in trypanosomosis-endemic sub-Saharan Africa where Zebu x Friesian crossbred bulls are kept.

Environmental profile and milk production of Friesian-Zebu crosses in Nigerian Guinea Savanna

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Igono, M. O.; Aliu, Y. O.

1982-06-01

A 10-year meteorologic data have been collated to enable delienation of the environmental profile of the Nigerian Guinea Savanna zone. Three distinct seasons are defined: a hot-dry season which lasts from March to April; a hot-humid season (May to October); and the harmattan season (November to February). The effects of these seasons on milk production by half and three-quarter Friesian-Zebu crosses were evaluated during the first 100 days of lactation over a 2-year period. There were no significant differences in milk yield between the genotypes, but at heat intensities above 27‡C, the half cross gave more milk than the three-quarter cross. It is thus recommended that the half Friesian-Zebu cross be selected for milk production in the Nigerian Guinea Savanna and that suitable husbandry and managerial adjustments such as provision of adequate clean water, shelter, good quality and silage and night grazing should be evolved to ameliorate the adverse effects of thermal stress and nutritional deficiency during the drier and hotter months of the year.

The duration of immunity in cattle following inoculation of rinderpest cell culture vaccine.

PubMed Central

Plowright, W.

1984-01-01

The duration of immunity following a single administration of rinderpest cell culture vaccine, of 90 or more monolayer passages, was studied in E. African zebu (Boran) and grade (cross-bred European) cattle. All animals were kept for periods of 6-11 years in rinderpest-free environments; groups of them (in all 23 Borans and 10 grades) were then challenged by parenteral or intranasal inoculation of virulent virus or by contact exposure to reacting cattle. Nasal excretion of virus was studied daily over the 10-to 14-day period following challenge, and simultaneous attempts were made to detect viraemia. The neutralizing antibody response was followed at 6-month intervals over the whole post-vaccination period and then daily for 10 days and at longer intervals to 3 weeks after challenge. All 33 animals which were exposed by various routes failed to react clinically and a rinderpest viraemia was never detected. No transmission of virus from the vaccinates to susceptible in-contact controls occurred within 14 or more days, from the 20 animals which could be so tested. Clearcut serological responses to challenge were seen in six cattle (four Borans and two grades) which were challenged after 7 years or more; these reactions were all delayed to the 9th or 10th days, i.e. they were not typically 'anamnestic'. These results are discussed in relation to mass vaccination campaigns for the control of rinderpest and from the comparative viewpoint of measles vaccination in man. PMID:6736639

Study on the introgression of beef breeds in Canchim cattle using single nucleotide polymorphism markers

PubMed Central

Buzanskas, Marcos Eli; Ventura, Ricardo Vieira; Seleguim Chud, Tatiane Cristina; Bernardes, Priscila Arrigucci; Santos, Daniel Jordan de Abreu; Regitano, Luciana Correia de Almeida; de Alencar, Maurício Mello; Mudadu, Maurício de Alvarenga; Zanella, Ricardo; da Silva, Marcos Vinícius Gualberto Barbosa; Li, Changxi; Schenkel, Flavio Schramm; Munari, Danísio Prado

2017-01-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the level of introgression of breeds in the Canchim (CA: 62.5% Charolais—37.5% Zebu) and MA genetic group (MA: 65.6% Charolais—34.4% Zebu) cattle using genomic information on Charolais (CH), Nelore (NE), and Indubrasil (IB) breeds. The number of animals used was 395 (CA and MA), 763 (NE), 338 (CH), and 37 (IB). The Bovine50SNP BeadChip from Illumina panel was used to estimate the levels of introgression of breeds considering the Maximum likelihood, Bayesian, and Single Regression method. After genotype quality control, 32,308 SNPs were considered in the analysis. Furthermore, three thresholds to prune out SNPs in linkage disequilibrium higher than 0.10, 0.05, and 0.01 were considered, resulting in 15,286, 7,652, and 1,582 SNPs, respectively. For k = 2, the proportion of taurine and indicine varied from the expected proportion based on pedigree for all methods studied. For k = 3, the Regression method was able to differentiate the animals in three main clusters assigned to each purebred breed, showing more reasonable according to its biological viewpoint. Analyzing the data considering k = 2 seems to be more appropriate for Canchim-MA animals due to its biological interpretation. The usage of 32,308 SNPs in the analyses resulted in similar findings between the estimated and expected breed proportions. Using the Regression approach, a contribution of Indubrasil was observed in Canchim-MA when k = 3 was considered. Genetic parameter estimation could account for this breed composition information as a source of variation in order to improve the accuracy of genetic models. Our findings may help assemble appropriate reference populations for genomic prediction for Canchim-MA in order to improve prediction accuracy. Using the information on the level of introgression in each individual could also be useful in breeding or crossing design to improve individual heterosis in crossbred cattle. PMID:28182737

Study on the introgression of beef breeds in Canchim cattle using single nucleotide polymorphism markers.

PubMed

Buzanskas, Marcos Eli; Ventura, Ricardo Vieira; Seleguim Chud, Tatiane Cristina; Bernardes, Priscila Arrigucci; Santos, Daniel Jordan de Abreu; Regitano, Luciana Correia de Almeida; Alencar, Maurício Mello de; Mudadu, Maurício de Alvarenga; Zanella, Ricardo; da Silva, Marcos Vinícius Gualberto Barbosa; Li, Changxi; Schenkel, Flavio Schramm; Munari, Danísio Prado

2017-01-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the level of introgression of breeds in the Canchim (CA: 62.5% Charolais-37.5% Zebu) and MA genetic group (MA: 65.6% Charolais-34.4% Zebu) cattle using genomic information on Charolais (CH), Nelore (NE), and Indubrasil (IB) breeds. The number of animals used was 395 (CA and MA), 763 (NE), 338 (CH), and 37 (IB). The Bovine50SNP BeadChip from Illumina panel was used to estimate the levels of introgression of breeds considering the Maximum likelihood, Bayesian, and Single Regression method. After genotype quality control, 32,308 SNPs were considered in the analysis. Furthermore, three thresholds to prune out SNPs in linkage disequilibrium higher than 0.10, 0.05, and 0.01 were considered, resulting in 15,286, 7,652, and 1,582 SNPs, respectively. For k = 2, the proportion of taurine and indicine varied from the expected proportion based on pedigree for all methods studied. For k = 3, the Regression method was able to differentiate the animals in three main clusters assigned to each purebred breed, showing more reasonable according to its biological viewpoint. Analyzing the data considering k = 2 seems to be more appropriate for Canchim-MA animals due to its biological interpretation. The usage of 32,308 SNPs in the analyses resulted in similar findings between the estimated and expected breed proportions. Using the Regression approach, a contribution of Indubrasil was observed in Canchim-MA when k = 3 was considered. Genetic parameter estimation could account for this breed composition information as a source of variation in order to improve the accuracy of genetic models. Our findings may help assemble appropriate reference populations for genomic prediction for Canchim-MA in order to improve prediction accuracy. Using the information on the level of introgression in each individual could also be useful in breeding or crossing design to improve individual heterosis in crossbred cattle.

Spatial distribution of Brucella antibodies with reference to indigenous cattle populations among contrasting agro-ecological zones of Uganda.

PubMed

Kabi, Fredrick; Muwanika, Vincent; Masembe, Charles

2015-09-01

Indigenous cattle populations exhibit various degrees of agro-ecological fitness and provide desirable opportunities for investments to improve sustainable production for better rural small-scale farmers' incomes globally. However, they could be a source of infection to their attendants and other susceptible livestock if their brucellosis status remains unknown. This study investigated the spatial distribution of Brucella antibodies among indigenous cattle populations in Uganda. Sera from a total of 925 indigenous cattle (410 Ankole Bos taurus indicus, 50 Nganda and 465 East African Shorthorn Zebu (EASZ) - B. indicus) obtained randomly from 209 herds spread throughout Uganda were sequentially analysed for Brucella antibodies using the indirect (I) and competitive (C) enzyme linked Immuno-sorbent assays (ELISA). Recent incidences of abortion within the previous 12 months and routine hygienic practices during parturition were explored for public health risks. Brucella antibodies occurred in approximately 8.64% (80/925) and 28.70% (95% CI: 22.52, 34.89) of the sampled individual cattle and herds, respectively. Findings have shown that Ankole and EASZ cattle had similar seroprevalences. Indigenous cattle from the different study agro-ecological zones (AEZs) exhibited varying seroprevalences ranging from approximately 1.78% (95% CI: 0, 5.29) to 19.67% (95% CI: 8.99, 30.35) in the Lake Victoria Crescent (LVC) and North Eastern Drylands (NED) respectively. Significantly higher odds for Brucella antibodies occurred in the NED (OR: 3.40, 95% CI: 1.34, 8.57, p=0.01) inhabited by EASZ cattle compared to the KP (reference category) AEZ. Recent incidences of abortions within the previous 12 months were significantly (p<0.001) associated with seropositive herds. These findings add critical evidence to existing information on the widespread occurrence of brucellosis among indigenous cattle populations in Uganda and could guide allocation of meagre resources for awareness creation

Seroprevalence and risk factors for brucellosis in cattle in selected districts of Jimma zone, Ethiopia.

PubMed

Dirar, Bashahun Gebremichael; Nasinyama, George William; Gelalcha, Benti Deresa

2015-12-01

A cross-sectional study was carried out in Jimma town and Chora Botor district of Jimma zone from February 2014 to May 2014 to determine seroprevalence and risk factors of brucellosis in cattle. A total of 348 blood samples (174 each from zebu and crossbreed) were collected. The sera were separated and screened by Rose Bengal plate test (RBPT), and positive sera were retested by complement fixation test (CFT) for confirmation. The overall seroprevalence of bovine brucellosis was 1.4 and 0.3 % as tested by RBPT and CFT, respectively. The seroprevalence of bovine brucellosis in indigenous and crossbreed cattle was 1.1 and 0.6 % and 1.7 and 0 % using RBPT and CFT, respectively. Retained fetal membrane was the only risk factor found to be significantly associated with seropositivity of brucellosis in this study (p = 0.019). The overall seroprevalence of brucellosis was very low. However, due to the zoonotic and economic importance of the disease, prevention and control measures are required to stop further spread of the disease. To effectively implement this, the One Health (OH) is the most constructive approach we recommend.

Animal trypanosomosis in clinically healthy cattle of north Cameroon: epidemiological implications.

PubMed

Mamoudou, Abdoulmoumini; Njanloga, Alexandre; Hayatou, Aliyou; Suh, Pierre Fongho; Achukwi, Mbunkah Daniel

2016-04-13

The control of animal trypanosomosis consists, amongst other things, of the punctual treatment of new cases, primarily diagnosed by pastoralists on the basis of clinical signs. This practice suggests that many apparently healthy infected animals are left untreated. In this study animal trypanosomosis in clinically healthy zebu cattle was evaluated, the distribution of the vectors established and the epidemiological implications discussed. In 2014 two cross-sectional surveys were carried out in the Cambeef ranch. A total of 866 blood samples were collected from cattle in different sites: 549 in the dry season and 317 in the rainy season. The blood samples were subjected to parasitological examination using the buffy coat method and to PCV determination. An entomological survey on animal trypanosomosis vectors was undertaken during tsetse flies caught were identified and the mid-gut of each living non-teneral tsetse fly was examined for infections using a microscope. An overall trypanosomosis prevalence of 9% was found in the cattle examined. There were significantly (P < 0.05) more trypanosome infected cattle in the dry season than the rainy season. Trypanosome-infected cattle had significantly (P < 0.05) lower Body Condition Scores (BCS) and Packed Cell Volumes (PCV) in the dry season than in the rainy season. Anemia was positively correlated with trypanosome infection. The likelihood for an animal to be parasitologically free of trypanosome infection was at least three times as high in the Gudali breed as compared with the white and red Fulani breeds. Species of trypanosomes identified were Trypanosoma vivax (73.23%), Trypanosoma congolense (15.49%) and Trypanosoma brucei (11.27%). A total of 390 tsetse flies and 103 tabanids were trapped. Two species of tsetse flies were identified: Glossina tachinoides (33.59%) and G. morsitans submorsitans (41%). Nine of the 194 non-teneral flies were infected with trypanosomes. Carriers of trypanosomes are present

Multilocus sequence analysis of Anaplasma phagocytophilum reveals three distinct lineages with different host ranges in clinically ill French cattle.

PubMed

Chastagner, Amélie; Dugat, Thibaud; Vourc'h, Gwenaël; Verheyden, Hélène; Legrand, Loïc; Bachy, Véronique; Chabanne, Luc; Joncour, Guy; Maillard, Renaud; Boulouis, Henri-Jean; Haddad, Nadia; Bailly, Xavier; Leblond, Agnès

2014-12-09

Molecular epidemiology represents a powerful approach to elucidate the complex epidemiological cycles of multi-host pathogens, such as Anaplasma phagocytophilum. A. phagocytophilum is a tick-borne bacterium that affects a wide range of wild and domesticated animals. Here, we characterized its genetic diversity in populations of French cattle; we then compared the observed genotypes with those found in horses, dogs, and roe deer to determine whether genotypes of A. phagocytophilum are shared among different hosts. We sampled 120 domesticated animals (104 cattle, 13 horses, and 3 dogs) and 40 wild animals (roe deer) and used multilocus sequence analysis on nine loci (ankA, msp4, groESL, typA, pled, gyrA, recG, polA, and an intergenic region) to characterize the genotypes of A. phagocytophilum present. Phylogenic analysis revealed three genetic clusters of bacterial variants in domesticated animals. The two principal clusters included 98% of the bacterial genotypes found in cattle, which were only distantly related to those in roe deer. One cluster comprised only cattle genotypes, while the second contained genotypes from cattle, horses, and dogs. The third contained all roe deer genotypes and three cattle genotypes. Geographical factors could not explain this clustering pattern. These results suggest that roe deer do not contribute to the spread of A. phagocytophilum in cattle in France. Further studies should explore if these different clusters are associated with differing disease severity in domesticated hosts. Additionally, it remains to be seen if the three clusters of A. phagocytophilum genotypes in cattle correspond to distinct epidemiological cycles, potentially involving different reservoir hosts.

A Comparison of Phenotypic Traits Related to Trypanotolerance in Five West African Cattle Breeds Highlights the Value of Shorthorn Taurine Breeds

PubMed Central

Berthier, David; Peylhard, Moana; Dayo, Guiguigbaza-Kossigan; Flori, Laurence; Sylla, Souleymane; Bolly, Seydou; Sakande, Hassane; Chantal, Isabelle; Thevenon, Sophie

2015-01-01

Background Animal African Trypanosomosis particularly affects cattle and dramatically impairs livestock development in sub-Saharan Africa. African Zebu (AFZ) or European taurine breeds usually die of the disease in the absence of treatment, whereas West African taurine breeds (AFT), considered trypanotolerant, are able to control the pathogenic effects of trypanosomosis. Up to now, only one AFT breed, the longhorn N’Dama (NDA), has been largely studied and is considered as the reference trypanotolerant breed. Shorthorn taurine trypanotolerance has never been properly assessed and compared to NDA and AFZ breeds. Methodology/Principal Findings This study compared the trypanotolerant/susceptible phenotype of five West African local breeds that differ in their demographic history. Thirty-six individuals belonging to the longhorn taurine NDA breed, two shorthorn taurine Lagune (LAG) and Baoulé (BAO) breeds, the Zebu Fulani (ZFU) and the Borgou (BOR), an admixed breed between AFT and AFZ, were infected by Trypanosoma congolense IL1180. All the cattle were genetically characterized using dense SNP markers, and parameters linked to parasitaemia, anaemia and leukocytes were analysed using synthetic variables and mixed models. We showed that LAG, followed by NDA and BAO, displayed the best control of anaemia. ZFU showed the greatest anaemia and the BOR breed had an intermediate value, as expected from its admixed origin. Large differences in leukocyte counts were also observed, with higher leukocytosis for AFT. Nevertheless, no differences in parasitaemia were found, except a tendency to take longer to display detectable parasites in ZFU. Conclusions We demonstrated that LAG and BAO are as trypanotolerant as NDA. This study highlights the value of shorthorn taurine breeds, which display strong local adaptation to trypanosomosis. Thanks to further analyses based on comparisons of the genome or transcriptome of the breeds, these results open up the way for better knowledge

A comparison of phenotypic traits related to trypanotolerance in five west african cattle breeds highlights the value of shorthorn taurine breeds.

PubMed

Berthier, David; Peylhard, Moana; Dayo, Guiguigbaza-Kossigan; Flori, Laurence; Sylla, Souleymane; Bolly, Seydou; Sakande, Hassane; Chantal, Isabelle; Thevenon, Sophie

2015-01-01

Animal African Trypanosomosis particularly affects cattle and dramatically impairs livestock development in sub-Saharan Africa. African Zebu (AFZ) or European taurine breeds usually die of the disease in the absence of treatment, whereas West African taurine breeds (AFT), considered trypanotolerant, are able to control the pathogenic effects of trypanosomosis. Up to now, only one AFT breed, the longhorn N'Dama (NDA), has been largely studied and is considered as the reference trypanotolerant breed. Shorthorn taurine trypanotolerance has never been properly assessed and compared to NDA and AFZ breeds. This study compared the trypanotolerant/susceptible phenotype of five West African local breeds that differ in their demographic history. Thirty-six individuals belonging to the longhorn taurine NDA breed, two shorthorn taurine Lagune (LAG) and Baoulé (BAO) breeds, the Zebu Fulani (ZFU) and the Borgou (BOR), an admixed breed between AFT and AFZ, were infected by Trypanosoma congolense IL1180. All the cattle were genetically characterized using dense SNP markers, and parameters linked to parasitaemia, anaemia and leukocytes were analysed using synthetic variables and mixed models. We showed that LAG, followed by NDA and BAO, displayed the best control of anaemia. ZFU showed the greatest anaemia and the BOR breed had an intermediate value, as expected from its admixed origin. Large differences in leukocyte counts were also observed, with higher leukocytosis for AFT. Nevertheless, no differences in parasitaemia were found, except a tendency to take longer to display detectable parasites in ZFU. We demonstrated that LAG and BAO are as trypanotolerant as NDA. This study highlights the value of shorthorn taurine breeds, which display strong local adaptation to trypanosomosis. Thanks to further analyses based on comparisons of the genome or transcriptome of the breeds, these results open up the way for better knowledge of host-pathogen interactions and, furthermore, for

Karyotype relationships among selected deer species and cattle revealed by bovine FISH probes.

PubMed

Frohlich, Jan; Kubickova, Svatava; Musilova, Petra; Cernohorska, Halina; Muskova, Helena; Vodicka, Roman; Rubes, Jiri

2017-01-01

The Cervidae family comprises more than fifty species divided into three subfamilies: Capreolinae, Cervinae and Hydropotinae. A characteristic attribute for the species included in this family is the great karyotype diversity, with the chromosomal numbers ranging from 2n = 6 observed in female Muntiacus muntjak vaginalis to 2n = 70 found in Mazama gouazoubira as a result of numerous Robertsonian and tandem fusions. This work reports chromosomal homologies between cattle (Bos taurus, 2n = 60) and nine cervid species using a combination of whole chromosome and region-specific paints and BAC clones derived from cattle. We show that despite the great diversity of karyotypes in the studied species, the number of conserved chromosomal segments detected by 29 cattle whole chromosome painting probes was 35 for all Cervidae samples. The detailed analysis of the X chromosomes revealed two different morphological types within Cervidae. The first one, present in the Capreolinae is a sub/metacentric X with the structure more similar to the bovine X. The second type found in Cervini and Muntiacini is an acrocentric X which shows rearrangements in the proximal part that have not yet been identified within Ruminantia. Moreover, we characterised four repetitive sequences organized in heterochromatic blocks on sex chromosomes of the reindeer (Rangifer tarandus). We show that these repeats gave no hybridization signals to the chromosomes of the closely related moose (Alces alces) and are therefore specific to the reindeer.

Neuropathological survey reveals underestimation of the prevalence of neuroinfectious diseases in cattle in Switzerland.

PubMed

Truchet, Laura; Walland, Julia; Wüthrich, Daniel; Boujon, Céline L; Posthaus, Horst; Bruggmann, Rémy; Schüpbach-Regula, Gertraud; Oevermann, Anna; Seuberlich, Torsten

2017-09-01

Neuroinfectious diseases in livestock represent a severe threat to animal health, but their prevalence is not well documented and the etiology of disease often remains unidentified. The aims of this study were to generate baseline data on the prevalence of neuroinfectious diseases in cattle in Switzerland by neuropathological survey, and to identify disease-associated pathogens. The survey was performed over a 1-year period using a representative number of brainstem samples (n=1816) from fallen cattle. In total, 4% (n=73) of the animals had significant lesions, the most frequent types of which were indicative of viral (n=27) and bacterial (n=31) etiologies. Follow-up diagnostics by immunohistochemistry, PCR protocols and next-generation sequencing identified infection with Listeria monocytogenes (n=6), ovine herpesvirus 2 (n=7), bovine astrovirus CH13 (n=2), bovine herpesvirus 6 (n=6), bovine retrovirus CH15 (n=2), posavirus 1 (n=2), and porcine astroviruses (n=2). A retrospective questionnaire-based investigation indicated that animals' owners observed clinical signs of neurological disease in about one-third of cases with lesions, which was estimated to correspond to approximately 85 cases per year in the adult fallen cattle population in Switzerland. This estimate stands in sharp contrast to the number of cases reported to the authorities and reveals a gap in disease surveillance. Systematic neuropathological examination and follow-up molecular testing of neurologically diseased cattle could significantly enhance the efficiency of disease detection for the purposes of estimating the prevalence of endemic diseases, identifying new or re-emerging pathogens, and providing "early warnings" of disease outbreaks. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Early history of European domestic cattle as revealed by ancient DNA.

PubMed

Bollongino, R; Edwards, C J; Alt, K W; Burger, J; Bradley, D G

2006-03-22

We present an extensive ancient DNA analysis of mainly Neolithic cattle bones sampled from archaeological sites along the route of Neolithic expansion, from Turkey to North-Central Europe and Britain. We place this first reasonable population sample of Neolithic cattle mitochondrial DNA sequence diversity in context to illustrate the continuity of haplotype variation patterns from the first European domestic cattle to the present. Interestingly, the dominant Central European pattern, a starburst phylogeny around the modal sequence, T3, has a Neolithic origin, and the reduced diversity within this cluster in the ancient samples accords with their shorter history of post-domestic accumulation of mutation.

Effect of days in feedlot on growth performance, carcass and meat quality attributes of Tanzania shorthorn zebu steers.

PubMed

Asimwe, Lovince; Kimambo, Abiliza Elia; Laswai, Germana Henry; Mtenga, Louis Athuman; Weisbjerg, Martin Riis; Madsen, Jorgen

2015-06-01

A study was conducted on 50 steers (183 ± 4 kg initial body weight, 3 years of age) to assess effects of days in feedlot on performance, carcass characteristics and meat quality of Tanzania shorthorn zebu (TSZ) cattle with the aim of determining appropriate finishing period. Periods were 0 day (P0), 25 days (P25), 50 days (P50), 75 days (P75) and 100 days (P100) with 10 animals per period. Steers were housed in individual pens, fed with a concentrate diet and hay on an ad libitum basis except the P0 group which was slaughtered at the beginning of trial. Long stay in feedlot, P100, increased concentrate dry matter intake by 2 kg DM/day over short stay, P25. Final weight and total gain increased (P < 0.05) from P25 (22.6 kg) to P100 steers (95.4 kg). Periods had no influence (P > 0.05) on an average daily gain (ADG) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) but affected carcass characteristics. Empty body weight (EBW) and hot carcass weight (HCW) increased by 61 and 65 %, respectively, from no feedlot, P0 to P100. Dressing percentage was high (P < 0.05) for P100 steers. Carcass measurements, internal fat, fat thickness and carcass total fat were the highest (P < 0.05) on P100 steers and the lowest on P0 steers. Rate of pH decline increased with days in feedlot, while cooking loss and shear force values decreased in advanced ageing time. Feedlot periods of 75 and 100 days resulted into high intake, carcass measurements and tenderness, but 100 days further increased carcass fatness and fat thickness levels, thus, with this particular feeding system and animal's condition, 75 days is the recommended period to finish TSZ cattle in feedlots.

Preliminary efficacy investigations of oral fipronil against Anopheles arabiensis when administered to Zebu cattle (Bos indicus) under field conditions.

PubMed

Poché, Richard M; Githaka, Naftaly; van Gool, Frans; Kading, Rebekah C; Hartman, Daniel; Polyakova, Larisa; Abworo, Edward Okoth; Nene, Vishvanath; Lozano-Fuentes, Saul

2017-12-01

Globally, malaria remains one of the most important vector-borne diseases despite the extensive use of vector control, including indoor residual spraying (IRS) and insecticide-treated nets (ITNs). These control methods target endophagic vectors, whereas some malaria vectors, such as Anopheles arabiensis, preferentially feed outdoors on cattle, making it a complicated vector to control using conventional strategies. Our study evaluated whether treating cattle with a capsule containing the active ingredient (AI) fipronil could reduce vector density and sporozoite rates, and alter blood feeding behavior, when applied in a small-scale field study. A pilot field study was carried out in the Samia District, Western Kenya, from May to July 2015. Four plots, each comprised of 50 huts used for sleeping, were randomly designated to serve as control or treatment. A week before cattle treatment, baseline mosquito collections were performed inside the houses using mechanical aspirators. Animals in the treatment (and buffer) were administered a single oral application of fipronil at ∼0.5mg/kg of body weight. Indoor mosquito collections were performed once a week for four weeks following treatment. Female mosquitoes were first identified morphologically to species complex, followed by PCR-based methods to obtain species identity, sporozoite presence, and the host source of the blood meal. All three species of anophelines found in the study area (An. gambiae s.s., An. arabiensis, An. funestus s.s.) were actively transmitting Plasmodium falciparum during the study period. The indoor resting density of An. arabiensis was significantly reduced in treatment plot one at three weeks post-treatment (T1) (efficacy=89%; T1 density=0.08, 95% credibility intervals [0.05, 0.10]; control plot density=0.78 [0.22, 0.29]) and at four weeks post-treatment (efficacy=64%; T1 density=0.16 [0.08, 0.14]; control plot density=0.48 [0.17, 0.22]). The reduction of An. arabiensis mosquitoes captured in

Temporal fluctuation in North East Baltic Sea region cattle population revealed by mitochondrial and Y-chromosomal DNA analyses.

PubMed

Niemi, Marianna; Bläuer, Auli; Iso-Touru, Terhi; Harjula, Janne; Nyström Edmark, Veronica; Rannamäe, Eve; Lõugas, Lembi; Sajantila, Antti; Lidén, Kerstin; Taavitsainen, Jussi-Pekka

2015-01-01

Ancient DNA analysis offers a way to detect changes in populations over time. To date, most studies of ancient cattle have focused on their domestication in prehistory, while only a limited number of studies have analysed later periods. Conversely, the genetic structure of modern cattle populations is well known given the undertaking of several molecular and population genetic studies. Bones and teeth from ancient cattle populations from the North-East Baltic Sea region dated to the Prehistoric (Late Bronze and Iron Age, 5 samples), Medieval (14), and Post-Medieval (26) periods were investigated by sequencing 667 base pairs (bp) from the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and 155 bp of intron 19 in the Y-chromosomal UTY gene. Comparison of maternal (mtDNA haplotypes) genetic diversity in ancient cattle (45 samples) with modern cattle populations in Europe and Asia (2094 samples) revealed 30 ancient mtDNA haplotypes, 24 of which were shared with modern breeds, while 6 were unique to the ancient samples. Of seven Y-chromosomal sequences determined from ancient samples, six were Y2 and one Y1 haplotype. Combined data including Swedish samples from the same periods (64 samples) was compared with the occurrence of Y-chromosomal haplotypes in modern cattle (1614 samples). The diversity of haplogroups was highest in the Prehistoric samples, where many haplotypes were unique. The Medieval and Post-Medieval samples also show a high diversity with new haplotypes. Some of these haplotypes have become frequent in modern breeds in the Nordic Countries and North-Western Russia while other haplotypes have remained in only a few local breeds or seem to have been lost. A temporal shift in Y-chromosomal haplotypes from Y2 to Y1 was detected that corresponds with the appearance of new mtDNA haplotypes in the Medieval and Post-Medieval period. This suggests a replacement of the Prehistoric mtDNA and Y chromosomal haplotypes by new types of cattle.

Temporal Fluctuation in North East Baltic Sea Region Cattle Population Revealed by Mitochondrial and Y-Chromosomal DNA Analyses

PubMed Central

Niemi, Marianna; Bläuer, Auli; Iso-Touru, Terhi; Harjula, Janne; Nyström Edmark, Veronica; Rannamäe, Eve; Lõugas, Lembi; Sajantila, Antti; Lidén, Kerstin; Taavitsainen, Jussi-Pekka

2015-01-01

Background Ancient DNA analysis offers a way to detect changes in populations over time. To date, most studies of ancient cattle have focused on their domestication in prehistory, while only a limited number of studies have analysed later periods. Conversely, the genetic structure of modern cattle populations is well known given the undertaking of several molecular and population genetic studies. Results Bones and teeth from ancient cattle populations from the North-East Baltic Sea region dated to the Prehistoric (Late Bronze and Iron Age, 5 samples), Medieval (14), and Post-Medieval (26) periods were investigated by sequencing 667 base pairs (bp) from the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and 155 bp of intron 19 in the Y-chromosomal UTY gene. Comparison of maternal (mtDNA haplotypes) genetic diversity in ancient cattle (45 samples) with modern cattle populations in Europe and Asia (2094 samples) revealed 30 ancient mtDNA haplotypes, 24 of which were shared with modern breeds, while 6 were unique to the ancient samples. Of seven Y-chromosomal sequences determined from ancient samples, six were Y2 and one Y1 haplotype. Combined data including Swedish samples from the same periods (64 samples) was compared with the occurrence of Y-chromosomal haplotypes in modern cattle (1614 samples). Conclusions The diversity of haplogroups was highest in the Prehistoric samples, where many haplotypes were unique. The Medieval and Post-Medieval samples also show a high diversity with new haplotypes. Some of these haplotypes have become frequent in modern breeds in the Nordic Countries and North-Western Russia while other haplotypes have remained in only a few local breeds or seem to have been lost. A temporal shift in Y-chromosomal haplotypes from Y2 to Y1 was detected that corresponds with the appearance of new mtDNA haplotypes in the Medieval and Post-Medieval period. This suggests a replacement of the Prehistoric mtDNA and Y chromosomal haplotypes by new types of cattle. PMID:25992976

Badgers prefer cattle pasture but avoid cattle: implications for bovine tuberculosis control.

PubMed

Woodroffe, Rosie; Donnelly, Christl A; Ham, Cally; Jackson, Seth Y B; Moyes, Kelly; Chapman, Kayna; Stratton, Naomi G; Cartwright, Samantha J

2016-10-01

Effective management of infectious disease relies upon understanding mechanisms of pathogen transmission. In particular, while models of disease dynamics usually assume transmission through direct contact, transmission through environmental contamination can cause different dynamics. We used Global Positioning System (GPS) collars and proximity-sensing contact-collars to explore opportunities for transmission of Mycobacterium bovis [causal agent of bovine tuberculosis] between cattle and badgers (Meles meles). Cattle pasture was badgers' most preferred habitat. Nevertheless, although collared cattle spent 2914 collar-nights in the home ranges of contact-collared badgers, and 5380 collar-nights in the home ranges of GPS-collared badgers, we detected no direct contacts between the two species. Simultaneous GPS-tracking revealed that badgers preferred land > 50 m from cattle. Very infrequent direct contact indicates that badger-to-cattle and cattle-to-badger M. bovis transmission may typically occur through contamination of the two species' shared environment. This information should help to inform tuberculosis control by guiding both modelling and farm management. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd/CNRS.

Genetic parameters for type classification of Nelore cattle on central performance tests at pasture in Brazil.

PubMed

Lima, Paulo Ricardo Martins; Paiva, Samuel Rezende; Cobuci, Jaime Araujo; Braccini Neto, José; Machado, Carlos Henrique Cavallari; McManus, Concepta

2013-10-01

The objective of this study was to characterize Nelore cattle on central performance tests in pasture, ranked by the visual classification method EPMURAS (structure, precocity, muscle, navel, breed, posture, and sexual characteristics), and to estimate genetic and phenotypic correlations between these parameters, including visual as well as production traits (initial and final weight on test, weight gain, and weight corrected for 550 days). The information used in the study was obtained on 21,032 Nelore bulls which were participants in the central performance test at pasture of the Brazilian Association for Zebu Breeders (ABCZ). Heritabilities obtained were from 0.19 to 0.50. Phenotypic correlations were positive from 0.70 to 0.97 between the weight traits, from 0.65 to 0.74 between visual characteristics, and from 0.29 to 0.47 between visual characteristics and weight traits. The genetic correlations were positive ranging from 0.80 to 0.98 between the characteristics of structure, precocity and musculature, from 0.13 to 0.64 between the growth characteristics, and from 0.41 to 0.97 between visual scores and weight gains. Heritability and genetic correlations indicate that the use of visual scores, along with the selection for growth characteristics, can bring positive results in selection of beef cattle for rearing on pasture.

Feed intake, digestibility and energy partitioning in beef cattle fed diets with cassava pulp instead of rice straw.

PubMed

Kongphitee, Kanokwan; Sommart, Kritapon; Phonbumrung, Thamrongsak; Gunha, Thidarat; Suzuki, Tomoyuki

2018-03-13

This study was conducted to assess the effects of replacing rice straw with different proportions of cassava pulp on growth performance, feed intake, digestibility, rumen microbial population, energy partitioning and efficiency of metabolizable energy utilization in beef cattle. Eighteen yearling Thai native beef cattle (Bos indicus) with an average initial body weight of 98.3 ± 12.8 kg were allocated to one of three dietary treatments and fed ad libitum for 149 days in a randomized complete block design. Three dietary treatments using different proportions of cassava pulp (100, 300 and 500 g/kg dry matter basis) instead of rice straw as a base in a fermented total mixed ration were applied. Animals were placed in a metabolic pen equipped with a ventilated head box respiration system to determine total digestibility and energy balance. The average daily weight gain, digestible intake and apparent digestibility of dry matter, organic matter and non-fiber carbohydrate, total protozoa, energy intake, energy retention and energy efficiency increased linearly (p < 0.05) with an increasing proportion of cassava pulp in the diet, whereas the three main types of fibrolytic bacteria and energy excretion in the urine (p < 0.05) decreased. The metabolizable energy requirement for the maintenance of yearling Thai native cattle, determined by a linear regression analysis, was 399 kJ/kg BW0.75, with an efficiency of metabolizable energy utilization for growth of 0.86. Our results demonstrated that increasing the proportion of cassava pulp up to 500 g/kg of dry matter as a base in a fermented total mixed ration is an effective strategy for improving productivity in zebu cattle.

Origins and genetic diversity of New World Creole cattle: inferences from mitochondrial and Y chromosome polymorphisms.

PubMed

Ginja, C; Penedo, M C T; Melucci, L; Quiroz, J; Martínez López, O R; Revidatti, M A; Martínez-Martínez, A; Delgado, J V; Gama, L T

2010-04-01

The ancestry of New World cattle was investigated through the analysis of mitochondrial and Y chromosome variation in Creoles from Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Paraguay and the United States of America. Breeds that influenced the Creoles, such as Iberian native, British and Zebu, were also studied. Creoles showed high mtDNA diversity (H = 0.984 +/- 0.003) with a total of 78 haplotypes, and the European T3 matriline was the most common (72.1%). The African T1a haplogroup was detected (14.6%), as well as the ancestral African-derived AA matriline (11.9%), which was absent in the Iberian breeds. Genetic proximity among Creoles, Iberian and Atlantic Islands breeds was inferred through their sharing of mtDNA haplotypes. Y-haplotype diversity in Creoles was high (H = 0.779 +/- 0.019), with several Y1, Y2 and Y3 haplotypes represented. Iberian patrilines in Creoles were more difficult to infer and were reflected by the presence of H3Y1 and H6Y2. Y-haplotypes confirmed crossbreeding with British cattle, mainly of Hereford with Pampa Chaqueño and Texas Longhorn. Male-mediated Bos indicus introgression into Creoles was found in all populations, except Argentino1 (herd book registered) and Pampa Chaqueño. The detection of the distinct H22Y3 patriline with the INRA189-90 allele in Caracú suggests introduction of bulls directly from West Africa. Further studies of Spanish and African breeds are necessary to elucidate the origins of Creole cattle, and determine the exact source of their African lineages.

Comparative analyses across cattle genders and breeds reveal the pitfalls caused by false positive and lineage-differential copy number variations.

PubMed

Zhou, Yang; Utsunomiya, Yuri T; Xu, Lingyang; Hay, El Hamidi Abdel; Bickhart, Derek M; Sonstegard, Tad S; Van Tassell, Curtis P; Garcia, Jose Fernando; Liu, George E

2016-07-06

We compared CNV region (CNVR) results derived from 1,682 Nellore cattle with equivalent results derived from our previous analysis of Bovine HapMap samples. By comparing CNV segment frequencies between different genders and groups, we identified 9 frequent, false positive CNVRs with a total length of 0.8 Mbp that were likely caused by assembly errors. Although there was a paucity of lineage specific events, we did find one 54 kb deletion on chr5 significantly enriched in Nellore cattle. A few highly frequent CNVRs present in both datasets were detected within genomic regions containing olfactory receptor, ATP-binding cassette, and major histocompatibility complex genes. We further evaluated their impacts on downstream bioinformatics and CNV association analyses. Our results revealed pitfalls caused by false positive and lineage-differential copy number variations and will increase the accuracy of future CNV studies in both taurine and indicine cattle.

Whole genome scan reveals the genetic signature of African Ankole cattle breed and potential for higher quality beef.

PubMed

Taye, Mengistie; Kim, Jaemin; Yoon, Sook Hee; Lee, Wonseok; Hanotte, Olivier; Dessie, Tadelle; Kemp, Stephen; Mwai, Okeyo Ally; Caetano-Anolles, Kelsey; Cho, Seoae; Oh, Sung Jong; Lee, Hak-Kyo; Kim, Heebal

2017-02-09

Africa is home to numerous cattle breeds whose diversity has been shaped by subtle combinations of human and natural selection. African Sanga cattle are an intermediate type of cattle resulting from interbreeding between Bos taurus and Bos indicus subspecies. Recently, research has asserted the potential of Sanga breeds for commercial beef production with better meat quality as compared to Bos indicus breeds. Here, we identified meat quality related gene regions that are positively selected in Ankole (Sanga) cattle breeds as compared to indicus (Boran, Ogaden, and Kenana) breeds using cross-population (XP-EHH and XP-CLR) statistical methods. We identified 238 (XP-EHH) and 213 (XP-CLR) positively selected genes, of which 97 were detected from both statistics. Among the genes obtained, we primarily reported those involved in different biological process and pathways associated with meat quality traits. Genes (CAPZB, COL9A2, PDGFRA, MAP3K5, ZNF410, and PKM2) involved in muscle structure and metabolism affect meat tenderness. Genes (PLA2G2A, PARK2, ZNF410, MAP2K3, PLCD3, PLCD1, and ROCK1) related to intramuscular fat (IMF) are involved in adipose metabolism and adipogenesis. MB and SLC48A1 affect meat color. In addition, we identified genes (TIMP2, PKM2, PRKG1, MAP3K5, and ATP8A1) related to feeding efficiency. Among the enriched Gene Ontology Biological Process (GO BP) terms, actin cytoskeleton organization, actin filament-based process, and protein ubiquitination are associated with meat tenderness whereas cellular component organization, negative regulation of actin filament depolymerization and negative regulation of protein complex disassembly are involved in adipocyte regulation. The MAPK pathway is responsible for cell proliferation and plays an important role in hyperplastic growth, which has a positive effect on meat tenderness. Results revealed several candidate genes positively selected in Ankole cattle in relation to meat quality characteristics. The genes

Genome-Wide Association Study for Carcass Traits in an Experimental Nelore Cattle Population

PubMed Central

Medeiros de Oliveira Silva, Rafael; Bonvino Stafuzza, Nedenia; de Oliveira Fragomeni, Breno; Miguel Ferreira de Camargo, Gregório; Matos Ceacero, Thaís; Noely dos Santos Gonçalves Cyrillo, Joslaine; Baldi, Fernando; Augusti Boligon, Arione; Zerlotti Mercadante, Maria Eugênia; Lino Lourenco, Daniela; Misztal, Ignacy; Galvão de Albuquerque, Lucia

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to identify genomic regions associated with carcass traits in an experimental Nelore cattle population. The studied data set contained 2,306 ultrasound records for longissimus muscle area (LMA), 1,832 for backfat thickness (BF), and 1,830 for rump fat thickness (RF). A high-density SNP panel (BovineHD BeadChip assay 700k, Illumina Inc., San Diego, CA) was used for genotyping. After genomic data quality control, 437,197 SNPs from 761 animals were available, of which 721 had phenotypes for LMA, 669 for BF, and 718 for RF. The SNP solutions were estimated using a single-step genomic BLUP approach (ssGWAS), which calculated the variance for windows of 50 consecutive SNPs and the regions that accounted for more than 0.5% of the additive genetic variance were used to search for candidate genes. The results indicated that 12, 18, and 15 different windows were associated to LMA, BF, and RF, respectively. Confirming the polygenic nature of the studied traits, 43, 65, and 53 genes were found in those associated windows, respectively for LMA, BF, and RF. Among the candidate genes, some of them, which already had their functions associated with the expression of energy metabolism, were found associated with fat deposition in this study. In addition, ALKBH3 and HSD17B12 genes, which are related in fibroblast death and metabolism of steroids, were found associated with LMA. The results presented here should help to better understand the genetic and physiologic mechanism regulating the muscle tissue deposition and subcutaneous fat cover expression of Zebu animals. The identification of candidate genes should contribute for Zebu breeding programs in order to consider carcass traits as selection criteria in their genetic evaluation. PMID:28118362

Genome-wide scan for selection signatures in six cattle breeds in South Africa.

PubMed

Makina, Sithembile O; Muchadeyi, Farai C; van Marle-Köster, Este; Taylor, Jerry F; Makgahlela, Mahlako L; Maiwashe, Azwihangwisi

2015-11-26

The detection of selection signatures in breeds of livestock species can contribute to the identification of regions of the genome that are, or have been, functionally important and, as a consequence, have been targeted by selection. This study used two approaches to detect signatures of selection within and between six cattle breeds in South Africa, including Afrikaner (n = 44), Nguni (n = 54), Drakensberger (n = 47), Bonsmara (n = 44), Angus (n = 31) and Holstein (n = 29). The first approach was based on the detection of genomic regions in which haplotypes have been driven towards complete fixation within breeds. The second approach identified regions of the genome that had very different allele frequencies between populations (F ST). Forty-seven candidate genomic regions were identified as harbouring putative signatures of selection using both methods. Twelve of these candidate selected regions were shared among the breeds and ten were validated by previous studies. Thirty-three of these regions were successfully annotated and candidate genes were identified. Among these genes the keratin genes (KRT222, KRT24, KRT25, KRT26, and KRT27) and one heat shock protein gene (HSPB9) on chromosome 19 between 42,896,570 and 42,897,840 bp were detected for the Nguni breed. These genes were previously associated with adaptation to tropical environments in Zebu cattle. In addition, a number of candidate genes associated with the nervous system (WNT5B, FMOD, PRELP, and ATP2B), immune response (CYM, CDC6, and CDK10), production (MTPN, IGFBP4, TGFB1, and AJAP1) and reproductive performance (ADIPOR2, OVOS2, and RBBP8) were also detected as being under selection. The results presented here provide a foundation for detecting mutations that underlie genetic variation of traits that have economic importance for cattle breeds in South Africa.

Biochemical typing of pathological prion protein in aging cattle with BSE

PubMed Central

Tester, Seraina; Juillerat, Valerie; Doherr, Marcus G; Haase, Bianca; Polak, Miroslaw; Ehrensperger, Felix; Leeb, Tosso; Zurbriggen, Andreas; Seuberlich, Torsten

2009-01-01

Background The broad enforcement of active surveillance for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in 2000 led to the discovery of previously unnoticed, atypical BSE phenotypes in aged cattle that differed from classical BSE (C-type) in biochemical properties of the pathological prion protein. Depending on the molecular mass and the degree of glycosylation of its proteinase K resistant core fragment (PrPres), mainly determined in samples derived from the medulla oblongata, these atypical cases are currently classified into low (L)-type or high (H)-type BSE. In the present study we address the question to what extent such atypical BSE cases are part of the BSE epidemic in Switzerland. Results To this end we analyzed the biochemical PrPres type by Western blot in a total of 33 BSE cases in cattle with a minimum age of eight years, targeting up to ten different brain regions. Our work confirmed H-type BSE in a zebu but classified all other cases as C-type BSE; indicating a very low incidence of H- and L-type BSE in Switzerland. It was documented for the first time that the biochemical PrPres type was consistent across different brain regions of aging animals with C-type and H-type BSE, i.e. independent of the neuroanatomical structure investigated. Conclusion Taken together this study provides further characteristics of the BSE epidemic in Switzerland and generates new baseline data for the definition of C- and H-type BSE phenotypes, thereby underpinning the notion that they indeed represent distinct prion disease entities. PMID:19470160

Genome-wide copy number variation (CNV) detection in Nelore cattle reveals highly frequent variants in genome regions harboring QTLs affecting production traits.

PubMed

da Silva, Joaquim Manoel; Giachetto, Poliana Fernanda; da Silva, Luiz Otávio; Cintra, Leandro Carrijo; Paiva, Samuel Rezende; Yamagishi, Michel Eduardo Beleza; Caetano, Alexandre Rodrigues

2016-06-13

Copy number variations (CNVs) have been shown to account for substantial portions of observed genomic variation and have been associated with qualitative and quantitative traits and the onset of disease in a number of species. Information from high-resolution studies to detect, characterize and estimate population-specific variant frequencies will facilitate the incorporation of CNVs in genomic studies to identify genes affecting traits of importance. Genome-wide CNVs were detected in high-density single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping data from 1,717 Nelore (Bos indicus) cattle, and in NGS data from eight key ancestral bulls. A total of 68,007 and 12,786 distinct CNVs were observed, respectively. Cross-comparisons of results obtained for the eight resequenced animals revealed that 92 % of the CNVs were observed in both datasets, while 62 % of all detected CNVs were observed to overlap with previously validated cattle copy number variant regions (CNVRs). Observed CNVs were used for obtaining breed-specific CNV frequencies and identification of CNVRs, which were subsequently used for gene annotation. A total of 688 of the detected CNVRs were observed to overlap with 286 non-redundant QTLs associated with important production traits in cattle. All of 34 CNVs previously reported to be associated with milk production traits in Holsteins were also observed in Nelore cattle. Comparisons of estimated frequencies of these CNVs in the two breeds revealed 14, 13, 6 and 14 regions in high (>20 %), low (<20 %) and divergent (NEL > HOL, NEL < HOL) frequencies, respectively. Obtained results significantly enriched the bovine CNV map and enabled the identification of variants that are potentially associated with traits under selection in Nelore cattle, particularly in genome regions harboring QTLs affecting production traits.

(1)H-NMR spectroscopy revealed Mycobacterium tuberculosis caused abnormal serum metabolic profile of cattle.

PubMed

Chen, Yingyu; Wu, Junfang; Tu, Lingling; Xiong, Xuekai; Hu, Xidan; Huang, Jiong; Xu, Zhiguang; Zhang, Xiansong; Hu, Changmin; Hu, Xueying; Guo, Aizhen; Wang, Yulan; Chen, Huanchun

2013-01-01

To re-evaluate virulence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb) in cattle, we experimentally infected calves with M. tb andMycobacterium bovisvia intratracheal injection at a dose of 2.0×10(7) CFU and observed the animals for 33 weeks. The intradermal tuberculin test and IFN-γin vitro release assay showed that both M. tb and M. bovis induced similar responses. Immunohistochemical staining of pulmonary lymph nodes indicated that the antigen MPB83 of both M. tb and M. bovis were similarly distributed in the tissue samples. Histological examinations showed all of the infected groups exhibited neutrophil infiltration to similar extents. Although the infected cattle did not develop granulomatous inflammation, the metabolic profiles changed significantly, which were characterized by a change in energy production pathways and increased concentrations of N-acetyl glycoproteins. Glycolysis was induced in the infected cattle by decreased glucose and increased lactate content, and enhanced fatty acid β-oxidation was induced by decreased TG content, and decreased gluconeogenesis indicated by the decreased concentration of glucogenic and ketogenic amino acids promoted utilization of substances other than glucose as energy sources. In addition, an increase in acute phase reactive serum glycoproteins, together with neutrophil infiltration and increased of IL-1β production indicated an early inflammatory response before granuloma formation. In conclusion, this study indicated that both M. tb and M.bovis were virulent to cattle. Therefore, it is likely that cattle with M. tb infections would be critical to tuberculosis transmission from cattle to humans. Nuclear magnetic resonance was demonstrated to be an efficient method to systematically evaluate M. tb and M. bovi sinfection in cattle.

Strategies for genotype imputation in composite beef cattle.

PubMed

Chud, Tatiane C S; Ventura, Ricardo V; Schenkel, Flavio S; Carvalheiro, Roberto; Buzanskas, Marcos E; Rosa, Jaqueline O; Mudadu, Maurício de Alvarenga; da Silva, Marcos Vinicius G B; Mokry, Fabiana B; Marcondes, Cintia R; Regitano, Luciana C A; Munari, Danísio P

2015-08-07

Genotype imputation has been used to increase genomic information, allow more animals in genome-wide analyses, and reduce genotyping costs. In Brazilian beef cattle production, many animals are resulting from crossbreeding and such an event may alter linkage disequilibrium patterns. Thus, the challenge is to obtain accurately imputed genotypes in crossbred animals. The objective of this study was to evaluate the best fitting and most accurate imputation strategy on the MA genetic group (the progeny of a Charolais sire mated with crossbred Canchim X Zebu cows) and Canchim cattle. The data set contained 400 animals (born between 1999 and 2005) genotyped with the Illumina BovineHD panel. Imputation accuracy of genotypes from the Illumina-Bovine3K (3K), Illumina-BovineLD (6K), GeneSeek-Genomic-Profiler (GGP) BeefLD (GGP9K), GGP-IndicusLD (GGP20Ki), Illumina-BovineSNP50 (50K), GGP-IndicusHD (GGP75Ki), and GGP-BeefHD (GGP80K) to Illumina-BovineHD (HD) SNP panels were investigated. Seven scenarios for reference and target populations were tested; the animals were grouped according with birth year (S1), genetic groups (S2 and S3), genetic groups and birth year (S4 and S5), gender (S6), and gender and birth year (S7). Analyses were performed using FImpute and BEAGLE software and computation run-time was recorded. Genotype imputation accuracy was measured by concordance rate (CR) and allelic R square (R(2)). The highest imputation accuracy scenario consisted of a reference population with males and females and a target population with young females. Among the SNP panels in the tested scenarios, from the 50K, GGP75Ki and GGP80K were the most adequate to impute to HD in Canchim cattle. FImpute reduced computation run-time to impute genotypes from 20 to 100 times when compared to BEAGLE. The genotyping panels possessing at least 50 thousands markers are suitable for genotype imputation to HD with acceptable accuracy. The FImpute algorithm demonstrated a higher efficiency of

Multi-Tissue Omics Analyses Reveal Molecular Regulatory Networks for Puberty in Composite Beef Cattle

PubMed Central

Cánovas, Angela; Reverter, Antonio; DeAtley, Kasey L.; Ashley, Ryan L.; Colgrave, Michelle L.; Fortes, Marina R. S.; Islas-Trejo, Alma; Lehnert, Sigrid; Porto-Neto, Laercio; Rincón, Gonzalo; Silver, Gail A.; Snelling, Warren M.; Medrano, Juan F.; Thomas, Milton G.

2014-01-01

Puberty is a complex physiological event by which animals mature into an adult capable of sexual reproduction. In order to enhance our understanding of the genes and regulatory pathways and networks involved in puberty, we characterized the transcriptome of five reproductive tissues (i.e. hypothalamus, pituitary gland, ovary, uterus, and endometrium) as well as tissues known to be relevant to growth and metabolism needed to achieve puberty (i.e., longissimus dorsi muscle, adipose, and liver). These tissues were collected from pre- and post-pubertal Brangus heifers (3/8 Brahman; Bos indicus x 5/8 Angus; Bos taurus) derived from a population of cattle used to identify quantitative trait loci associated with fertility traits (i.e., age of first observed corpus luteum (ACL), first service conception (FSC), and heifer pregnancy (HPG)). In order to exploit the power of complementary omics analyses, pre- and post-puberty co-expression gene networks were constructed by combining the results from genome-wide association studies (GWAS), RNA-Seq, and bovine transcription factors. Eight tissues among pre-pubertal and post-pubertal Brangus heifers revealed 1,515 differentially expressed and 943 tissue-specific genes within the 17,832 genes confirmed by RNA-Seq analysis. The hypothalamus experienced the most notable up-regulation of genes via puberty (i.e., 204 out of 275 genes). Combining the results of GWAS and RNA-Seq, we identified 25 loci containing a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) associated with ACL, FSC, and (or) HPG. Seventeen of these SNP were within a gene and 13 of the genes were expressed in uterus or endometrium. Multi-tissue omics analyses revealed 2,450 co-expressed genes relative to puberty. The pre-pubertal network had 372,861 connections whereas the post-pubertal network had 328,357 connections. A sub-network from this process revealed key transcriptional regulators (i.e., PITX2, FOXA1, DACH2, PROP1, SIX6, etc.). Results from these multi-tissue omics

Metatranscriptomic Profiling Reveals Linkages between the Active Rumen Microbiome and Feed Efficiency in Beef Cattle

PubMed Central

Li, Fuyong

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Exploring compositional and functional characteristics of the rumen microbiome can improve the understanding of its role in rumen function and cattle feed efficiency. In this study, we applied metatranscriptomics to characterize the active rumen microbiomes of beef cattle with different feed efficiencies (efficient, n = 10; inefficient, n = 10) using total RNA sequencing. Active bacterial and archaeal compositions were estimated based on 16S rRNAs, and active microbial metabolic functions including carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) were assessed based on mRNAs from the same metatranscriptomic data sets. In total, six bacterial phyla (Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Spirochaetes, Cyanobacteria, and Synergistetes), eight bacterial families (Succinivibrionaceae, Prevotellaceae, Ruminococcaceae, Lachnospiraceae, Veillonellaceae, Spirochaetaceae, Dethiosulfovibrionaceae, and Mogibacteriaceae), four archaeal clades (Methanomassiliicoccales, Methanobrevibacter ruminantium, Methanobrevibacter gottschalkii, and Methanosphaera), 112 metabolic pathways, and 126 CAZymes were identified as core components of the active rumen microbiome. As determined by comparative analysis, three bacterial families (Lachnospiraceae, Lactobacillaceae, and Veillonellaceae) tended to be more abundant in low-feed-efficiency (inefficient) animals (P < 0.10), and one archaeal taxon (Methanomassiliicoccales) tended to be more abundant in high-feed-efficiency (efficient) cattle (P < 0.10). Meanwhile, 32 microbial metabolic pathways and 12 CAZymes were differentially abundant (linear discriminant analysis score of >2 with a P value of <0.05) between two groups. Among them, 30 metabolic pathways and 11 CAZymes were more abundant in the rumen of inefficient cattle, while 2 metabolic pathways and 1 CAZyme were more abundant in efficient animals. These findings suggest that the rumen microbiomes of inefficient cattle have more diverse activities than those of efficient cattle, which

Kappa-casein polymorphisms among cattle breeds and bison herds

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cronin, M.A.; Cockett, N.

1993-01-01

We identified the HindIII restriction site polymorphism Of kappa-casein in cattle reported by Pinder et al. (Animal Genetics 22, 11, 1991) and found an additonal polymorphism (RsaI) in cattle and bison. The Hin dIII and Rsa I restriction sites were mapped and three haplotypes (alleles) were identified. Preliminary screening of 39 cattle and 71 bison revealed one allele restricted to cattle, one restricted to bison, and one shared by the species. No fixed allelic differences were observed among cattle breeds or among bison herds or subspecies.

Whole genome detection of signature of positive selection in African cattle reveals selection for thermotolerance.

PubMed

Taye, Mengistie; Lee, Wonseok; Caetano-Anolles, Kelsey; Dessie, Tadelle; Hanotte, Olivier; Mwai, Okeyo Ally; Kemp, Stephen; Cho, Seoae; Oh, Sung Jong; Lee, Hak-Kyo; Kim, Heebal

2017-12-01

As African indigenous cattle evolved in a hot tropical climate, they have developed an inherent thermotolerance; survival mechanisms include a light-colored and shiny coat, increased sweating, and cellular and molecular mechanisms to cope with high environmental temperature. Here, we report the positive selection signature of genes in African cattle breeds which contribute for their heat tolerance mechanisms. We compared the genomes of five indigenous African cattle breeds with the genomes of four commercial cattle breeds using cross-population composite likelihood ratio (XP-CLR) and cross-population extended haplotype homozygosity (XP-EHH) statistical methods. We identified 296 (XP-EHH) and 327 (XP-CLR) positively selected genes. Gene ontology analysis resulted in 41 biological process terms and six Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways. Several genes and pathways were found to be involved in oxidative stress response, osmotic stress response, heat shock response, hair and skin properties, sweat gland development and sweating, feed intake and metabolism, and reproduction functions. The genes and pathways identified directly or indirectly contribute to the superior heat tolerance mechanisms in African cattle populations. The result will improve our understanding of the biological mechanisms of heat tolerance in African cattle breeds and opens an avenue for further study. © 2017 Japanese Society of Animal Science.

A quasi-exclusive European ancestry in the Senepol tropical cattle breed highlights the importance of the slick locus in tropical adaptation.

PubMed

Flori, Laurence; Gonzatti, Mary Isabel; Thevenon, Sophie; Chantal, Isabelle; Pinto, Joar; Berthier, David; Aso, Pedro M; Gautier, Mathieu

2012-01-01

The Senepol cattle breed (SEN) was created in the early XX(th) century from a presumed cross between a European (EUT) breed (Red Poll) and a West African taurine (AFT) breed (N'Dama). Well adapted to tropical conditions, it is also believed trypanotolerant according to its putative AFT ancestry. However, such origins needed to be verified to define relevant husbandry practices and the genetic background underlying such adaptation needed to be characterized. We genotyped 153 SEN individuals on 47,365 SNPs and combined the resulting data with those available on 18 other populations representative of EUT, AFT and Zebu (ZEB) cattle. We found on average 89% EUT, 10.4% ZEB and 0.6% AFT ancestries in the SEN genome. We further looked for footprints of recent selection using standard tests based on the extent of haplotype homozygosity. We underlined i) three footprints on chromosome (BTA) 01, two of which are within or close to the polled locus underlying the absence of horns and ii) one footprint on BTA20 within the slick hair coat locus, involved in thermotolerance. Annotation of these regions allowed us to propose three candidate genes to explain the observed signals (TIAM1, GRIK1 and RAI14). Our results do not support the accepted concept about the AFT origin of SEN breed. Initial AFT ancestry (if any) might have been counter-selected in early generations due to breeding objectives oriented in particular toward meat production and hornless phenotype. Therefore, SEN animals are likely susceptible to African trypanosomes which questions the importation of SEN within the West African tsetse belt, as promoted by some breeding societies. Besides, our results revealed that SEN breed is predominantly a EUT breed well adapted to tropical conditions and confirmed the importance in thermotolerance of the slick locus.

A Quasi-Exclusive European Ancestry in the Senepol Tropical Cattle Breed Highlights the Importance of the slick Locus in Tropical Adaptation

PubMed Central

Flori, Laurence; Gonzatti, Mary Isabel; Thevenon, Sophie; Chantal, Isabelle; Pinto, Joar; Berthier, David; Aso, Pedro M.; Gautier, Mathieu

2012-01-01

Background The Senepol cattle breed (SEN) was created in the early XXth century from a presumed cross between a European (EUT) breed (Red Poll) and a West African taurine (AFT) breed (N’Dama). Well adapted to tropical conditions, it is also believed trypanotolerant according to its putative AFT ancestry. However, such origins needed to be verified to define relevant husbandry practices and the genetic background underlying such adaptation needed to be characterized. Methodology/Principal Findings We genotyped 153 SEN individuals on 47,365 SNPs and combined the resulting data with those available on 18 other populations representative of EUT, AFT and Zebu (ZEB) cattle. We found on average 89% EUT, 10.4% ZEB and 0.6% AFT ancestries in the SEN genome. We further looked for footprints of recent selection using standard tests based on the extent of haplotype homozygosity. We underlined i) three footprints on chromosome (BTA) 01, two of which are within or close to the polled locus underlying the absence of horns and ii) one footprint on BTA20 within the slick hair coat locus, involved in thermotolerance. Annotation of these regions allowed us to propose three candidate genes to explain the observed signals (TIAM1, GRIK1 and RAI14). Conclusions/Significance Our results do not support the accepted concept about the AFT origin of SEN breed. Initial AFT ancestry (if any) might have been counter-selected in early generations due to breeding objectives oriented in particular toward meat production and hornless phenotype. Therefore, SEN animals are likely susceptible to African trypanosomes which questions the importation of SEN within the West African tsetse belt, as promoted by some breeding societies. Besides, our results revealed that SEN breed is predominantly a EUT breed well adapted to tropical conditions and confirmed the importance in thermotolerance of the slick locus. PMID:22675421

Whole-genome resequencing reveals world-wide ancestry and adaptive introgression events of domesticated cattle in East Asia.

PubMed

Chen, Ningbo; Cai, Yudong; Chen, Qiuming; Li, Ran; Wang, Kun; Huang, Yongzhen; Hu, Songmei; Huang, Shisheng; Zhang, Hucai; Zheng, Zhuqing; Song, Weining; Ma, Zhijie; Ma, Yun; Dang, Ruihua; Zhang, Zijing; Xu, Lei; Jia, Yutang; Liu, Shanzhai; Yue, Xiangpeng; Deng, Weidong; Zhang, Xiaoming; Sun, Zhouyong; Lan, Xianyong; Han, Jianlin; Chen, Hong; Bradley, Daniel G; Jiang, Yu; Lei, Chuzhao

2018-06-14

Cattle domestication and the complex histories of East Asian cattle breeds warrant further investigation. Through analysing the genomes of 49 modern breeds and eight East Asian ancient samples, worldwide cattle are consistently classified into five continental groups based on Y-chromosome haplotypes and autosomal variants. We find that East Asian cattle populations are mainly composed of three distinct ancestries, including an earlier East Asian taurine ancestry that reached China at least ~3.9 kya, a later introduced Eurasian taurine ancestry, and a novel Chinese indicine ancestry that diverged from Indian indicine approximately 36.6-49.6 kya. We also report historic introgression events that helped domestic cattle from southern China and the Tibetan Plateau achieve rapid adaptation by acquiring ~2.93% and ~1.22% of their genomes from banteng and yak, respectively. Our findings provide new insights into the evolutionary history of cattle and the importance of introgression in adaptation of cattle to new environmental challenges in East Asia.

Relationships between cattle and biodiversity revealed by the Kenya Long-term Exclosure Experiment (KLEE)

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

On rangelands worldwide, cattle interact with many forms of biodiversity, most obviously with vegetation and other large herbivores. Since 1995, we have been manipulating the presence of cattle, medium-sized herbivores, and mega-herbivores (elephants and giraffes) in a series of eighteen 4ha (10-acr...

Economic impact of lumpy skin disease and cost effectiveness of vaccination for the control of outbreaks in Ethiopia.

PubMed

Molla, Wassie; de Jong, Mart C M; Gari, Getachew; Frankena, Klaas

2017-11-01

Lumpy skin disease (LSD), an infectious viral disease of cattle, causes considerable financial losses in livestock industry of affected countries. A questionnaire survey with the objectives of determining direct economic losses of LSD (mortality loss, milk loss, draft loss) and treatment costs (medication and labour cost) per affected herd, and assessing the cost effectiveness of vaccination as a means for LSD control was carried out in the central and north-western parts of Ethiopia. From a total of 4430 cattle (in 243 herds) surveyed, 941 animals (in 200 herds) were reported to be infected. The overall morbidity and mortality at animal level were 21.2% and 4.5%, and at herd level these were 82.3% and 24.3%. There was a significant difference in animal level morbidity and mortality between categories of animals. Over 94% of the herd owners ranked LSD as a big or very big problem for cattle production. A large proportion (92.2%) of the herd owners indicated that LSD affects cattle marketing. A median loss of USD 375 (USD 325 in local Zebu and USD 1250 in Holstein-Friesian local Zebu cross cattle) was estimated per dead animal. Median losses per affected lactating cow were USD 141 (USD 63 in local Zebu cows and USD 216 in Holstein-Friesian local Zebu cross cows) and, USD 36 per affected ox. Diagnosis and medication cost per affected animal were estimated at USD 5. The median total economic loss of an LSD outbreak at herd level was USD 1176 (USD 489 in subsistence farm and USD 2735 in commercial farm). At herd level, the largest component of the economic loss was due to mortality (USD 1000) followed by milk loss (USD 120). LSD control costs were the least contributor to herd level losses. The total herd level economic losses in the commercial farm type were significantly higher than in the subsistence farm type. The financial analysis showed a positive net profit of USD 136 (USD 56 for subsistence farm herds and USD 283 for commercial herds) per herd due to LSD

Analysis of copy number variations reveals differences among cattle breeds

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Genomic structural variation is an important and abundant source of genetic and phenotypic variation. Here we describe the first systematic and genome-wide analysis of copy number variations (CNVs) in the modern domesticated cattle using array comparative genomic hybridization (array CGH) and quanti...

Prevalence of abortion and stillbirth in a beef cattle system in Southeastern Mexico.

PubMed

Segura-Correa, José C; Segura-Correa, Victor M

2009-12-01

Prenatal mortality is an important cause of production losses in the livestock industry. This study estimates the prevalences of abortion and stillbirth in a beef cattle system and determines the significance of some risk factors, in the tropics of Mexico. Data were obtained from a Zebu cattle herd and their crosses with Bos taurus breeds, in Yucatan, Mexico. The logit of the probability of an abortion or stillbirth was modeled using binary logistic regression. The risk factors tested were: year of abortion (or calving), season of abortion (or calving), parity number and dam breed group. The effect of twins on stillbirth was tested using Fisher exact test. Of the 4175 calvings studied 49 were abortions (1.17%). Significant factors in the logistic regression analysis for abortions were season of abortion and parity number. The risk of abortion was lower in the dry seasons compared to the rainy and windy seasons (P = 0.009). The risk of abortion was higher in second parity cows followed by the third and first parity cows, as compared to older cows (P = 0.015). Of the 4126 births, 87 were stillbirths (2.11%). Significant factors in the logistic regression analysis for stillbirth were year of calving (P = 0.0001) and parity number (P < 0.001). The risk of stillbirth in first parity cows was 2.6 times that of old cows. Of the total births, 15 were twins (0.36%) of which 7 were born dead calves. Herd owners must focus on the significant risk factors under their control to reduce the prevalence of prenatal mortality.

Molecular identification of tick-borne pathogens infecting cattle in Mymensingh district of Bangladesh reveals emerging species of Anaplasma and Babesia.

PubMed

Roy, B C; Krücken, J; Ahmed, J S; Majumder, S; Baumann, M P; Clausen, P-H; Nijhof, A M

2018-04-01

Tick-borne diseases are considered a major hindrance to the health and productive performance of cattle in Bangladesh. To elucidate the epidemiology of tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) in local cattle, a cross-sectional study was performed in the 12 subdistricts (Upazilas) of Mymensingh district in Bangladesh. Blood samples and ticks were collected from 384 clinically healthy cattle kept by 135 farmers from 96 randomly selected villages. DNA extracted from the blood samples was subsequently screened by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and a Reverse Line Blot (RLB) hybridization assay using an in-house prepared chemiluminescence solution for the presence of Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, Rickettsia, Babesia and Theileria spp. A total of 2,287 ticks were collected from 232 infested cattle (60.4%, 232/384) and identified morphologically as Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus (n = 1,432, 62.6%) and Haemaphysalis bispinosa (n = 855; 37.4%). The RLB results demonstrated that the majority of the cattle (62.2%) were infected with at least one TBP. Theileria orientalis infections were most common (212/384, 55.2%) followed by infections with Anaplasma bovis (137/384, 35.67%), Anaplasma marginale (16/384, 4.17%), Babesia bigemina (4/384, 1.04%) and Babesia bovis (2/384, 0.52%). A previously uncharacterized Anaplasma sp. (Anaplasma sp. Mymensingh) and Babesia sp. (Babesia sp. Mymensingh), which are genetically closely related to Anaplasma platys and B. bigemina, were detected in 50 of 384 (13.0%) and 1 of 384 (0.3%) of the blood samples, respectively. Key risk factors for the occurrence of T. orientalis, A. marginale and Anaplasma sp. Mymensingh were identified. In conclusion, this study revealed that cattle in Mymensingh district are mainly infested with R. microplus and H. bispinosa ticks and may carry multiple TBPs. In addition, two previously uncharacterized pathogens were detected in the bovine blood samples. The pathogenicity of these species remains to be determined. © 2017

Genomic signatures reveal geographic adaption and human selection in cattle

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

We investigated geographic adaptation and human selection using high-density SNP data of five diverse cattle breeds. Based on allele frequency differences, we detected hundreds of candidate regions under positive selection across Holstein, Angus, Charolais, Brahman, and N'Dama. In addition to well-k...

Genomic Characterisation of the Indigenous Irish Kerry Cattle Breed

PubMed Central

Browett, Sam; McHugo, Gillian; Richardson, Ian W.; Magee, David A.; Park, Stephen D. E.; Fahey, Alan G.; Kearney, John F.; Correia, Carolina N.; Randhawa, Imtiaz A. S.; MacHugh, David E.

2018-01-01

Kerry cattle are an endangered landrace heritage breed of cultural importance to Ireland. In the present study we have used genome-wide SNP array data to evaluate genomic diversity within the Kerry population and between Kerry cattle and other European breeds. Patterns of genetic differentiation and gene flow among breeds using phylogenetic trees with ancestry graphs highlighted historical gene flow from the British Shorthorn breed into the ancestral population of modern Kerry cattle. Principal component analysis (PCA) and genetic clustering emphasised the genetic distinctiveness of Kerry cattle relative to comparator British and European cattle breeds. Modelling of genetic effective population size (Ne) revealed a demographic trend of diminishing Ne over time and that recent estimated Ne values for the Kerry breed may be less than the threshold for sustainable genetic conservation. In addition, analysis of genome-wide autozygosity (FROH) showed that genomic inbreeding has increased significantly during the 20 years between 1992 and 2012. Finally, signatures of selection revealed genomic regions subject to natural and artificial selection as Kerry cattle adapted to the climate, physical geography and agro-ecology of southwest Ireland. PMID:29520297

Comparative study of Anaplasma parasites in tick carrying buffaloes and cattle

PubMed Central

Rajput, Z.I.; Hu, Song-hua; Arijo, A.G.; Habib, M.; Khalid, M.

2005-01-01

A comparative study on the prevalence of Anaplasma parasite was conducted on ticks carrying buffaloes and cattle. Five hundred blood samples of both animals (250 of each) were collected during February, March and April. Thin blood smears on glass slides were made, fixed in 100% methyl alcohol and examined. Microscopic examination revealed that 205 (41%) animals had Anaplasma parasites, out of which 89, 44 and 72 animals had Anaplasma marginale, Anaplasma centrale and mixed infection respectively. Infected buffaloes and cattle were 75 and 130 respectively. The infection in female was 53 and 92 in buffaloes and cattle respectively. Twenty-two and 92 blood samples of male were found positive in buffaloes and cattle respectively. Comparative study revealed that the cattle were 26.82% more susceptible than buffaloes. The parasite prevailing percentage in female of both animals was slightly higher than that of the male. This investigation was aimed at studying the comparative prevalence of Anaplasma parasite in tick carrying buffaloes and cattle. PMID:16252338

New hematological key for bovine leukemia virus-infected Japanese Black cattle.

PubMed

Mekata, Hirohisa; Yamamoto, Mari; Kirino, Yumi; Sekiguchi, Satoshi; Konnai, Satoru; Horii, Yoichiro; Norimine, Junzo

2018-02-20

The European Community's (EC) Key, which is also called Bendixen's Key, is a well-established bovine leukemia virus (BLV) diagnostic method that classifies cattle according to the absolute lymphocyte count and age. The EC Key was originally designed for dairy cattle and is not necessarily suitable for Japanese Black (JB) beef cattle. This study revealed the lymphocyte counts in the BLV-free and -infected JB cattle were significantly lower than those in the Holstein cattle. Therefore, applying the EC Key to JB cattle could result in a large number of undetected BLV-infected cattle. Our proposed hematological key, which was designed for JB cattle, improves the detection of BLV-infected cattle by approximately 20%. We believe that this study could help promote BLV control.

Metabolomics Profiling of Serum and Urine in Three Beef Cattle Breeds Revealed Different Levels of Tolerance to Heat Stress.

PubMed

Liao, Yupeng; Hu, Rui; Wang, Zhisheng; Peng, Quanhui; Dong, Xianwen; Zhang, Xiangfei; Zou, Huawei; Pu, Qijian; Xue, Bai; Wang, Lizhi

2018-06-25

This study was to determine differences in the global metabolic profiles of serum and urine of Xuanhan yellow cattle, Simmental crossbred cattle (Simmental × Xuanhan yellow cattle), and cattle-yaks (Jersey × Maiwa yak) under heat stress (temperature-humidity index remained above 80 for 1 week). A total of 55 different metabolites associated with the three breeds were identified in the serum and urine samples by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The metabolic adaptations to heat stress are heterogeneous. Cattle-yaks mobilize a greater amount of body protein to release glucogenic amino acids to supply energy, whereas the tricarboxylic acid cycle is inhibited. Simmental crossbred cattle mobilize a greater amount of body fat to use free fatty acids as an energy source. In comparison with Simmental crossbred cattle and cattle-yaks, Xuanhan yellow cattle have higher glycolytic activity and possess a stronger antioxidant defense system and are, in conclusion, more adapted to hot and humid environments.

Urinary excretion of purine derivatives in Bos indicus x Bos taurus crossbred cattle.

PubMed

Ojeda, Alvaro; de Parra, Ornella; Balcells, Joaquím; Belenguer, Alvaro

2005-06-01

Four experiments were performed to study the kinetics of purine metabolism and urinary excretion in Zebu crossbred cattle. Fasting excretion was established in Expt 1, using eighteen male Bos indicus x Bos taurus crossbred cattle (261 (SE 9.1) kg body weight), six of each of the following genotypes: 5/8 Bos indicus, 1/2 Bos indicus and 3/8 Bos indicus. No significant differences were observed among genotypes in fasting purine derivative excretion (277.3 (SE 35.43) micromol/metabolic body weight). In a second experiment we measured the xanthine oxidase activity, which was higher in liver than in duodenal mucosa (0.64 and 0.06 (SE 0.12) units/g wet tissue per min respectively; P>0.05) being in plasma 0.60 (SE 0.36) units/l per min. The kinetics of uric acid were measured by intravenous pulse dose of [1,3-15N]uric acid (Expt 3). The cumulative recovery of the isotope in urine was 82 (SE 6.69) %, and uric acid plasma removal, pool size and mean retention time were 0.284 (SE 0.051) per h, 5.45 (SE 0.823) mmol and 3.52 (SE 0.521) h, respectively. Allantoin was removed from plasma at an estimated fractional rate of 0.273 (SE 0.081) per h and mean retention was 3.66 (SE 1.08) h. In Expt 4, the relationship between urinary purine derivative excretion (Y; mmol/d) and digestible organic matter intake (X, kg/d) was defined by the equation: Y=7.69 (SE 4.2)+5.69 (SE 1.68) X; n 16, Se 1.31, r 0.67.

Population sequencing reveals breed and sub-species specific CNVs in cattle

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Individualized copy number variation (CNV) maps have highlighted the need for population surveys of cattle to detect rare and common variants. While SNP and comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) arrays have provided preliminary data, next-generation sequence (NGS) data analysis offers an increased...

Population sequencing reveals breed and sub-species specific CNVs in cattle

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Individualized copy number variation (CNV) maps have highlighted the need for population surveys of cattle to detect the rare and common variants. While SNP and comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) arrays have provided preliminary data, next-generation sequence (NGS) data analysis offers an incre...

Integrated metagenomic analysis of the rumen microbiome of cattle reveals key biological mechanisms associated with methane traits.

PubMed

Wang, Haiying; Zheng, Huiru; Browne, Fiona; Roehe, Rainer; Dewhurst, Richard J; Engel, Felix; Hemmje, Matthias; Lu, Xiangwu; Walsh, Paul

2017-07-15

Methane is one of the major contributors to global warming. The rumen microbiota is directly involved in methane production in cattle. The link between variation in rumen microbial communities and host genetics has important applications and implications in bioscience. Having the potential to reveal the full extent of microbial gene diversity and complex microbial interactions, integrated metagenomics and network analysis holds great promise in this endeavour. This study investigates the rumen microbial community in cattle through the integration of metagenomic and network-based approaches. Based on the relative abundance of 1570 microbial genes identified in a metagenomics analysis, the co-abundance network was constructed and functional modules of microbial genes were identified. One of the main contributions is to develop a random matrix theory-based approach to automatically determining the correlation threshold used to construct the co-abundance network. The resulting network, consisting of 549 microbial genes and 3349 connections, exhibits a clear modular structure with certain trait-specific genes highly over-represented in modules. More specifically, all the 20 genes previously identified to be associated with methane emissions are found in a module (hypergeometric test, p<10 -11 ). One third of genes are involved in methane metabolism pathways. The further examination of abundance profiles across 8 samples of genes highlights that the revealed pattern of metagenomics abundance has a strong association with methane emissions. Furthermore, the module is significantly enriched with microbial genes encoding enzymes that are directly involved in methanogenesis (hypergeometric test, p<10 -9 ). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Principal component analysis of biometric traits to reveal body confirmation in local hill cattle of Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh, India.

PubMed

Verma, Deepak; Sankhyan, Varun; Katoch, Sanjeet; Thakur, Yash Pal

2015-12-01

In the present study, biometric traits (body length [BL], heart girth [HG], paunch girth (PG), forelimb length (FLL), hind limb length (HLL), face length, forehead width, forehead length, height at hump, hump length (HL), hook to hook distance, pin to pin distance, tail length (TL), TL up to switch, horn length, horn circumference, and ear length were studied in 218 adult hill cattle of Himachal Pradesh for phenotypic characterization. Morphological and biometrical observations were recorded on 218 hill cattle randomly selected from different districts within the breeding tract. Multivariate statistics and principal component analysis are used to account for the maximum portion of variation present in the original set of variables with a minimum number of composite variables through Statistical software, SAS 9.2. Five components were extracted which accounted for 65.9% of variance. The first component explained general body confirmation and explained 34.7% variation. It was represented by significant loading for BL, HG, PG, FLL, and HLL. Communality estimate ranged from 0.41 (HL) to 0.88 (TL). Second, third, fourth, and fifth component had a high loading for tail characteristics, horn characteristics, facial biometrics, and rear body, respectively. The result of component analysis of biometric traits suggested that indigenous hill cattle of Himachal Pradesh are small and compact size cattle with a medium hump, horizontally placed short ears, and a long tail. The study also revealed that factors extracted from the present investigation could be used in breeding programs with sufficient reduction in the number of biometric traits to be recorded to explain the body confirmation.

Evaluation of economic effects and the health and performance of the general cattle population after exposure to cattle persistently infected with bovine viral diarrhea virus in a starter feedlot.

PubMed

Hessman, Bill E; Fulton, Robert W; Sjeklocha, David B; Murphy, Timothy A; Ridpath, Julia F; Payton, Mark E

2009-01-01

To evaluate economic effects and health and performance of the general cattle population after exposure to cattle persistently infected (PI) with bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) in a feedlot. 21,743 high-risk calves from the southeastern United States. PI status was determined by use of an antigen-capture ELISA (ACE) and confirmed by use of a second ACE, reverse transcriptase-PCR assay of sera, immunohistochemical analysis, and virus isolation from sera. Groups with various amounts of exposure to BVDV PI cattle were used. After being placed in the feedlot, identified PI cattle were removed from 1 section, but PI cattle remained in another section of the feedlot. Exposure groups for cattle lots arriving without PI animals were determined by spatial association to cattle lots, with PI animals remaining or removed from the lot. 15,348 cattle maintained their exposure group. Performance outcomes improved slightly among the 5 exposure groups as the risk for exposure to BVDV PI cattle decreased. Health outcomes had an association with exposure risk that depended on the exposure group. Comparing cattle lots with direct exposure with those without direct exposure revealed significant improvements in all performance outcomes and in first relapse percentage and mortality percentage in the health outcomes. Economic analysis revealed that fatalities accounted for losses of $5.26/animal and performance losses were $88.26/animal. This study provided evidence that exposure of the general population of feedlot cattle to BVDV PI animals resulted in substantial costs attributable to negative effects on performance and increased fatalities.

Variability of hair coat and skin traits as related to adaptation in Criollo Limonero cattle.

PubMed

Landaeta-Hernández, Antonio; Zambrano-Nava, Sunny; Hernández-Fonseca, Juan P; Godoy, Rosario; Calles, Marcos; Iragorri, José L; Añez, Lauderys; Polanco, Miguel; Montero-Urdaneta, Merilio; Olson, Tim

2011-03-01

The variation in hair coat and skin histology traits of Criollo Limonero cattle was analyzed using 213 Criollo Limonero females. Skin biopsies were obtained from slick-haired (N=16) and normal-haired (N=14) animals. Measured traits included hair length (HL), color coat (CC), number of hair follicles per square centimeter (NHF), sweat glands per square centimeter (NSG), sweat glands size (SGS), sebaceous glands per square centimeter (NSBG), blood vessels per square centimeter (NBV), and thickness of epidermis (TE). Hair length differed (P<0.001) between slick- and normal-haired animals (4.9 ± 0.12 vs 10.9 ± 0.20, respectively). Differences (P<0.01) in CC (Bayo = 144/67.6% vs Red = 69/32.4%) and HL (slick-haired = 199/93.4% vs normal-haired = 14/6.5%) were found. Distribution of slick- and normal-haired animals differed (P<0.01) between bayo-coated and red-coated (139/62.2% vs 9/4.2%; respectively). Most (P<0.05) red-coated animals belonged to a single family. No differences (P>0.05) were found between slick-haired and normal-haired animals in NHF (637 ± 164 vs 587 ± 144, respectively), NSG (556 ± 134 vs 481 ± 118, respectively), NSBG (408 ± 87 vs 366 ± 77, respectively), NBV (1628 ± 393 vs 1541 ± 346, respectively), and TE (1.24 ± 0.14 vs 1.32 ± 0.12, respectively). However, SGS was greater (P<0.01) in slick-haired than normal-haired animals. In conclusion, Criollo Limonero cattle are predominantly bayo-coated, slick-haired, with a reduced number of hair follicles relative to Zebu cattle, sweat and sebaceous glands in proportion to hair follicle numbers, and with a high blood flow irrigating the skin. There is a sub-group of red-coated animals with yellow or cream skin, thicker epidermis, and with a higher frequency of normal-haired animals. It appears that the slick hair gene has been favored by natural selection in this breed.

Cattle cruelty and risks of meat contamination at Akinyele cattle market and slaughter slab in Oyo State, Nigeria.

PubMed

Adeyemo, Olanike K; Adeyemi, Isaac G; Awosanya, Emmanuel J

2009-12-01

Cattle transported to the government-run cattle market and slaughter slab in Akinyele, Oyo State, Nigeria on their final voyage are facing a disturbingly cruel, filthy and unsafe environment that is also raising the risk of contamination of meat sold for human consumption. This report gives a picture of what the cattle have to go through before they are slaughtered. This study also reveals cattle awaiting slaughter in abysmal health conditions, cows pulled with extreme force towards lairage and slaughter slab. Equally disturbing is the filthy situation inside the abattoir where the risk of contamination of meat is significant. Also, poor meat handling, transportation and sales practices subject meat to contamination leading to poor quality and exposure of human consumers to health risk. Development of hygienic slaughter slab operations, improved transportation system for both livestock and meat is therefore recommended; not only for Akinyele, but all abattoirs and slaughter slabs in Nigeria.

Comparative analysis of the IGF2 and ZBED6 gene variants and haplotypes reveals significant effect of growth traits in cattle.

PubMed

Huang, Yong-Zhen; Zhan, Zhao-Yang; Sun, Yu-Jia; Wang, Jing; Li, Ming-Xun; Lan, Xian-Yong; Lei, Chu-Zhao; Zhang, Chun-Lei; Chen, Hong

2013-06-01

Muscle growth is a complex phenomenon regulated by many factors, whereby net growth results from the combined action of synthesis and turnover. Insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2) is a fetal growth and differentiation factor that plays an important role in muscle growth and in myoblast proliferation and differentiation; Zinc finger, BED-type containing 6 (ZBED6) is a novel transcription factor that was identified and shown to act as a repressor of IGF2 transcription in skeletal muscle. In this study, a total of seven single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified, four SNPs in intron 8 of IGF2 and one promoter SNP and two missense mutations in the coding region of ZBED6, two of which were in complete linkage disequilibrium (LD) in the bovine IGF2. The 58 haplotypes were inferred in 1522 individuals representing four purebred cattle breeds from China. The seven SNPs, 79 and 66 combined diplotypes were revealed for association with body mass in Nanyang and Jiaxian cattle populations at five different ages (P < 0.05 or 0.01). The mutant-type variants and haplotype 58 (likely in LD with the beneficial quantitative trait nucleotide allele) was superior for body mass; the heterozygote diplotype of the most common haplotypes 58 was associated with higher body mass compared to either heterozygote or homozygote. The statistical analyses indicated that the mutant-type variants and haplotypes are significantly associated with body mass in study cattle populations at different ages. These data demonstrate that variants and haplotypes are associated with growth traits, and these results may provide important biological insights into the phenotypic differentiation that is associated with adaptation and specialization of cattle breeds.

Immunization against East Coast Fever in field cattle with low infectivity Theileria parva stabilate--preliminary assessment.

PubMed

Mbassa, G K; Kweka, L E; Dulla, P N

1998-05-01

Two Theileria parva sporozoite stabilates stored at -196 degrees C, then at -70 degrees C for six weeks (stabilate 1) and more than six months (stabilate 2) were inoculated into four eight-month old male calves, 1 and 2 (stabilate 1), and 3 and 4 (stabilate 2). Calves 1 and 2 developed pyrexia, enlargement of lymph nodes, and the former died of East Coast Fever. Calves 3 and 4 showed slight enlargement of lymph nodes without fever. Lymph node smears from all calves (from day 10 to 20 post-inoculation) showed lymphoblasts, phagocytic macrophages, and schizonts. Piroplasms were detected in erythrocytes in blood smears from calves 1 and 2 but not in calves 3 and 4. Calves 2, 3 and 4 recovered without any treatment while calf 1 died of East Coast Fever on day 20. Serum samples from recovered calves taken on day 30 of the experiment were positive for antischizont antibodies to T. parva at 1:640 dilution, but pre-inoculation serum samples were negative. Stabilate 2 was used to immunize 64 Boran, Friesian, Ayrshire and crosses with Zebu cattle in four herds with 25% reduction of oxytetracycline dose. All the animals except one calf recovered without any severe reactions. The latter died of disease other than ECF after the monitoring period was over (day 24). Day 30 post-inoculation serum samples were positive for T. parva antischizont antibodies. A follow-up of the remaining animals for over one year revealed no further ECF incidences in these herds. This experiment shows the loss of infectivity of the vaccine stored at temperatures higher than -196 degrees C. dependent on the duration. However, despite the lack of clinical signs in calves 3 and 4, there was cellular response and antibody production, and the stabilate for vaccine against East Coast fever can thus be stored prior to use at higher than -196 degrees C and still maintain capability to produce antibodies in field cattle, eliminating the use of oxytetracycline and monitoring. The vaccine will be cheaper and

Assessing the economic impact of immunisation against East Coast fever: a case study in coast province, Kenya.

PubMed

Mukhebi, A W; Kariuki, D P; Mussukuya, E; Mullins, G; Ngumi, P N; Thorpe, W; Perry, B D

1995-07-01

The cost of immunising cattle against East Coast fever by the infection and treatment method has been calculated for a pilot scheme in Kaloleni Division of the Coast Province of Kenya by using a spreadsheet model. The cost was calculated to be KSh 544 (US$25) per animal (in 1990 values). If a farmer were to bear all this cost, immunisation would be financially profitable in grade cattle, but the benefits of immunisation would not be sufficient to justify the immunisation of zebu cattle. For these animals, the cost of immunisation would have to be in the range of KSh 230 to KSh 415 per animal, or the farm-gate price of milk would have to increase by at least 80 per cent from KSh 7.50 to 13.50/litre, or the government would have to subsidise the cost either partially or fully. The first two possibilities are realistic, because the costs of routine immunisation are likely to be lower than for the pilot scheme, and because the increasing demand for milk is likely to push up prices in the liberalised markets. If both the grade and zebu cattle in Kaloleni Division were targets for immunisation, it is estimated that there would be 14,500 head for immunisation annually, costing an estimated KSh 8 million. The spreadsheet model used to assess the economics of immunisation in the Kaloleni Division could be applied to determine the government or private veterinary service charges for immunisation that would be financially profitable to farmers in a defined cattle production system in any division, district or country. The model could also be used to estimate the annual total number of cattle for immunisation in a target cattle production system and thus help with the financial planning for the exercise.

Balkan brachicerous cattle - the first domesticated cattle in Europe.

PubMed

Hristov, Peter; Sirakova, Daniela; Mitkov, Ivan; Spassov, Nikolai; Radoslavov, Georgi

2018-01-01

The present study aimed to compare mitochondrial diversity among Balkan Neolithic/Chalcolithic cattle and present day Shorthorn Rhodopean cattle (Busha) to throw a new insight into European cattle domestication. The results showed that both ancient- and present-day samples belonged to the macrohaplogroup T. From the 28 sequences (8 ancient and 20 modern), the T1 and T2 haplogroup represent about 3.6% (1/28; 1/28). The T3 haplogroup was with the highest frequency - 57% (16/28). Based on the SNPs on 16057A and 16133C, the new T6 haplogroup was proposed. This haplogroup represents 75% from the ancient and 20% from the present day Bulgarian brachicerous cattle population. The survey in GenBank data base did not find a similar motif, except for the recent Serbian Busha cattle. Overall, these results showed that: (i) The newly named T6 haplogroup is Balkan specific; (ii) The T6 haplogroup survives in present day Bulgarian rhodopean cattle; (iii) The Balkan brachicerous cattle is the oldest European cattle breed.

A genome-wide association study reveals a QTL influencing caudal supernumerary teats in Holstein cattle.

PubMed

Joerg, H; Meili, C; Ruprecht, O; Bangerter, E; Burren, A; Bigler, A

2014-12-01

Supernumerary teats represent a common abnormality of the bovine udder. A genome-wide association study was performed based on the proportion of the occurrence of supernumerary teats in the daughters of 1097 Holstein bulls. The heritability of caudal supernumerary teats without mammary gland in this study was 0.604. The largest proportion of the heritability was attributable to BTA 20. The strongest evidence for association was with five SNPs on chromosome 20, referred to as a QTL. The mode of inheritance at this QTL was dominant. These findings reveal that the occurrence of caudal supernumerary teats without mammary gland in Holstein cattle is influenced by a QTL on chromosome 20 and a polygenic part. The data support the high potential of the SNPs in the QTL region as markers for breeding against caudal supernumerary teats. © 2014 Stichting International Foundation for Animal Genetics.

Ancient mtDNA Analysis of Early 16th Century Caribbean Cattle Provides Insight into Founding Populations of New World Creole Cattle Breeds

PubMed Central

Speller, Camilla F.; Burley, David V.; Woodward, Robyn P.; Yang, Dongya Y.

2013-01-01

The Columbian Exchange resulted in a widespread movement of humans, plants and animals between the Old and New Worlds. The late 15th to early 16th century transfer of cattle from the Iberian Peninsula and Canary Islands to the Caribbean laid the foundation for the development of American creole cattle (Bos taurus) breeds. Genetic analyses of modern cattle from the Americas reveal a mixed ancestry of European, African and Indian origins. Recent debate in the genetic literature centers on the ‘African’ haplogroup T1 and its subhaplogroups, alternatively tying their origins to the initial Spanish herds, and/or from subsequent movements of taurine cattle through the African slave trade. We examine this problem through ancient DNA analysis of early 16th century cattle bone from Sevilla la Nueva, the first Spanish colony in Jamaica. In spite of poor DNA preservation, both T3 and T1 haplogroups were identified in the cattle remains, confirming the presence of T1 in the earliest Spanish herds. The absence, however, of “African-derived American” haplotypes (AA/T1c1a1) in the Sevilla la Nueva sample, leaves open the origins of this sub-haplogroup in contemporary Caribbean cattle. PMID:23894505

Analysis of longitudinal data of beef cattle raised on pasture from northern Brazil using nonlinear models.

PubMed

Lopes, Fernando B; da Silva, Marcelo C; Marques, Ednira G; McManus, Concepta M

2012-12-01

This study was undertaken to aim of estimating the genetic parameters and trends for asymptotic weight (A) and maturity rate (k) of Nellore cattle from northern Brazil. The data set was made available by the Brazilian Association of Zebu Breeders and collected between the years of 1997 and 2007. The Von Bertalanffy, Brody, Gompertz, and logistic nonlinear models were fitted by the Gauss-Newton method to weight-age data of 45,895 animals collected quarterly of the birth to 750 days old. The curve parameters were analyzed using the procedures GLM and CORR. The estimation of (co)variance components and genetic parameters was obtained using the MTDFREML software. The estimated heritability coefficients were 0.21 ± 0.013 and 0.25 ± 0.014 for asymptotic weight and maturity rate, respectively. This indicates that selection for any trait shall results in genetic progress in the herd. The genetic correlation between A and k was negative (-0.57 ± 0.03) and indicated that animals selected for high maturity rate shall result in low asymptotic weight. The Von Bertalanffy function is adequate to establish the mean growth patterns and to predict the adult weight of Nellore cattle. This model is more accurate in predicting the birth weight of these animals and has better overall fit. The prediction of adult weight using nonlinear functions can be accurate when growth curve parameters and their (co)variance components are estimated jointly. The model used in this study can be applied to the prediction of mature weight in herds where a portion of the animals are culled before they reach the adult age.

Occurrence and molecular characterization of Cryptosporidium spp. and Enterocytozoon bieneusi in dairy cattle, beef cattle and water buffaloes in China.

PubMed

Ma, Jingbo; Li, Pei; Zhao, Xiaoping; Xu, Hailing; Wu, Wenxian; Wang, Yuanfei; Guo, Yaqiong; Wang, Lin; Feng, Yaoyu; Xiao, Lihua

2015-01-30

Cryptosporidium spp. and Enterocytozoon bieneusi are important protists in a wide range of vertebrate hosts, causing diarrheal diseases. Cattle are considered potential reservoirs of Cryptosporidium infection in humans, although their role in the transmission of E. bieneusi is not clear. In the present work, 793 fecal specimens from dairy cattle, native beef cattle, and water buffaloes on 11 farms in China were examined for the presence of Cryptosporidium spp. and E. bieneusi using nested PCR targeting the small subunit (SSU) rRNA gene of Cryptosporidium spp. and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) of E. bieneusi. For Cryptosporidium, 144/446 (32.3%) dairy cattle, 44/166 (26.5%) beef cattle, and 43/181 (23.8%) water buffaloes were PCR-positive. Sequence analysis was successful for 213 of the 231 Cryptosporidium-positive isolates; among them 94 had Cryptosporidium andersoni, 61 had Cryptosporidium bovis, 54 had Cryptosporidium ryanae, 2 had a Cryptosporidium suis-like genotype, and 2 had mixed infections of C. bovis and C. ryanae. In dairy and beef cattle, C. andersoni and C. bovis were the most common species, whereas C. ryanae was the dominant species in water buffaloes. The latter species produced SSU rRNA sequences different between cattle and water buffaloes. For E. bieneusi, the infection rate of E. bieneusi in dairy cattle, beef cattle and water buffaloes was 4.9%, 5.4% and 2.2%, respectively. All 35 E. bieneusi-positive specimens were successfully sequenced, revealing the presence of four genotypes: three Group 2 genotypes previously reported in cattle as well as humans (I, J and BEB4) and one Group 1 genotype recently reported in yaks (CHN11). Genotypes I and J were the most common genotypes in dairy and beef cattle, while genotype CHN11 was the only genotype seen in water buffaloes. Thus, the distribution of Cryptosporidium spp. and E. bieneusi in water buffaloes might be different from in dairy and beef cattle in China. These findings indicate that some

Identification of Social Capital on Beef Cattle Farmers Group

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lestari, V. S.; Sirajuddin, S. N.; Abdullah, A.

2018-02-01

Social capital plays an important role in the development of beef cattle farms in South Sulawesi. The aim of this research was to know the social capital of beef cattle farmers in South Sulawesi. Population of this research was 31 beef cattle farmers. Variable of social capital was mutual trust, norms and linkage. The data were collected from observation and depth interview by using questionnaire. There were 10 questions which were adopted from Australian Center for International Agriculture Research. The answer was scored by using Likert scale ranging from 1 refer to strongly disagree; 2 refer to disagree; 3 refer to not sure; 4 refer to agree and 5 refer to strongly agree. The data were analyzed descriptively by using frequency distribution. The research revealed that the social capital of beef cattle farmers was categorized as “high”.

Constraints and efficiency of cattle marketing in semiarid pastoral system in Kenya.

PubMed

Onono, Joshua Orungo; Amimo, Joshua Oluoch; Rushton, Jonathan

2015-04-01

Livestock keeping is regarded as a store of wealth for pastoralists in Kenya, besides their social and cultural functions. The objective of this study was to prioritize constraints to cattle marketing in a semiarid pastoral area of Narok in Kenya and to analyze efficiency of cattle marketing in transit markets located in Garissa, Kajiado and Narok counties. Primary data collection from traders was done through participatory interviews and market surveys, while time series market price data were obtained from secondary sources. Five focus group interviews were organized with a total of 61 traders in markets from Narok County, while a total of 187 traders who purchased cattle from transit markets provided data on a number of cattle purchased, purpose of purchase, buying prices and mode of transport. Market performance was analyzed through trader's market share, gross margins, Gini coefficient and coefficient of correlation between time series price data. The marketing constraints which were ranked high included lack of market for meat, trekking of cattle to markets, lack of price information and occurrence of diseases. About 10 % of traders purchased over 50 % of cattle which were supplied in markets, revealing a high concentration index. Further, a gross marketing margin per cattle purchased was positive in all markets revealing profitability. Moderate correlation coefficients existed between time series market price data for cattle purchased from Ewaso Ngiro and Mulot markets (r = 0.5; p < 0.05), while those between Dagoretti and Garissa markets were weak (r = 0.2; p > 0.05). The integration of markets, occurrence of diseases and trekking of cattle to markets are factors which may increase a risk of infectious disease spread. These results call for support of disease surveillance activities within markets in pastoral areas so that farms and systems which are connected are protected from threats of infectious diseases.

Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in beef cattle and dairy cattle in northeast China.

PubMed

Qiu, Jian-Hua; Wang, Chun-Ren; Zhang, Xu; Sheng, Zhong-Hua; Chang, Qiao-Chen; Zhao, Quan; Wu, Song-Ming; Zou, Feng-Cai; Zhu, Xing-Quan

2012-07-01

The seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in beef cattle and dairy cattle in Heilongjiang Province, northeast China, was surveyed between April 2009 and May 2011. A total of 1803 (693 beef cattle and 1110 dairy cattle) serum samples were collected from 10 administrative regions rearing beef cattle and dairy cattle, and antibodies to T. gondii were examined by indirect hemagglutination (IHA) test. The overall seroprevalence of T. gondii in beef cattle and dairy cattle was 2.6% (46/1803), and the prevalence in beef cattle (3.0%) was slightly higher than that in dairy cattle (2.3%). The prevalence of antibodies in adult animals was higher than that in calves, but the differences among the age groups were not significant (p>0.05). The seroprevalence in female (3.4%) and male (2.5%) beef cattle was not statistically significant (p>0.05). Though the prevalence in intensively reared beef cattle and dairy cattle was lower than that in semi-intensively reared animals, the difference was not statistically significant (p>0.05). The results of this survey indicated the presence of T. gondii infection in beef cattle and dairy cattle in Heilongjiang Province, the coldest province in China, which may cause economic losses to the local livestock industry, and may be a source of T. gondii infection for humans in this region.

Diet-induced modulation of pharmacokinetics of albendazole in Sahiwal cattle.

PubMed

Sanyal, P K; Rawte, D; Kerketta, A E; Kumbhakar, N K; Kumar, D; Pal, S; Baghel, K R; Bisen, S

2016-09-01

The influence of diet type and pre-treatment fasting on the kinetic disposition of albendazole was evaluated in Sahiwal heifers following oral and intra-ruminal administration of the drug. The anthelmintically active moiety albendazole sulphoxide appeared early and was eliminated early in cattle offered green fodder, with decreased maximum concentration (C max) and area under concentration-time curve (AUC) when the drug was administered both through oral and intra-ruminal routes. Further, the elimination half-life (t ½β) revealed significantly increased values for albendazole sulphoxide in cattle administered albendazole through the intra-ruminal route. An increased AUC and t ½β is reflective of increased bioavailability of albendazole in animals offered dry fodder. Increased values (P <  0.05) of C max, time to C max (T max), AUC and t ½β for albendazole sulphoxide occurred in cattle with a pre-treatment 24-h fast, resulting in its increased bioavailability. Extrapolation of data of the active metabolite albendazole sulphoxide levels in terms of drug-parasite contact revealed increased exposure of parasites to the drug in cattle administered albendazole through the intra-ruminal route and with 24-h pre-treatment fasting.

qPCR estimates of Babesia bovis and Babesia bigemina infection levels in beef cattle and Rhipicephalus microplus larvae.

PubMed

Giglioti, Rodrigo; de Oliveira, Henrique Nunes; Okino, Cintia Hiromi; de Sena Oliveira, Márcia Cristina

2018-05-04

Babesia spp. are tick-transmitted intraerythrocytic apicomplexan parasites that infect wild and domestic animals. Babesia bovis and B. bigemina are endemic and responsible for enormous economic losses to the livestock industry in most of the Brazilian territory, wherein the tick Rhipicephalus microplus is the unique vector. Better understanding of epidemiology and parasite-host interactions may improve the tools for disease control and genetic management for selection of resistant animals. This study aimed to detect, quantify and measure the correlation between B. bigemina and B. bovis infection levels in bovine blood and into tick, by absolute quantification of hemoparasite DNA using qPCR. Blood bovine samples and larvae pools from 10 engorged R. microplus females were collected from each Canchim heifers (5/8 Charolais + 3/8 zebu, n = 36). All evaluated samples were positive for both Babesia species tested. Correlations of B. bovis and B. bigemina levels between cattle and tick host were 0.58 and 0.66, respectively. These high positive correlation coefficients indicate that parasitemia load in the bovine may be dependent on or may determine the parasitemia load in the ticks.

Development of an antibody to bovine IL-2 reveals multifunctional CD4 T(EM) cells in cattle naturally infected with bovine tuberculosis.

PubMed

Whelan, Adam O; Villarreal-Ramos, Bernardo; Vordermeier, H Martin; Hogarth, Philip J

2011-01-01

Gaining a better understanding of the T cell mechanisms underlying natural immunity to bovine tuberculosis would help to identify immune correlates of disease progression and facilitate the rational design of improved vaccine and diagnostic strategies. CD4 T cells play an established central role in immunity to TB, and recent interest has focussed on the potential role of multifunctional CD4 T cells expressing IFN-γ, IL-2 and TNF-α. Until now, it has not been possible to assess the contribution of these multifunctional CD4 T cells in cattle due to the lack of reagents to detect bovine IL-2 (bIL-2). Using recombinant phage display technology, we have identified an antibody that recognises biologically active bIL-2. Using this antibody, we have developed a polychromatic flow cytometric staining panel that has allowed the investigation of multifunctional CD4 T-cells responses in cattle naturally infected with M. bovis. Assessment of the frequency of antigen specific CD4 T cell subsets reveals a dominant IFN-γ(+)IL-2(+)TNF-α(+) and IFN-γ(+) TNF-α(+) response in naturally infected cattle. These multifunctional CD4 T cells express a CD44(hi)CD45RO(+)CD62L(lo) T-effector memory (T(EM)) phenotype and display higher cytokine median fluorescence intensities than single cytokine producers, consistent with an enhanced 'quality of response' as reported for multifunctional cells in human and murine systems. Through our development of these novel immunological bovine tools, we provide the first description of multifunctional T(EM) cells in cattle. Application of these tools will improve our understanding of protective immunity in bovine TB and allow more direct comparisons of the complex T cell mediated immune responses between murine models, human clinical studies and bovine TB models in the future. © 2011 Whelan et al.

Whole Genome Sequencing Reveals Local Transmission Patterns of Mycobacterium bovis in Sympatric Cattle and Badger Populations

PubMed Central

Wright, David; Mallon, Tom; McCormick, Carl; Orton, Richard J.; McDowell, Stanley; Trewby, Hannah; Skuce, Robin A.; Kao, Rowland R.

2012-01-01

Whole genome sequencing (WGS) technology holds great promise as a tool for the forensic epidemiology of bacterial pathogens. It is likely to be particularly useful for studying the transmission dynamics of an observed epidemic involving a largely unsampled ‘reservoir’ host, as for bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in British and Irish cattle and badgers. BTB is caused by Mycobacterium bovis, a member of the M. tuberculosis complex that also includes the aetiological agent for human TB. In this study, we identified a spatio-temporally linked group of 26 cattle and 4 badgers infected with the same Variable Number Tandem Repeat (VNTR) type of M. bovis. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) between sequences identified differences that were consistent with bacterial lineages being persistent on or near farms for several years, despite multiple clear whole herd tests in the interim. Comparing WGS data to mathematical models showed good correlations between genetic divergence and spatial distance, but poor correspondence to the network of cattle movements or within-herd contacts. Badger isolates showed between zero and four SNP differences from the nearest cattle isolate, providing evidence for recent transmissions between the two hosts. This is the first direct genetic evidence of M. bovis persistence on farms over multiple outbreaks with a continued, ongoing interaction with local badgers. However, despite unprecedented resolution, directionality of transmission cannot be inferred at this stage. Despite the often notoriously long timescales between time of infection and time of sampling for TB, our results suggest that WGS data alone can provide insights into TB epidemiology even where detailed contact data are not available, and that more extensive sampling and analysis will allow for quantification of the extent and direction of transmission between cattle and badgers. PMID:23209404

Evaluation of Animal Genetic and Physiological Factors That Affect the Prevalence of Escherichia coli O157 in Cattle

PubMed Central

Jeon, Soo Jin; Elzo, Mauricio; DiLorenzo, Nicolas; Lamb, G. Cliff; Jeong, Kwang Cheol

2013-01-01

Controlling the prevalence of Escherichia coli O157 in cattle at the pre-harvest level is critical to reduce outbreaks of this pathogen in humans. Multilayers of factors including the environmental and bacterial factors modulate the colonization and persistence of E. coli O157 in cattle that serve as a reservoir of this pathogen. Here, we report animal factors contributing to the prevalence of E. coli O157 in cattle. We observe the lowest number of E. coli O157 in Brahman breed when compared with other crosses in an Angus-Brahman multibreed herd, and bulls excrete more E. coli O157 than steers in the pens where cattle were housed together. The presence of super-shedders, cattle excreting >105 CFU/rectal anal swab, increases the concentration of E. coli O157 in the pens; thereby super-shedders enhance transmission of this pathogen among cattle. Molecular subtyping analysis reveal only one subtype of E. coli O157 in the multibreed herd, indicating the variance in the levels of E. coli O157 in cattle is influenced by animal factors. Furthermore, strain tracking after relocation of the cattle to a commercial feedlot reveals farm-to-farm transmission of E. coli O157, likely via super-shedders. Our results reveal high risk factors in the prevalence of E. coli O157 in cattle whereby animal genetic and physiological factors influence whether this pathogen can persist in cattle at high concentration, providing insights to intervene this pathogen at the pre-harvest level. PMID:23405204

Grazing Affects Exosomal Circulating MicroRNAs in Cattle

PubMed Central

Muroya, Susumu; Ogasawara, Hideki; Hojito, Masayuki

2015-01-01

Circulating microRNAs (c-miRNAs) are associated with physiological adaptation to acute and chronic aerobic exercise in humans. To investigate the potential effect of grazing movement on miRNA circulation in cattle, here we profiled miRNA expression in centrifugally prepared exosomes from the plasma of both grazing and housed Japanese Shorthorn cattle. Microarray analysis of the c-miRNAs resulted in detection of a total of 231 bovine exosomal miRNAs in the plasma, with a constant expression level of let-7g across the duration and cattle groups. Expression of muscle-specific miRNAs such as miR-1, miR-133a, miR-206, miR-208a/b, and miR-499 were undetectable, suggesting the mildness of grazing movement as exercise. According to validation by quantitative RT-PCR, the circulating miR-150 level in the grazing cattle normalized by the endogenous let-7g level was down-regulated after 2 and 4 months of grazing (P < 0.05), and then its levels in housed and grazing cattle equalized when the grazing cattle were returned to a housed situation. Likewise, the levels of miR-19b, miR-148a, miR-221, miR-223, miR-320a, miR-361, and miR-486 were temporarily lowered in the cattle at 1 and/or 2 month of grazing compared to those of the housed cattle (P < 0.05). In contrast, the miR-451 level was up-regulated in the grazing cattle at 2 months of grazing (P = 0.044). The elevation of miR-451 level in the plasma was coincident with that in the biceps femoris muscle of the grazing cattle (P = 0.008), which suggests the secretion or intake of miR-451 between skeletal muscle cells and circulation during grazing. These results revealed that exosomal c-miRNAs in cattle were affected by grazing, suggesting their usefulness as molecular grazing markers and functions in physiological adaptation of grazing cattle associated with endocytosis, focal adhesion, axon guidance, and a variety of intracellular signaling, as predicted by bioinformatic analysis. PMID:26308447

Effectiveness of a 95 SNP panel for the screening of breed label fraud in the Chinese meat market.

PubMed

Rogberg-Muñoz, A; Wei, S; Ripoli, M V; Guo, B L; Carino, M H; Lirón, J P; Prando, A J; Vaca, R J A; Peral-García, P; Wei, Y M; Giovambattista, G

2016-01-01

Breed assignment has proved to be useful to control meat trade and protect the value of special productions. Meat-related frauds have been detected in China; therefore, 95 SNPs selected from the ISAG core panel were evaluated to develop an automated and technologically updated tool to screen breed label fraud in the Chinese meat market. A total of 271 animals from four Chinese yellow cattle (CYC) populations, six Bos taurus breeds, two Bos indicus and one composite were used. The allocation test distinguished European, Japanese and Zebu breeds, and two Chinese genetic components. It correctly allocated Japanese Black, Zebu and British breeds in 100, 90 and 89% of samples, respectively. CYC evidenced the Zebu, Holstein and Limousin introgression. The test did not detect CYC components in any of the 25 samples from Argentinean butchers. The method could be useful to certify Angus, Hereford and Japanese Black meat, but a modification in the panel would be needed to differentiate other breeds. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Diversity of the TLR4 Immunity Receptor in Czech Native Cattle Breeds Revealed Using the Pacific Biosciences Sequencing Platform.

PubMed

Novák, Karel; Pikousová, Jitka; Czerneková, Vladimíra; Mátlová, Věra

2017-07-03

The allelic variants of immunity genes in historical breeds likely reflect local infection pressure and therefore represent a reservoir for breeding. Screening to determine the diversity of the Toll-like receptor gene TLR4 was conducted in two conserved cattle breeds: Czech Red and Czech Red Pied. High-throughput sequencing of pooled PCR amplicons using the PacBio platform revealed polymorphisms, which were subsequently confirmed via genotyping techniques. Eight SNPs found in coding and adjacent regions were grouped into 18 haplotypes, representing a significant portion of the known diversity in the global breed panel and presumably exceeding diversity in production populations. Notably, the ancient Czech Red breed appeared to possess greater haplotype diversity than the Czech Red Pied breed, a Simmental variant, although the haplotype frequencies might have been distorted by significant crossbreeding and bottlenecks in the history of Czech Red cattle. The differences in haplotype frequencies validated the phenotypic distinctness of the local breeds. Due to the availability of Czech Red Pied production herds, the effect of intensive breeding on TLR diversity can be evaluated in this model. The advantages of the Pacific Biosciences technology for the resequencing of long PCR fragments with subsequent direct phasing were independently validated.

Widespread movement of invasive cattle fever ticks (Rhipicephalus microplus) in southern Texas leads to shared local infestations on cattle and deer.

PubMed

Busch, Joseph D; Stone, Nathan E; Nottingham, Roxanne; Araya-Anchetta, Ana; Lewis, Jillian; Hochhalter, Christian; Giles, John R; Gruendike, Jeffrey; Freeman, Jeanne; Buckmeier, Greta; Bodine, Deanna; Duhaime, Roberta; Miller, Robert J; Davey, Ronald B; Olafson, Pia U; Scoles, Glen A; Wagner, David M

2014-04-17

Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus is a highly-invasive tick that transmits the cattle parasites (Babesia bovis and B. bigemina) that cause cattle fever. R. microplus and Babesia are endemic in Mexico and ticks persist in the United States inside a narrow tick eradication quarantine area (TEQA) along the Rio Grande. This containment area is threatened by unregulated movements of illegal cattle and wildlife like white-tailed deer (WTD; Odocoileus virginianus). Using 11 microsatellite loci we genotyped 1,247 R. microplus from 63 Texas collections, including outbreak infestations from outside the TEQA. We used population genetic analyses to test hypotheses about ecological persistence, tick movement, and impacts of the eradication program in southern Texas. We tested acaricide resistance with larval packet tests (LPTs) on 47 collections. LPTs revealed acaricide resistance in 15/47 collections (32%); 11 were outside the TEQA and three were resistant to multiple acaricides. Some collections highly resistant to permethrin were found on cattle and WTD. Analysis of genetic differentiation over time at seven properties revealed local gene pools with very low levels of differentiation (FST 0.00-0.05), indicating persistence over timespans of up to 29 months. However, in one neighborhood differentiation varied greatly over a 12-month period (FST 0.03-0.13), suggesting recurring immigration from distinct sources as another persistence mechanism. Ticks collected from cattle and WTD at the same location are not differentiated (FST = 0), implicating ticks from WTD as a source of ticks on cattle (and vice versa) and emphasizing the importance of WTD to tick control strategies. We identified four major genetic groups (K = 4) using Bayesian population assignment, suggesting multiple introductions to Texas. Two dispersal mechanisms give rise to new tick infestations: 1) frequent short-distance dispersal from the TEQA; and 2) rare long-distance, human-mediated dispersal from

Widespread movement of invasive cattle fever ticks (Rhipicephalus microplus) in southern Texas leads to shared local infestations on cattle and deer

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus is a highly-invasive tick that transmits the cattle parasites (Babesia bovis and B. bigemina) that cause cattle fever. R. microplus and Babesia are endemic in Mexico and ticks persist in the United States inside a narrow tick eradication quarantine area (TEQA) along the Rio Grande. This containment area is threatened by unregulated movements of illegal cattle and wildlife like white-tailed deer (WTD; Odocoileus virginianus). Methods Using 11 microsatellite loci we genotyped 1,247 R. microplus from 63 Texas collections, including outbreak infestations from outside the TEQA. We used population genetic analyses to test hypotheses about ecological persistence, tick movement, and impacts of the eradication program in southern Texas. We tested acaricide resistance with larval packet tests (LPTs) on 47 collections. Results LPTs revealed acaricide resistance in 15/47 collections (32%); 11 were outside the TEQA and three were resistant to multiple acaricides. Some collections highly resistant to permethrin were found on cattle and WTD. Analysis of genetic differentiation over time at seven properties revealed local gene pools with very low levels of differentiation (FST 0.00-0.05), indicating persistence over timespans of up to 29 months. However, in one neighborhood differentiation varied greatly over a 12-month period (FST 0.03-0.13), suggesting recurring immigration from distinct sources as another persistence mechanism. Ticks collected from cattle and WTD at the same location are not differentiated (FST = 0), implicating ticks from WTD as a source of ticks on cattle (and vice versa) and emphasizing the importance of WTD to tick control strategies. We identified four major genetic groups (K = 4) using Bayesian population assignment, suggesting multiple introductions to Texas. Conclusions Two dispersal mechanisms give rise to new tick infestations: 1) frequent short-distance dispersal from the TEQA; and 2) rare long

Global gene transcriptome analysis in vaccinated cattle revealed a dominant role of IL-22 for protection against bovine tuberculosis.

PubMed

Bhuju, Sabin; Aranday-Cortes, Elihu; Villarreal-Ramos, Bernardo; Xing, Zhou; Singh, Mahavir; Vordermeier, H Martin

2012-12-01

Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is a chronic disease of cattle caused by Mycobacterium bovis, a member of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex group of bacteria. Vaccination of cattle might offer a long-term solution for controlling the disease and priority has been given to the development of a cattle vaccine against bTB. Identification of biomarkers in tuberculosis research remains elusive and the goal is to identify host correlates of protection. We hypothesized that by studying global gene expression we could identify in vitro predictors of protection that could help to facilitate vaccine development. Calves were vaccinated with BCG or with a heterologous BCG prime adenovirally vectored subunit boosting protocol. Protective efficacy was determined after M. bovis challenge. RNA was prepared from PPD-stimulated PBMC prepared from vaccinated-protected, vaccinated-unprotected and unvaccinated control cattle prior to M. bovis challenge and global gene expression determined by RNA-seq. 668 genes were differentially expressed in vaccinated-protected cattle compared with vaccinated-unprotected and unvaccinated control cattle. Cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction was the most significant pathway related to this dataset with IL-22 expression identified as the dominant surrogate of protection besides INF-γ. Finally, the expression of these candidate genes identified by RNA-seq was evaluated by RT-qPCR in an independent set of PBMC samples from BCG vaccinated and unvaccinated calves. This experiment confirmed the importance of IL-22 as predictor of vaccine efficacy.

Molecular identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in cattle.

PubMed

Sweetline Anne, N; Ronald, B S M; Kumar, T M A Senthil; Kannan, P; Thangavelu, A

2017-01-01

Bovine tuberculosis continued to be a re-emerging problem in some countries especially in endemic areas due to the fact that human and animal health surveillance system is not adopted to diagnose the infection. This crisis can be attributed due to sharing of the same habitat especially in rural areas. In the present study, a total of 148 samples were collected from cattle for isolation over a period of 3 years from cattle with and without lesions, of which 67 isolates were obtained by culture. Fifty one isolates were identified as Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) by IS6110 PCR of which 43 (84.3%) were identified as M. tuberculosis and 08 (15.6%) were identified as M. bovis by using 12.7kb fragment multiplex PCR. Among this, 31 isolates which were positive for IS6110 PCR were subjected to spoligotyping and revealed 28 isolates belonging to MANU1 strain of M. tuberculosis. This study clearly indicates that high prevalence of M. tuberculosis than M. bovis in bovine was identified by means of culture and by molecular methods M. tuberculosis can affect cattle producing lesion in contradiction to the earlier thoughts. This study speculates that M. tuberculosis MANU1 strain infection in cattle could be due to spill over from human or other non specific hosts in tuberculosis endemic areas. Though bovine tuberculosis due to M. tuberculosis in cattle is not considered a serious threat worldwide, in countries where human TB is endemic, M. tuberculosis infection of cattle needs to be considered. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Are brucellosis, Q fever and melioidosis potential causes of febrile illness in Madagascar?

PubMed

Boone, Ides; Henning, Klaus; Hilbert, Angela; Neubauer, Heinrich; von Kalckreuth, Vera; Dekker, Denise Myriam; Schwarz, Norbert Georg; Pak, Gi Deok; Krüger, Andreas; Hagen, Ralf Matthias; Frickmann, Hagen; Heriniaina, Jean Noël; Rakotozandrindrainy, Raphael; Rakotondrainiarivelo, Jean Philibert; Razafindrabe, Tsiry; Hogan, Benedikt; May, Jürgen; Marks, Florian; Poppert, Sven; Al Dahouk, Sascha

2017-08-01

Brucellosis, Q fever and melioidosis are zoonoses, which can lead to pyrexia. These diseases are often under-ascertained and underreported because of their unspecific clinical signs and symptoms, insufficient awareness by physicians and public health officers and limited diagnostic capabilities, especially in low-resource countries. Therefore, the presence of Brucella spp., Coxiella burnetii and Burkholderia pseudomallei was investigated in Malagasy patients exhibiting febrile illness. In addition, we analyzed zebu cattle and their ticks as potential reservoirs for Brucella and C. burnetii, respectively. Specific quantitative real-time PCR assays (qPCRs) were performed on 1020 blood samples drawn from febrile patients. In total, 15 samples (1.5%) were Brucella-positive, mainly originating from patients without travel history, while DNA from C. burnetii and Bu. pseudomallei was not detected. Anti-C. burnetii antibodies were found in four out of 201 zebu serum samples (2%), whereas anti-Brucella antibodies could not be detected. Brucella DNA was detected in a single zebu sample. Three out of 330 ticks analyzed (1%) were positively tested for C. burnetii DNA but with high Ct values in the qPCR assay. Our data suggest that zebus as well as Amblyomma and Boophilus ticks have to be considered as a natural reservoir or vector for C. burnetii, but the risk of cattle-to-human transmission is low. Since bovine brucellosis does not seem to contribute to human infections in Madagascar, other transmission routes have to be assumed. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Molecular genetic analysis of ancient cattle bones excavated from archaeological sites in Jeju, Korea.

PubMed

Kim, Jae-Hwan; Oh, Ju-Hyung; Song, Ji-Hoon; Jeon, Jin-Tae; Han, Sang-Hyun; Jung, Yong-Hwan; Oh, Moon-You

2005-12-31

Ancient cattle bones were excavated from archaeological sites in Jeju, Korea. We used molecular genetic techniques to identify the species and establish its relationship to extant cattle breeds. Ancient DNA was extracted from four sources: a humerus (Gonae site, A.D. 700-800), two fragments of radius, and a tooth (Kwakji site, A.D. 0-900). The mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) D-loop regions were cloned, sequenced, and compared with previously reported sequences of various cattle breeds (9 Asian, 8 European, and 3 African). The results revealed that these bones were of the breed, Bos taurus, and a phylogenetic tree indicated that the four cattle bones formed a monophyletic group with Jeju native black cattle. However, the patterns of sequence variation and reports from archaeological sites suggest that a few wild cattle, with a different maternal lineage, may have existed on Jeju Island. Our results will contribute to further studies of the origin of Jeju native cattle and the possible existence of local wild cattle.

Reconstruction of metabolic pathways for the cattle genome

PubMed Central

Seo, Seongwon; Lewin, Harris A

2009-01-01

Background Metabolic reconstruction of microbial, plant and animal genomes is a necessary step toward understanding the evolutionary origins of metabolism and species-specific adaptive traits. The aims of this study were to reconstruct conserved metabolic pathways in the cattle genome and to identify metabolic pathways with missing genes and proteins. The MetaCyc database and PathwayTools software suite were chosen for this work because they are widely used and easy to implement. Results An amalgamated cattle genome database was created using the NCBI and Ensembl cattle genome databases (based on build 3.1) as data sources. PathwayTools was used to create a cattle-specific pathway genome database, which was followed by comprehensive manual curation for the reconstruction of metabolic pathways. The curated database, CattleCyc 1.0, consists of 217 metabolic pathways. A total of 64 mammalian-specific metabolic pathways were modified from the reference pathways in MetaCyc, and two pathways previously identified but missing from MetaCyc were added. Comparative analysis of metabolic pathways revealed the absence of mammalian genes for 22 metabolic enzymes whose activity was reported in the literature. We also identified six human metabolic protein-coding genes for which the cattle ortholog is missing from the sequence assembly. Conclusion CattleCyc is a powerful tool for understanding the biology of ruminants and other cetartiodactyl species. In addition, the approach used to develop CattleCyc provides a framework for the metabolic reconstruction of other newly sequenced mammalian genomes. It is clear that metabolic pathway analysis strongly reflects the quality of the underlying genome annotations. Thus, having well-annotated genomes from many mammalian species hosted in BioCyc will facilitate the comparative analysis of metabolic pathways among different species and a systems approach to comparative physiology. PMID:19284618

Spatial-temporal and phylogeographic characterization of Trypanosoma spp. in cattle (Bos taurus) and buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) reveals transmission dynamics of these parasites in Colombia.

PubMed

Jaimes-Dueñez, Jeiczon; Triana-Chávez, Omar; Mejía-Jaramillo, Ana M

2018-01-15

Animal Trypanosomiasis (AT) is one of the most important problems in the Colombian livestock industry reducing its production around 30%. Caribbean and Orinoquia regions play a significant role in the development of this industry, having about 6.9 million cattle and 113,000 buffaloes. Considering the paucity in studies to understand the epidemiological features and control of AT in Colombia, the present study reports the seasonal transmission patterns and phylogeographic traits of the causal agents of AT in cattle and buffaloes from these regions. Between 2014 and 2016, a three-point longitudinal survey was designed to evaluate the mentioned characteristics. Molecular analysis in cattle showed an AT prevalence of 39.2% (T. theileri 38.6%, T. evansi 6.7% and T. vivax 0.2%), with higher values during wet and late wet seasons, while in buffaloes the prevalence was 28.2% (T. theileri 28.2% and T. evansi 1.3%), with higher values during the dry season. Additionally, variables such as tabanid abundance, vector control, breeding system, age and anemia signs were significantly associated with AT prevalence (P<0.05). Only T. theileri infection was higher in cattle with anemia signs than those with normal packed cell volume. Finally, phylogeographic analysis revealed that Colombian T. theileri isolates were associated to specific host genotypes IA and IIB, described worldwide; T. vivax isolates were related to the genotype from West Africa; while T. evansi isolates are related to the South American genotypes and to new genotypes. This is the first longitudinal survey that evaluates through molecular methods, the infection of Trypanosoma spp. in two important livestock regions from Colombia, showing that the clinical effects and prevalence of these trypanosomes in cattle and buffaloes are modulated by seasonal variations, host factors, and parasite traits. The results suggest that these factors have to be taken into account to successfully control AT in these regions

DGAT1 K232A polymorphism in Brazilian cattle breeds.

PubMed

Lacorte, G A; Machado, M A; Martinez, M L; Campos, A L; Maciel, R P; Verneque, R S; Teodoro, R L; Peixoto, M G C D; Carvalho, M R S; Fonseca, C G

2006-08-31

Recent reports identified DGAT1 (EC 2.3.1.20) harboring a lysine to alanine substitution (K232A) as a candidate gene with a strong effect on milk production traits. Our objective was to estimate the frequency of the DGAT1 K232A polymorphism in the main Zebu and Taurine breeds in Brazil as well as in Zebu x Taurine crossbreds as a potential QTL for marker-assisted selection. Samples of 331 animals from the main Brazilian breeds, Nellore, Guzerat, Red Sindhi, Gyr, Holstein, and Gyr x Holstein F1 were genotyped for DGAT1 K232A polymorphism (A and K alleles) using the PCR-RFLP technique. The highest frequency of the A allele was found in the Holstein sample (73%) followed by Gyr x Holstein F1 (39%). Gyr and Red Sindhi showed low frequencies of A alleles (4 and 2.5%, respectively). The A allele was not found in the Nellore and Guzerat samples. Our results could be used to guide association studies between this locus and milk traits in these breeds.

Whole-genome scan reveals significant non-additive effects for sire conception rate in Holstein cattle.

PubMed

Nicolini, Paula; Amorín, Rocío; Han, Yi; Peñagaricano, Francisco

2018-02-27

Service sire has a considerable impact on reproductive success in dairy cattle. Most gene mapping studies for bull fertility have focused on additive effects, while non-additive effects have been largely ignored. The main goal of this study was to assess the relevance of non-additive effects on Sire Conception Rate (SCR) in Holstein dairy cattle. The analysis included 7.5 k Holstein bulls with both SCR records and 57.8 k single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers spanning the entire genome. The importance of non-additive effects was evaluated using an efficient two-step mixed model-based approach. Four genomic regions located on chromosomes BTA8, BTA9, BTA13 and BTA17 showed marked dominance and/or recessive effects. Most of these regions harbor genes, such as ADAM28, DNAJA1, TBC1D20, SPO11, PIWIL3 and TMEM119, that are directly implicated in testis development, male germ line maintenance, and sperm maturation. This study provides further evidence for the relevance of non-additive effects in fitness-related traits, such as male fertility. In addition, these findings may point out new strategies for improving service sire fertility in dairy cattle via marker-assisted selection.

Criollo cattle: Heritage genetics for arid landscapes

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Thirty cows and three bulls from the Chinipas region in the state of Chihuahua, Mexico, were introduced onto the US Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Research Service’s Jornada Experimental Range (JER) in 2005. Since then behavioral research has revealed these cattle, most accurately referre...

Genetic diversity and population structure among six cattle breeds in South Africa using a whole genome SNP panel

PubMed Central

Makina, Sithembile O.; Muchadeyi, Farai C.; van Marle-Köster, Este; MacNeil, Michael D.; Maiwashe, Azwihangwisi

2014-01-01

Information about genetic diversity and population structure among cattle breeds is essential for genetic improvement, understanding of environmental adaptation as well as utilization and conservation of cattle breeds. This study investigated genetic diversity and the population structure among six cattle breeds in South African (SA) including Afrikaner (n = 44), Nguni (n = 54), Drakensberger (n = 47), Bonsmara (n = 44), Angus (n = 31), and Holstein (n = 29). Genetic diversity within cattle breeds was analyzed using three measures of genetic diversity namely allelic richness (AR), expected heterozygosity (He) and inbreeding coefficient (f). Genetic distances between breed pairs were evaluated using Nei's genetic distance. Population structure was assessed using model-based clustering (ADMIXTURE). Results of this study revealed that the allelic richness ranged from 1.88 (Afrikaner) to 1.73 (Nguni). Afrikaner cattle had the lowest level of genetic diversity (He = 0.24) and the Drakensberger cattle (He = 0.30) had the highest level of genetic variation among indigenous and locally-developed cattle breeds. The level of inbreeding was lower across the studied cattle breeds. As expected the average genetic distance was the greatest between indigenous cattle breeds and Bos taurus cattle breeds but the lowest among indigenous and locally-developed breeds. Model-based clustering revealed some level of admixture among indigenous and locally-developed breeds and supported the clustering of the breeds according to their history of origin. The results of this study provided useful insight regarding genetic structure of SA cattle breeds. PMID:25295053

Genetic diversity and population structure among six cattle breeds in South Africa using a whole genome SNP panel.

PubMed

Makina, Sithembile O; Muchadeyi, Farai C; van Marle-Köster, Este; MacNeil, Michael D; Maiwashe, Azwihangwisi

2014-01-01

Information about genetic diversity and population structure among cattle breeds is essential for genetic improvement, understanding of environmental adaptation as well as utilization and conservation of cattle breeds. This study investigated genetic diversity and the population structure among six cattle breeds in South African (SA) including Afrikaner (n = 44), Nguni (n = 54), Drakensberger (n = 47), Bonsmara (n = 44), Angus (n = 31), and Holstein (n = 29). Genetic diversity within cattle breeds was analyzed using three measures of genetic diversity namely allelic richness (AR), expected heterozygosity (He) and inbreeding coefficient (f). Genetic distances between breed pairs were evaluated using Nei's genetic distance. Population structure was assessed using model-based clustering (ADMIXTURE). Results of this study revealed that the allelic richness ranged from 1.88 (Afrikaner) to 1.73 (Nguni). Afrikaner cattle had the lowest level of genetic diversity (He = 0.24) and the Drakensberger cattle (He = 0.30) had the highest level of genetic variation among indigenous and locally-developed cattle breeds. The level of inbreeding was lower across the studied cattle breeds. As expected the average genetic distance was the greatest between indigenous cattle breeds and Bos taurus cattle breeds but the lowest among indigenous and locally-developed breeds. Model-based clustering revealed some level of admixture among indigenous and locally-developed breeds and supported the clustering of the breeds according to their history of origin. The results of this study provided useful insight regarding genetic structure of SA cattle breeds.

Multilocus sequence typing of Mycoplasma bovis reveals host-specific genotypes in cattle versus bison

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Mycoplasma bovis is a primary agent of mastitis, pneumonia and arthritis in cattle and is the bacterium isolated most frequently from the polymicrobial syndrome known as bovine respiratory disease complex (BRDC). Recently, M. bovis has emerged as a significant health problem in bison, causing necro...

Detection of bovine papilloma viruses in wart-like lesions of upper gastrointestinal tract of cattle and buffaloes.

PubMed

Kumar, P; Nagarajan, N; Saikumar, G; Arya, R S; Somvanshi, R

2015-06-01

In present investigation, etiopathological characterization of upper gastrointestinal tract (GIT) tumours of cattle and buffaloes was undertaken. A total of 27 GIT wart-like lesions in rumen, reticulum, mouth and oesophagus of cattle and buffaloes revealed the presence of small nodular to larger spherical or slender growths with thin base present on mucosa and ruminal pillar. Histopathologically, these cases were diagnosed as fibropapilloma/papilloma. This is the first world record on ruminal papillomatosis in buffaloes. Ruminal warts of cattle and buffaloes revealed the presence of BPV-5, -1 & -2, which is the first report of presence of these BPVs in the ruminal warts from India. Quantitative real-time PCR revealed that DNA samples of different GIT wart-like lesions contained varying amount of BPV DNA copy numbers. Immunohistochemistry revealed that the PCNA and Ki67 immunopositivity was present in the basal and spinosum layer of the fibropapilloma/papilloma, indicating these as the cellular proliferation site. In conclusion, the present investigation revealed that BPV-5, -1 & -2 are associated with certain ruminal wart-like lesions/growths in cattle and buffaloes, and the basal and spinosum layer of the ruminal fibropapilloma/papilloma were cellular proliferation sites. © 2013 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

RNA-Seq Analysis Reveals a Positive Role of HTR2A in Adipogenesis in Yan Yellow Cattle.

PubMed

Yun, Jinyan; Jin, Haiguo; Cao, Yang; Zhang, Lichun; Zhao, Yumin; Jin, Xin; Yu, Yongsheng

2018-06-13

In this study, we performed high throughput RNA sequencing at the primary bovine preadipocyte (Day-0), mid-differentiation (Day-4), and differentiated adipocyte (Day-9) stages in order to characterize the transcriptional events regulating differentiation and function. The preadipocytes were isolated from subcutaneous fetal bovine adipose tissues and were differentiated into mature adipocytes. The adipogenic characteristics of the adipocytes were detected during various stages of adipogenesis (Day-0, Day-4, and Day-9). We used RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to investigate a comprehensive transcriptome information of adipocytic differentiation. Compared to the pre-differentiation stage (Day-0), 2510 genes were identified as differentially expressed genes (DEGs) at the mid-differentiation stage (Day-4). We found 2446 DEGs in the mature adipocytic stage relative to the mid-differentiation stage. Some adipogenesis-related transcription factors, CCAAT-enhancer-binding protein α (C/EBPα) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) were differentially expressed at Day-0, Day-4, and Day-9. We further investigated the adipogenic function of 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor 2A (HTR2A) in adipogenesis. Overexpression of HTR2A stimulated the differentiation of preadipocytes, and knockdown of HTR2A had opposite effects. Furthermore, functional enrichment analysis of DEGs revealed that the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway was the significantly enriched pathway, and HTR2A regulated adipogenesis by activating or inhibiting phosphorylation of phospho-AKT (Ser473). In summary, the present study provides the first comparative transcription of various periods of adipocytes in cattle, which presents a solid foundation for further study into the molecular mechanism of fat deposition and the improvement of beef quality in cattle.

Acute pit gas (hydrogen sulfide) poisoning in confinement cattle.

PubMed

Hooser, S B; Van Alstine, W; Kiupel, M; Sojka, J

2000-05-01

Rapid deaths in confinement cattle caused by exposure to hydrogen sulfide (H2S) gas from manure pits has not been reported in the USA. In 1997, 158 cattle in 2 confinement pens were exposed to H2S gas as the manure in the pits under a slatted floor was agitated prior to pumping. Approximately 35 of the cattle were lying on the floor when the upper agitator was turned on. Within 5 minutes, many these cattle were down on their sides and paddling. Of these, 26 died within a few minutes. The survivors were treated and sent to slaughter. Cattle that did not show immediate signs of toxicosis remained clinically unaffected. Two steers that were near death were brought to the Purdue Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory for clinical evaluation, euthanasia, and necropsy. They were recumbent and unresponsive to visual and auditory stimuli. Necropsy examination yielded no significant gross lesions. No evidence of viral or bacterial infection was found. Ocular fluid nitrate concentrations were within normal limits, and no lead was detected in either animal. Microscopic examination revealed lesions consistent with H2S-induced central nervous system anoxia. Histologically, sections of brain demonstrated massive, diffuse cerebral cortical laminar necrosis and edema. Portions of the outer lamina contained hypereosinophilic and shrunken neurons. The subcortical white matter was vacuolated in some areas. The history, clinical signs, and histologic lesion of cerebral laminar necrosis led to a diagnosis of H2S toxicosis in these cattle.

Molecular characterization of Fasciola gigantica in Delhi, India and its phylogenetic relation to the species from South Asian countries.

PubMed

Hayashi, Kei; Mohanta, Uday K; Neeraja, Tambireddy; Itagaki, Tadashi

2016-10-01

The aim of this study was to phylogenetically analyze Fasciola gigantica (F. gigantica) from mainland India and to reveal the expansion history of F. gigantica in the Indian subcontinent. We analyzed 40 Fasciola flukes that were collected from Delhi, in the Indian mainland, and identified them as F. gigantica by using nucleotide analyses of the nuclear phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (pepck) and DNA polymerase delta (pold) genes. Based on the nucleotide sequence of mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1 (nad1) gene, the flukes had 18 haplotypes. The haplotypes were classified under haplogroup A, which is predominant in the F. gigantica of South Asia. The population genetics of haplogroup A revealed that Delhi population showed higher π value than eastern India population. These results suggest that F. gigantica of haplogroup A might have spread from the west to the east in India along with the artificial migration of the domestic Zebu cattle, Bos indicus.

9 CFR 78.14 - Rodeo cattle.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... movement of the cattle. (b) Cattle that would qualify as rodeo cattle, but that are used for breeding... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Rodeo cattle. 78.14 Section 78.14... Interstate Movement of Cattle Because of Brucellosis § 78.14 Rodeo cattle. (a) Rodeo cattle that are test...

An outbreak of oriental theileriosis in dairy cattle imported to Vietnam from Australia.

PubMed

Gebrekidan, Hagos; Nelson, Linda; Smith, Greg; Gasser, Robin B; Jabbar, Abdul

2017-05-01

This study reports an outbreak of oriental theileriosis in dairy cattle imported to Vietnam from Australia. Following clinical and pathological diagnoses, a total of 112 cattle blood samples were divided into three groups and tested using multiplexed tandem PCR. Group 1 were from aborted heifers in Vietnam; group 2 were from cattle before shipment from group 1 cattle and group 3 were from the same batch of cattle but transported to Taiwan. Theileria orientalis DNA was detected in 72·3% cattle. The prevalences of T. orientalis in groups 1, 2 and 3 were 77·6, 86·9 and 57·5%, respectively, and the difference in prevalence was significant between groups 1 and 3 (P < 0·0001). The infection intensities of genotypes chitose and ikeda of T. orientalis were higher in groups 1 (57 721 and 33 709, respectively) and 3 (5897 and 61 766, respectively) than those in group 2 (2071 and 6331, respectively). Phylogenetic analyses of the major piroplasm surface protein sequences revealed that genotypes chitose and ikeda determined herein were closely related to those previously reported from Australia. This first report of an outbreak of oriental theileriosis in imported cattle emphasizes improved measures for the export and import of cattle infected with T. orientalis.

Detection of Theileria lestoquardi cross infection in cattle with clinical theileriosis in Iran.

PubMed

Jalali, Seyedeh Missagh; Jolodar, Abbas; Rasooli, Aria; Darabifard, Ameneh

2016-12-01

Theileriosis caused by Theileria lestoquardi (malignant ovine theileriosis) in sheep and Theileria annulata (tropical theileriosis) in cattle is an important hemoprotozoal tick-borne disease in Iran. Due to major biologic and phylogenic similarities of these two species, this study was carried out to investigate the occurrence of natural infections with T.lestoquardi and T.annulata in cattle with clinical theileriosis in Ahvaz, southwest Iran. Fifty one cattle were selected based on clinical signs of theileriosis and confirmation by microscopic examination of blood smears. Blood samples were collected from each animal and hematologic and microscopic examinations were performed. Theileria piroplasmic forms were detected in all affected cattle. Pale mucous membranes (43.14%), icterus (11.76%) and fever (70.6%) were also observed. PCR-RFLP analysis revealed T. annulata infection in all tested cattle while coinfections with T. lestoquardi were found in two samples (3.92%). All sampled cattle including the two with mixed species Theileria infection were anemic. This is the first report of Theileria species cross infections in cattle with clinical theileriosis in Iran. It can be concluded that cattle can be infected with both pathogenic Theileria species, T. lestoquardi and T. annulata which can be an important issue in the epidemiology and spread of ovine malignant theileriosis.

Evaluation of parameters related to libido and semen quality in Zebu bulls naturally infected with Trypanosoma vivax.

PubMed

Bittar, Joely F F; Bassi, Paula B; Moura, Dênia M; Garcia, Guilherme C; Martins-Filho, Olindo Assis; Vasconcelos, André B; Costa-Silva, Matheus F; Barbosa, Cristiano P; Araújo, Márcio S S; Bittar, Eustáquio R

2015-10-14

Trypanosomiasis is a disease caused by Trypanosoma (Dutonella) vivax, a hemoprotozoa that can affect bovines. In South America, the sanguineous form is mechanically transmitted from one mammalian host (ruminant) to another by the bite of a blood-sucking insect or by needles contaminated with infected blood. The negative impact of the parasitosis caused by T. vivax infection on the reproductive activity of male and female ruminants is known to reduce fertility. In males, alterations such as degeneration, diffuse or interlobular inflammatory infiltrate found in ovine and bovine testicles, can affect fertility through decreased sperm quality. This study evaluated the impact of natural infection with T. vivax on Zebu bulls from the Central Station of Artificial Insemination (CSAI) with regard to libido and the negative effects caused by this protozoan on semen quality. Blood samples of 44 animals were collected to evaluate the presence of the trypomastigote form of T. vivax in blood smears obtained from hematocrit and buffy coat, and antibody titer IgG anti T. vivax in indirect Immunoflorescence (IFI). Furthermore, data related to libido, ejaculate volume, spermatic concentration, and seminal vigor were recorded for these animals employing the criteria of the CSAI. Nine animals (20.45 %) showed T. vivax trypomastigotes and parasitemia between 0.02 and 0.07, and antibody titers from 1:80 to 1:320 in IFI. Twenty nine negative animals in parasitological tests were not reactive in IFI, and six animals presented the antibodies IgG anti T. vivax in IFI. Data on reproductive activity showed that animals infected with T. vivax have a decreased libido and an increased spermatic volume, whereas other factors related to the reproductive process such as spermatic concentration, motility and spermatic force, were unchanged in infected bulls. The T. vivax infection in Zebu bulls from CSAI caused patent parasitemia, induced a febrile state, promoted reduction in the libido and

Worldwide Patterns of Ancestry, Divergence, and Admixture in Domesticated Cattle

PubMed Central

Decker, Jared E.; McKay, Stephanie D.; Rolf, Megan M.; Kim, JaeWoo; Molina Alcalá, Antonio; Sonstegard, Tad S.; Hanotte, Olivier; Götherström, Anders; Seabury, Christopher M.; Praharani, Lisa; Babar, Masroor Ellahi; Correia de Almeida Regitano, Luciana; Yildiz, Mehmet Ali; Heaton, Michael P.; Liu, Wan-Sheng; Lei, Chu-Zhao; Reecy, James M.; Saif-Ur-Rehman, Muhammad; Schnabel, Robert D.; Taylor, Jeremy F.

2014-01-01

The domestication and development of cattle has considerably impacted human societies, but the histories of cattle breeds and populations have been poorly understood especially for African, Asian, and American breeds. Using genotypes from 43,043 autosomal single nucleotide polymorphism markers scored in 1,543 animals, we evaluate the population structure of 134 domesticated bovid breeds. Regardless of the analytical method or sample subset, the three major groups of Asian indicine, Eurasian taurine, and African taurine were consistently observed. Patterns of geographic dispersal resulting from co-migration with humans and exportation are recognizable in phylogenetic networks. All analytical methods reveal patterns of hybridization which occurred after divergence. Using 19 breeds, we map the cline of indicine introgression into Africa. We infer that African taurine possess a large portion of wild African auroch ancestry, causing their divergence from Eurasian taurine. We detect exportation patterns in Asia and identify a cline of Eurasian taurine/indicine hybridization in Asia. We also identify the influence of species other than Bos taurus taurus and B. t. indicus in the formation of Asian breeds. We detect the pronounced influence of Shorthorn cattle in the formation of European breeds. Iberian and Italian cattle possess introgression from African taurine. American Criollo cattle originate from Iberia, and not directly from Africa with African ancestry inherited via Iberian ancestors. Indicine introgression into American cattle occurred in the Americas, and not Europe. We argue that cattle migration, movement and trading followed by admixture have been important forces in shaping modern bovine genomic variation. PMID:24675901

Characterization of recombination features and the genetic basis in multiple cattle breeds.

PubMed

Shen, Botong; Jiang, Jicai; Seroussi, Eyal; Liu, George E; Ma, Li

2018-04-27

Crossover generated by meiotic recombination is a fundamental event that facilitates meiosis and sexual reproduction. Comparative studies have shown wide variation in recombination rate among species, but the characterization of recombination features between cattle breeds has not yet been performed. Cattle populations in North America count millions, and the dairy industry has genotyped millions of individuals with pedigree information that provide a unique opportunity to study breed-level variations in recombination. Based on large pedigrees of Jersey, Ayrshire and Brown Swiss cattle with genotype data, we identified over 3.4 million maternal and paternal crossover events from 161,309 three-generation families. We constructed six breed- and sex-specific genome-wide recombination maps using 58,982 autosomal SNPs for two sexes in the three dairy cattle breeds. A comparative analysis of the six recombination maps revealed similar global recombination patterns between cattle breeds but with significant differences between sexes. We confirmed that male recombination map is 10% longer than the female map in all three cattle breeds, consistent with previously reported results in Holstein cattle. When comparing recombination hotspot regions between cattle breeds, we found that 30% and 10% of the hotspots were shared between breeds in males and females, respectively, with each breed exhibiting some breed-specific hotspots. Finally, our multiple-breed GWAS found that SNPs in eight loci affected recombination rate and that the PRDM9 gene associated with hotspot usage in multiple cattle breeds, indicating a shared genetic basis for recombination across dairy cattle breeds. Collectively, our results generated breed- and sex-specific recombination maps for multiple cattle breeds, provided a comprehensive characterization and comparison of recombination patterns between breeds, and expanded our understanding of the breed-level variations in recombination features within an

Clinical findings and treatment of 30 cattle with botulism.

PubMed

Braun, U; Feige, K; Schweizer, G; Pospischil, A

2005-04-02

The clinical signs, the results of haematological and biochemical analyses and the treatment of 30 cattle with botulism are described, and the signs of the 13 cattle that survived are compared with those of the 17 that were euthanased owing to the disease. The cattle originated from 11 farms that had experienced an outbreak of botulism. The most important clinical sign in all the cattle was a reduction in the strength of the tongue; excessive salivation and difficulty in swallowing were observed in 20 of the animals, and the ears of 15 of them drooped. In 21 of the cattle, reaction to pricking of the head and body with a hypodermic needle was either absent or slight. Twelve of the animals had an unsteady, slow, difficult gait, and nine were unable to stand. A significantly higher proportion of the cattle which were euthanased had marked changes in behaviour and condition, anorexia, severely reduced skin turgor, weak tongues, a low rectal temperature, a high heart rate and a low blood pH; 11 were euthanased immediately after a clinical examination and six were euthanased one to five days after the initiation of treatment because their condition had deteriorated. Thirteen of the animals were treated for three to 23 days and were healthy when they were discharged. The treatment consisted of an intravenous infusion of 10 to 20 litres of glucose saline per day and the daily administration of fresh ruminal juice. Follow-up by telephone several months later revealed that all 13 animals had recovered completely.

Distribution and Functionality of Copy Number Variation across European Cattle Populations.

PubMed

Upadhyay, Maulik; da Silva, Vinicus H; Megens, Hendrik-Jan; Visker, Marleen H P W; Ajmone-Marsan, Paolo; Bâlteanu, Valentin A; Dunner, Susana; Garcia, Jose F; Ginja, Catarina; Kantanen, Juha; Groenen, Martien A M; Crooijmans, Richard P M A

2017-01-01

Copy number variation (CNV), which is characterized by large-scale losses or gains of DNA fragments, contributes significantly to genetic and phenotypic variation. Assessing CNV across different European cattle populations might reveal genetic changes responsible for phenotypic differences, which have accumulated throughout the domestication history of cattle as consequences of evolutionary forces that act upon them. To explore pattern of CNVs across European cattle, we genotyped 149 individuals, that represent different European regions, using the Illumina Bovine HD Genotyping array. A total of 9,944 autosomal CNVs were identified in 149 samples using a Hidden Markov Model (HMM) as employed in PennCNV. Animals originating from several breeds of British Isles, and Balkan and Italian regions, on average, displayed higher abundance of CNV counts than Dutch or Alpine animals. A total of 923 CNV regions (CNVRs) were identified by aggregating CNVs overlapping in at least two animals. The hierarchical clustering of CNVRs indicated low differentiation and sharing of high-frequency CNVRs between European cattle populations. Various CNVRs identified in the present study overlapped with olfactory receptor genes and genes related to immune system. In addition, we also detected a CNV overlapping the Kit gene in English longhorn cattle which has previously been associated with color-sidedness. To conclude, we provide a comprehensive overview of CNV distribution in genome of European cattle. Our results indicate an important role of purifying selection and genomic drift in shaping CNV diversity that exists between different European cattle populations.

Distribution and Functionality of Copy Number Variation across European Cattle Populations

PubMed Central

Upadhyay, Maulik; da Silva, Vinicus H.; Megens, Hendrik-Jan; Visker, Marleen H. P. W.; Ajmone-Marsan, Paolo; Bâlteanu, Valentin A.; Dunner, Susana; Garcia, Jose F.; Ginja, Catarina; Kantanen, Juha; Groenen, Martien A. M.; Crooijmans, Richard P. M. A.

2017-01-01

Copy number variation (CNV), which is characterized by large-scale losses or gains of DNA fragments, contributes significantly to genetic and phenotypic variation. Assessing CNV across different European cattle populations might reveal genetic changes responsible for phenotypic differences, which have accumulated throughout the domestication history of cattle as consequences of evolutionary forces that act upon them. To explore pattern of CNVs across European cattle, we genotyped 149 individuals, that represent different European regions, using the Illumina Bovine HD Genotyping array. A total of 9,944 autosomal CNVs were identified in 149 samples using a Hidden Markov Model (HMM) as employed in PennCNV. Animals originating from several breeds of British Isles, and Balkan and Italian regions, on average, displayed higher abundance of CNV counts than Dutch or Alpine animals. A total of 923 CNV regions (CNVRs) were identified by aggregating CNVs overlapping in at least two animals. The hierarchical clustering of CNVRs indicated low differentiation and sharing of high-frequency CNVRs between European cattle populations. Various CNVRs identified in the present study overlapped with olfactory receptor genes and genes related to immune system. In addition, we also detected a CNV overlapping the Kit gene in English longhorn cattle which has previously been associated with color-sidedness. To conclude, we provide a comprehensive overview of CNV distribution in genome of European cattle. Our results indicate an important role of purifying selection and genomic drift in shaping CNV diversity that exists between different European cattle populations. PMID:28878807

Risk factors for Toxoplasma gondii infection in sheep and cattle from Fernando de Noronha Island, Brazil.

PubMed

Magalhães, Fernando Jorge Rodrigues; Ribeiro-Andrade, Müller; Alcântara, Adrianne Mota de; Pinheiro, José Wilton; Sena, Maria José de; Porto, Wagnner José Nascimento; Vieira, Rafael Felipe da Costa; Mota, Rinaldo Aparecido

2016-01-01

Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic disease of global distribution that affects all warm-blooded animals. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the prevalence of T. gondii infection and identify the risk factors associated with its occurrence in domestic ruminants raised on the island of Fernando de Noronha, Brazil, and to confirm that cattle and sheep raised in Fernando de Noronha Island present statistically different T. gondii prevalence rates. Serum samples were collected from sheep (n=240) and cattle (n=140) for the detection of antibodies by indirect immunofluorescence. Samples were collected from all the animals on all the farms. Risk factors were analyzed by univariate analysis and logistic regression. The prevalence rate of positive sheep was 85.0% while that of cattle was 10.7%. A multivariate analysis revealed that the site of contact of sheep with felines was a risk factor. For cattle, the risk factors identified in this study were: extensive farming system, water source, more than three cats per farm, and the presence of rats in feed storage locations. The findings revealed a significant difference in the prevalence rates in sheep and cattle raised in this insular environment.

Gastrointestinal Helminths in Slaughtered Cattle in Ibadan, South-Western Nigeria.

PubMed

Adedipe, Olubukola Deborah; Uwalaka, Emmanuel Chibuike; Akinseye, Victor Oluwatoyin; Adediran, Oyeduntan Adejoju; Cadmus, Simeon Idowu Babalola

2014-01-01

As part of an ongoing project to investigate the epidemiology of gastrointestinal helminths of cattle in Nigeria, we carried out a systematic random sampling of cattle slaughtered in a major abattoir in Ibadan, south-western Nigeria. Using sedimentation and floatation methods, we analyzed fecal samples from 397 animals between March and May 2013. Overall, 163 (41.6%) of the animals had at least one gastrointestinal helminth egg, comprising a total of eight helminths from different genera (i.e., four nematodes, three trematodes, and one cestode), with nematode infection being the highest (71.54%). In addition, eggs of four helminths of zoonotic importance were also obtained. Among the cattle examined, the Bunaji breed was the most infected (46%; 69/150). Furthermore, female animals (OR = 1.1; 95% CI: 0.60-1.84) and animals with moderate body condition (OR = 1.2; 95% CI: 0.80-1.79) are more likely to be positive to helminth infection. Our findings reveal that there were helminth infections of both zoonotic and socioeconomic importance among the cattle screened. Considering the impact of the infections on animal production and public health, we advocate that effective prophylactic measures be adopted as a first step to curtail helminth infections of cattle in Nigeria.

The Burden of Mycobacterial Disease in Ethiopian Cattle: Implications for Public Health

PubMed Central

Berg, Stefan; Firdessa, Rebuma; Habtamu, Meseret; Gadisa, Endalamaw; Mengistu, Araya; Yamuah, Lawrence; Ameni, Gobena; Vordermeier, Martin; Robertson, Brian D.; Smith, Noel H.; Engers, Howard; Young, Douglas; Hewinson, R. Glyn; Aseffa, Abraham; Gordon, Stephen V.

2009-01-01

Background Bovine tuberculosis (bTB), caused by Mycobacterium bovis, is a debilitating disease of cattle. Ethiopia has one of the largest cattle populations in the world, with an economy highly dependent on its livestock. Furthermore, Ethiopia has one of the highest incidence rates of human extrapulmonary TB in the world, a clinical presentation that is often associated with transmission of M. bovis from cattle to humans. Methodology/Principal Findings Here we present a comprehensive investigation of the prevalence of bTB in Ethiopia based on cases identified at slaughterhouses. Out of approximately 32,800 inspected cattle, ∼4.7% showed suspect tuberculous lesions. Culture of suspect lesions yielded acid-fast bacilli in ∼11% of cases, with M. bovis accounting for 58 of 171 acid-fast cultures, while 53 isolates were non-tuberculous mycobacteria. Strikingly, M. tuberculosis was isolated from eight cattle, an unusual finding that suggests human to animal transmission. Conclusions/Significance Our analysis has revealed that bTB is widely spread throughout Ethiopia, albeit at a low prevalence, and provides underpinning evidence for public health policy formulation. PMID:19352493

Identification of Candidate Transcription Factor Binding Sites in the Cattle Genome

PubMed Central

Bickhart, Derek M.; Liu, George E.

2013-01-01

A resource that provides candidate transcription factor binding sites (TFBSs) does not currently exist for cattle. Such data is necessary, as predicted sites may serve as excellent starting locations for future omics studies to develop transcriptional regulation hypotheses. In order to generate this resource, we employed a phylogenetic footprinting approach—using sequence conservation across cattle, human and dog—and position-specific scoring matrices to identify 379,333 putative TFBSs upstream of nearly 8000 Mammalian Gene Collection (MGC) annotated genes within the cattle genome. Comparisons of our predictions to known binding site loci within the PCK1, ACTA1 and G6PC promoter regions revealed 75% sensitivity for our method of discovery. Additionally, we intersected our predictions with known cattle SNP variants in dbSNP and on the Illumina BovineHD 770k and Bos 1 SNP chips, finding 7534, 444 and 346 overlaps, respectively. Due to our stringent filtering criteria, these results represent high quality predictions of putative TFBSs within the cattle genome. All binding site predictions are freely available at http://bfgl.anri.barc.usda.gov/BovineTFBS/ or http://199.133.54.77/BovineTFBS. PMID:23433959

Identification of a target population for immunisation against East Coast fever in coastal Kenya.

PubMed

Maloo, S H; Ngumi, P; Mbogo, S; Williamson, S; Thorpe, W; Rowlands, G J; Perry, B D

2001-11-02

Two experiments were carried out to identify the target population of cattle for immunisation against East Coast fever (ECF) using the infection-and-treatment method. Firstly, a sentinel-calf study was used to determine the age window for ECF immunisation by determining ages at clinical detection of infection with Theileria parva. Six groups of five naive cross-bred (Bos taurus/Bos indicus) male calves, introduced at intervals of 2 months at a mean age of 26 days, were exposed to natural tick challenge on a high ECF-risk, small-holder farm in the coastal lowland, coconut-cassava agro-ecological zone of coastal Kenya. Secondly, a challenge study evaluated the relationship between the presence of T. parva antibodies and immunity. Ten indigenous adult Zebu cattle and nine Zebu young stock purchased from farmers in the same zone, and eight cross-bred calves (survivors of the sentinel-calf study) were challenged with 10 times the immunising dose of T. parva Marikebuni stock. Twenty-four of these 27 cattle had high antibody titres before challenge. Two cross-bred calves, obtained from an ECF-free area and seronegative to T. parva schizont antigen, also were challenged and used as susceptible controls. Twenty-five (83%) of the 30 sentinel calves contracted ECF over an age range of 36-116 days (mean 72 days). The remaining five calves died of other causes within 2 months of arrival on the farm. Fourteen of the 25 calves survived the infection and developed antibodies to T. parva. Despite tick control, seven of these 14 calves had a second episode of ECF and two died. In total, 13 of the 25 calves that contracted ECF died. Only one of 19 indigenous Zebu animals developed clinical ECF when challenged with T. parva Marikebuni (mild clinical signs with spontaneous recovery). Of the eight cross-bred survivors from the first experiment, only one succumbed to ECF when challenged and it died. Both susceptible cross-bred calves developed severe clinical signs of ECF and one died

Prevalence and financial effects of hydatidosis in cattle slaughtered in Birre-Sheleko and Dangila Abattoirs, Northwestern Ethiopia.

PubMed

Kebede, N; Gebre-Egziabher, Z; Tilahun, G; Wossene, A

2011-02-01

A cross-sectional survey of bovine hydatidosis was carried out on local zebu cattle slaughtered at Birre-Sheleko and Dangila Abattoirs from August 2007 to July 2008 to determine the prevalence and to estimate financial loss caused by the disease. Postmortem examination, hydatid cyst characterization and direct and indirect financial loss estimations were conducted. Out of the total of 521 animals examined (255 Birre-Sheleko and 266 Dangila), 79 (15.2%) were found harbouring one or more hydatid cyst. The prevalence of the disease between the two abattoirs was not significantly different (P > 0.05). The result obtained from postmortem examination indicated that a total of 112 visceral organs were found harbouring one or more hydatid cysts. The involvement of lung, liver, spleen and kidney was found to be 70.5%, 21.4%, 6.3% and 1.8% respectively. From the total of 224 cysts counted, 147 (65.6%), 29 (12.9%), 3 (1.3%) and 45 (20.1%) were small, medium, large and calcified cysts respectively, and 114 (50.9%) and 65 (29%) were sterile and fertile cysts respectively. Viability rate of 47.7%, all from the lungs, and higher liver calcification rate were observed. The annual financial loss from organ condemnation and carcass weight loss due to bovine hydatidosis at Birre-Sheleko and Dangila abattoirs were estimated to be $18911.6. © 2009 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Parallel comparative proteomics and phosphoproteomics reveal that cattle myostatin regulates phosphorylation of key enzymes in glycogen metabolism and glycolysis pathway

PubMed Central

Yang, Shuping; Li, Xin; Liu, Xinfeng; Ding, Xiangbin; Xin, Xiangbo; Jin, Congfei; Zhang, Sheng; Li, Guangpeng; Guo, Hong

2018-01-01

MSTN-encoded myostatin is a negative regulator of skeletal muscle development. Here, we utilized the gluteus tissues from MSTN gene editing and wild type Luxi beef cattle which are native breed of cattle in China, performed tandem mass tag (TMT) -based comparative proteomics and phosphoproteomics analyses to investigate the regulatory mechanism of MSTN related to cellular metabolism and signaling pathway in muscle development. Out of 1,315 proteins, 69 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were found in global proteomics analysis. Meanwhile, 149 differentially changed phosphopeptides corresponding to 76 unique phosphorylated proteins (DEPPs) were detected from 2,600 identified phosphopeptides in 702 phosphorylated proteins. Bioinformatics analyses suggested that majority of DEPs and DEPPs were closely related to glycolysis, glycogenolysis, and muscle contractile fibre processes. The global discovery results were validated by Multiple Reaction Monitoring (MRM)-based targeted peptide quantitation analysis, western blotting, and muscle glycogen content measurement. Our data revealed that increase in abundance of key enzymes and phosphorylation on their regulatory sites appears responsible for the enhanced glycogenolysis and glycolysis in MSTN−/−. The elevated glycogenolysis was assocaited with an enhanced phosphorylation of Ser1018 in PHKA1, and Ser641/Ser645 in GYS1, which were regulated by upstream phosphorylated AKT-GSK3β pathway and highly consistent with the lower glycogen content in gluteus of MSTN−/−. Collectively, this study provides new insights into the regulatory mechanisms of MSTN involved in energy metabolism and muscle growth. PMID:29541418

Effects of shade on physiological changes, oxidative stress, and total antioxidant power in Thai Brahman cattle.

PubMed

Aengwanich, Worapol; Kongbuntad, Watee; Boonsorn, Thongchai

2011-09-01

The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of artificial shade, tree shade, and no shade on physiological changes, oxidative stress, and total antioxidant power in Thai Brahman cattle. Twenty-one cattle were divided into three groups: cattle maintained under artificial shade, under tree shade, and without shade. On days 1, 7, 14, 21, and 28 of the experimental period, after the cattle were set in individual stalls for 2 h, physiological changes, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), and total antioxidant power were investigated. The results revealed that the respiratory rate, heart rate, sweat rate and the neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio of the no-shade cattle were significantly higher than those of cattle maintained under artificial shade and tree shade (P < 0.05). During the early period of heat exposure, the total antioxidant power of the no-shade cattle was lower than those of cattle maintained under artificial shade and tree shade, but the total antioxidant power of cattle maintained under artificial shade and tree shade were not different (P > 0.05). However, rectal temperature and packed cell volume of the cattle in all groups did not differ (P > 0.05). These results showed that artificial shade and tree shade can protect cattle from sunlight compared to no shade, and that the effectiveness of tree shade for sunlight protection is at an intermediate level.

Assessment of cattle genetic introgression into domestic yak populations using mitochondrial and microsatellite DNA markers.

PubMed

Qi, X B; Jianlin, H; Wang, G; Rege, J E O; Hanotte, O

2010-06-01

Hybridization between yak Poephagus grunniens and taurine Bos taurus or indicine B. indicus cattle has been widely practiced throughout the yak geographical range, and gene flow is expected to have occurred between these species. To assess the impact of cattle admixture on domestic yak, we examined 1076 domestic yak from 29 populations collected in China, Bhutan, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia and Russia using mitochondrial DNA and 17 autosomal microsatellite loci. A cattle diagnostic marker-based analysis reveals cattle-specific mtDNA and/or autosomal microsatellite allele introgression in 127 yak individuals from 22 populations. The mean level of cattle admixture across the populations, calculated using allelic information at 17 autosomal microsatellite loci, remains relatively low (mY(cattle) = 2.66 +/- 0.53% and Q(cattle) = 0.69 +/- 2.58%), although it varies a lot across populations as well as among individuals within population. Although the level of cattle admixture shows a clear geographical structure, with higher levels of admixture in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and Mongolian and Russian regions, and lower levels in the Himalayan and Pamir Plateau region, our results indicate that the level of cattle admixture is not significantly correlated with the altitude across geographical regions as well as within geographical region. Although yak-cattle hybridization is primarily driven to produce F(1) hybrids, our results show that the subsequent gene flow between yak and cattle took place and has affected contemporary genetic make-up of domestic yak. To protect yak genetic integrity, hybridization between yak and cattle should be tightly controlled.

Vitamin C Nutrition in Cattle

PubMed Central

Matsui, T.

2012-01-01

Domestic animals, including ruminants, can synthesize vitamin C (VC) in their liver; as such, the dietary requirement for VC has not been confirmed in these animals. The adequacy of VC has been evaluated by quantifying VC levels in plasma, but the reported values in bovine plasma have been widely variable. Plasma VC concentration is decreased by heat stress, hepatic lesions, fattening, and infectious diseases such as mastitis in cattle. Therefore, VC supplementation is potentially beneficial for cattle with low plasma VC concentration. This review discusses the methods for determination of plasma VC concentration in cattle, VC nutrition, and the efficacy of VC supplementation in calves, dairy cattle, and beef cattle. Additionally I propose a reference range for plasma VC concentration in Japanese Black cattle. PMID:25049602

Comparative analysis of fecal microbial communities in cattle and Bactrian camels

PubMed Central

Ming, Liang; Yi, Li; Siriguleng; Hasi, Surong; He, Jing; Hai, Le; Wang, Zhaoxia; Guo, Fucheng; Qiao, Xiangyu; Jirimutu

2017-01-01

Bactrian camels may have a unique gastrointestinal (GI) microbiome because of their distinctive digestive systems, unique eating habits and extreme living conditions. However, understanding of the microbial communities in the Bactrian camel GI tract is still limited. In this study, microbial communities were investigated by comparative analyses of 16S rRNA hypervariable region V4 sequences of fecal bacteria sampled from 94 animals in four population groups: Inner Mongolian cattle (IMG-Cattle), Inner Mongolian domestic Bactrian camels (IMG-DBC), Mongolian domestic Bactrian camels (MG-DBC), and Mongolian wild Bactrian camels (MG-WBC). A total of 2,097,985 high-quality reads were obtained and yielded 471,767,607 bases of sequence. Firmicutes was the predominant phylum in the population groups IMG-Cattle, IMG-DBC and MG-WBC, followed (except in the Inner Mongolian cattle) by Verrucomicrobia. Bacteroidetes were abundant in the IMG-DBC and MG-WBC populations. Hierarchical clustered heatmap analysis revealed that the microbial community composition within the three Bactrian camel groups was relatively similar, and somewhat distinct from that in the cattle. A similar result was determined by principal component analysis, in which the camels grouped together. We also found several species-specific differences in microbial communities at the genus level: for example, Desulfovibrio was abundant in the IMG-DBC and MG-WBC groups; Pseudomonas was abundant in the IMG-Cattle group; and Fibrobacter, Coprobacillus, and Paludibacter were scarce in the MG-WBC group. Such differences may be related to different eating habits and living conditions of the cattle and the various camel populations. PMID:28301489

Molecular characterization of Fasciola gigantica in Delhi, India and its phylogenetic relation to the species from South Asian countries

PubMed Central

HAYASHI, Kei; MOHANTA, Uday K.; NEERAJA, Tambireddy; ITAGAKI, Tadashi

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to phylogenetically analyze Fasciola gigantica (F. gigantica) from mainland India and to reveal the expansion history of F. gigantica in the Indian subcontinent. We analyzed 40 Fasciola flukes that were collected from Delhi, in the Indian mainland, and identified them as F. gigantica by using nucleotide analyses of the nuclear phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (pepck) and DNA polymerase delta (pold) genes. Based on the nucleotide sequence of mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1 (nad1) gene, the flukes had 18 haplotypes. The haplotypes were classified under haplogroup A, which is predominant in the F. gigantica of South Asia. The population genetics of haplogroup A revealed that Delhi population showed higher π value than eastern India population. These results suggest that F. gigantica of haplogroup A might have spread from the west to the east in India along with the artificial migration of the domestic Zebu cattle, Bos indicus. PMID:27301703

Genetic diversity of Afrikaner cattle in southern Africa.

PubMed

Pienaar, Lené; Grobler, J Paul; Scholtz, Michiel M; Swart, Hannelize; Ehlers, Karen; Marx, Munro; MacNeil, Michael D; Neser, Frederick W C

2018-02-01

The Afrikaner is an indigenous South African breed of "Sanga" type beef cattle along with breeds such as the Drakensberger and Nguni. Six composite breeds have been developed from crosses with the Afrikaner. Additionally, Afrikaner has been the base from which exotic breeds were established in South Africa through backcrossing. The study examined genetic diversity of Afrikaner cattle by genotyping 1257 animals from 27 herds in different geographic areas of South Africa and Namibia using 11 microsatellite markers. Multiple-locus assignment, performed using the Bayesian clustering algorithm of STRUCTURE, revealed three underlying genotypic groups. These groups were not geographically localized. Across herds and markers, the proportion of unbiased heterozygosity ranged from 0.49 to 0.72 averaging 0.57; mean number of alleles per locus ranged from 3.18 to 7.09, averaging 4.81; and allelic richness ranged from 2.35 to 3.38, averaging 2.67. It is concluded that a low inbreeding level of 2.7% and a moderate to high degree of variation still persists within the Afrikaner cattle breed, despite the recent decline in numbers of animals.

Morphological and immunohistochemical features of Cryptosporidium andersoni in cattle.

PubMed

Masuno, K; Yanai, T; Hirata, A; Yonemaru, K; Sakai, H; Satoh, M; Masegi, T; Nakai, Y

2006-03-01

Light and electron microscopic features and immunohistochemical features of Cryptosporidium andersoni (C. andersoni) and host reaction in the mucosa were studied. Although the affected cattle demonstrated no apparent clinical signs, a severe infection of C. andersoni was observed in the abomasum. C. andersoni were round in shape, measured 6-8 microm in size and were mainly observed to be freely located in the gastric pits, being attached in occasional cases to the surface of the abomasum epithelium. Frequent inflammatory cells had infiltrated the lamina propria of the affected mucosa, and frequent mitotic figures were observed in epithelial cells at the dilated isthmus. To access the cell kinetics, the number of epithelial cells infected with C. andersoni were counted and compared with noninfected cattle. The number of gastric pit cells in infected cattle was significantly higher than that in the controls. The number of proliferative cells determined by the Ki-67 antigen in C. andersoni infected cattle was also significantly higher than that in the controls. Transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy revealed that the morphology of the C. andersoni organism was common to those of other Cryptosporidium spp. Immunohistochemically, several commercial antibodies against Cryptosporidium spp. showed positive reactions at the wall of these oocysts or parasitophorous vacuoles. This report is possibly the first to discuss the prominent hyperplasia of the abomasum mucosa, as well as morphologic features of C. andersoni in cattle.

Improvement of indigenous cattle to modern Japanese Black (Wagyu) cattle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oikawa, T.

2018-02-01

Wagyu cattle have been improved from indigenous cattle raised in Japan since the country was opened 100 years ago. Characteristics of the breed were formed during that period. Here, the process of the breeding is described, and recent topics about breeding studies are discussed.

[Analysis of POU1F1 gene polymorphisms in Qinchuan cattle and Chinese Holstein cattle].

PubMed

Yan, Lin-Jun; Liu, Bo; Fang, Xin-Tang; Chen, Hong; Zhang, Run-Feng; Bao, Bin; Zhang, Hai-Jun

2006-11-01

PCR-RFLP was applied to analyze the polymorphisms of POU1F1 gene in 218 Qinchuan cattle (QQ) and Chinese Holstein cattle (HC). Results demonstrated Hinf I polymorphisms in the 451 bp PCR product in the two populations. The frequencies of alleles A/B in QQ and HC populations were 0.232/0.768 and 0.132/0.868, respectively. The frequencies of three genotypes AA, AB and BB were 0.030/0.403/0.567 and 0.007/0.251/0.742, respectively. Qinchuan cattle population was at Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium at this locus, but Chinese Holstein cattle population was not. The gene heterozygosity/effective allele gene number/Shannon information entropy/polymorphism information content of Qinchuan cattle and Chinese Holstein cattle populations were listed for 0.356/1.553/0.541/0.292 and 0.229/1.297/0.390/0.203, respectively. All indices were higher in the Qinchuan cattle population.

High-resolution isotopic evidence of specialised cattle herding in the European Neolithic

PubMed Central

Doppler, Thomas; Heyd, Volker; Knipper, Corina; Kuhn, Thomas; Lehmann, Moritz F.; Pike, Alistair W. G.; Schibler, Jörg

2017-01-01

Reconstructing stock herding strategies and land use is key to comprehending past human social organization and economy. We present laser-ablation strontium and carbon isotope data from 25 cattle (Bos taurus) to reconstruct mobility and infer herding management at the Swiss lakeside settlement of Arbon Bleiche 3, occupied for only 15 years (3384–3370 BC). Our results reveal three distinct isotopic patterns that likely reflect different herding strategies: 1) localized cattle herding, 2) seasonal movement, and 3) herding away from the site year-round. Different strategies of herding are not uniformly represented in various areas of the settlement, which indicates specialist modes of cattle management. The pressure on local fodder capacities and the need for alternative herding regimes must have involved diverse access to grazing resources. Consequently, the increasing importance of cattle in the local landscape was likely to have contributed to the progress of socio-economic differentiation in early agricultural societies in Europe. PMID:28746367

Enterocytozoon bieneusi in Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus (BVDV) infected and noninfected cattle herds.

PubMed

Juránková, J; Kamler, M; Kovařčík, K; Koudela, B

2013-02-01

Enterocytozoon bieneusi known as a causative agent of opportunistic infections instigating diarrhoea in AIDS patients was identified also in a number of immunocompetent patients and in a wide range of animals, including cattle. In the present study we tested if the Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus (BVDV), the most common pathogen underlying immunosuppressive Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD), can enhance the occurrence of opportunistic infections with E. bieneusi in cattle. Six dairy farms were investigated using ELISA to detect antibodies against or antigens arising from BVDV in collected sera. A total of 240 individual faecal samples from four age groups were examined for the presence of E. bieneusi by nested PCR. Sequence analysis of six E. bieneusi positive samples revealed the presence of the genotype I of E. bieneusi, previously described in cattle. The hypothesis expecting higher prevalence of E. bieneusi in BVDV positive cattle herds was not confirmed in this study; however this is the first description about E. bieneusi in cattle in the Czech Republic. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The comprehensive liver transcriptome of two cattle breeds with different intramuscular fat content.

PubMed

Wang, Xi; Zhang, Yuanqing; Zhang, Xizhong; Wang, Dongcai; Jin, Guang; Li, Bo; Xu, Fang; Cheng, Jing; Zhang, Feng; Wu, Sujun; Rui, Su; He, Jiang; Zhang, Ronghua; Liu, Wenzhong

2017-08-26

Intramuscular fat (IMF) content is an important determinant factor of meat quality in cattle. There is significant difference in IMF content between Jinnan and Simmental cattle. Here, to identify candidate genes and networks associated with IMF deposition, we deeply explored the transcriptome architecture of liver in these two cattle breeds. We sequenced the liver transcriptome of five Jinnan and three Simmental cattle, yielding about 413.9 million sequencing reads. 124 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were detected, of which 53 were up-regulated and 71 were down-regulated in Jinnan cattle. 1282 potentially novel genes were also identified. Gene ontology analysis revealed these DEGs (including CYP21A2, PC, ACACB, APOA1, and FADS2) were significantly enriched in lipid biosynthetic process, regulation of cholesterol esterification, reverse cholesterol transport, and regulation of lipoprotein lipase activity. Genes involved in pyruvate metabolism pathway were also significantly overrepresented. Moreover, we identified an interaction network which related to lipid metabolism, which might be contributed to the IMF deposition in cattle. We concluded that the DEGs involved in the regulation of lipid metabolism could play an important role in IMF deposition. Overall, we proposed a new panel of candidate genes and interaction networks that can be associated with IMF deposition and used as biomarkers in cattle breeding. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Simultaneous introgression of three POLLED mutations into a synthetic breed of Chinese cattle.

PubMed

Chen, Shi-Yi; Liu, Linhai; Fu, Maozhong; Zhang, Gong-Wei; Yi, Jun; Lai, Song-Jia; Wang, Wei

2017-01-01

The polled phenotype of cattle is increasingly becoming favourable mainly because of the enhanced emphasis on animal welfare, for which the causative mutations have been reported during the past years. The Shuxuan cattle are a new synthetic breed by crossing the indigenous cattle with both Simmental and Holstein semen in Sichuan of Southwest China, in which about 15% of polled individuals have newly emerged. Because official record about POLLED genotypes for the historically imported sires is unavailable, we therefore genotyped the proposed POLLED variants of P202ID, P80kbID and P219ID among 48 polled and 16 horned Shuxuan cattle. It was first revealed that all three candidate mutations have been simultaneously introgressed into Shuxuan cattle, whereas the P202ID mutation is dominant. Furthermore, one polled animal still remains to carry none of the three candidate mutations, which suggests that further mutation(s) would also exist. Additionally, we sequenced mitochondrial DNA and found that Shuxuan cattle are composed of two matrilineal origins of Bos taurus (65.6%) and B. indicus (34.4%); and there is no origin-biased distribution of polled phenotype. In conclusion, our study first supports the recently reported novel candidate mutation of P219ID and detects simultaneous presences of all three known POLLED mutations within a cattle breed.

The mtDNA haplogroup P of modern Asian cattle: A genetic legacy of Asian aurochs?

PubMed

Noda, Aoi; Yonesaka, Riku; Sasazaki, Shinji; Mannen, Hideyuki

2018-01-01

Aurochs (Bos primigenius) were distributed throughout large parts of Eurasia and Northern Africa during the late Pleistocene and the early Holocene, and all modern cattle are derived from the aurochs. Although the mtDNA haplogroups of most modern cattle belong to haplogroups T and I, several additional haplogroups (P, Q, R, C and E) have been identified in modern cattle and aurochs. Haplogroup P was the most common haplogroup in European aurochs, but so far, it has been identified in only three of >3,000 submitted haplotypes of modern Asian cattle. We sequenced the complete mtDNA D-loop region of 181 Japanese Shorthorn cattle and analyzed these together with representative bovine mtDNA sequences. The haplotype P of Japanese Shorthorn cattle was analyzed along with that of 36 previously published European aurochs and three modern Asian cattle sequences using the hypervariable 410 bp of the D-loop region. We detected the mtDNA haplogroup P in Japanese Shorthorn cattle with an extremely high frequency (83/181). Phylogenetic networks revealed two main clusters, designated as Pa for haplogroup P in European aurochs and Pc in modern Asian cattle. We also report the genetic diversity of haplogroup P compared with the sequences of extinct aurochs. No shared haplotypes are observed between the European aurochs and the modern Asian cattle. This finding suggests the possibility of local and secondary introgression events of haplogroup P in northeast Asian cattle, and will contribute to a better understanding of its origin and genetic diversity.

The mtDNA haplogroup P of modern Asian cattle: A genetic legacy of Asian aurochs?

PubMed Central

Noda, Aoi; Yonesaka, Riku; Sasazaki, Shinji

2018-01-01

Background Aurochs (Bos primigenius) were distributed throughout large parts of Eurasia and Northern Africa during the late Pleistocene and the early Holocene, and all modern cattle are derived from the aurochs. Although the mtDNA haplogroups of most modern cattle belong to haplogroups T and I, several additional haplogroups (P, Q, R, C and E) have been identified in modern cattle and aurochs. Haplogroup P was the most common haplogroup in European aurochs, but so far, it has been identified in only three of >3,000 submitted haplotypes of modern Asian cattle. Methodology We sequenced the complete mtDNA D-loop region of 181 Japanese Shorthorn cattle and analyzed these together with representative bovine mtDNA sequences. The haplotype P of Japanese Shorthorn cattle was analyzed along with that of 36 previously published European aurochs and three modern Asian cattle sequences using the hypervariable 410 bp of the D-loop region. Conclusions We detected the mtDNA haplogroup P in Japanese Shorthorn cattle with an extremely high frequency (83/181). Phylogenetic networks revealed two main clusters, designated as Pa for haplogroup P in European aurochs and Pc in modern Asian cattle. We also report the genetic diversity of haplogroup P compared with the sequences of extinct aurochs. No shared haplotypes are observed between the European aurochs and the modern Asian cattle. This finding suggests the possibility of local and secondary introgression events of haplogroup P in northeast Asian cattle, and will contribute to a better understanding of its origin and genetic diversity. PMID:29304129

Applied Genomics in Cattle – Identification of the SLICK locus in tropically adapted cattle

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Over the past 3 years, ARS scientists have been working to identify the underlying genetic variants responsible for a heat tolerance phenotype in cattle associated with the SLICK locus typically found in Senepol cattle. This presentation reviews the general field of applied genomics in cattle, and ...

Bruises in beef cattle at slaughter in Mexico: implications on quality, safety and shelf life of the meat.

PubMed

Cruz-Monterrosa, Rosy G; Reséndiz-Cruz, Verónica; Rayas-Amor, Armando A; López, Marcos; la Lama, Genaro C Miranda-de

2017-01-01

In emergent economies and developing countries of Africa, Asia and Latin America, the major cause for carcass rejection from the international market is bruising; nevertheless, many of these carcases are destined to local markets and meat processing industries for human consumption. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to assess the effect of bruised meat on pH, microbiologic count and biogenic amine (BA) profiles along 21 days of ageing (sampling 1st, 7th, 14th and 21st day) with two packaging method (plastic bag vs vacuum) at 4 °C. A total of 50 bruised carcasses were sampled from 1000 young bulls (Brown Swiss X Zebu) of 18-24 months old and an average live weight of 450 ± 66 kg. The results showed significant differences between packaging systems and bruised vs non-bruised meat. The bruised meat caused higher biogenic amine concentrations than did non-bruised meat. We conclude that bruised meat favoured increments of biogenic amine concentrations, even more than did non-bruised meat. The plastic bag + vacuum system limited the increments of BA concentration during storage time therefore it improved shelf life of meat. These results emphasized the importance of implementing best management practices during pre-slaughter operations of cattle in order to reduce a possible risk factor for bruised meat.

Severe anaemia due to haematopoietic precursor cell destruction in field cases of East Coast Fever in Tanzania.

PubMed

Mbassa, G K; Balemba, O; Maselle, R M; Mwaga, N V

1994-04-01

Examinations were made on erythrocytes, thrombocytes, leukocytes, lymph nodes, thymus, haemal nodes and bone marrow in field cases of East Coast Fever (ECF) in Tanzania. Seventy-six clinically sick short-horn Zebu and Taurine-Zebu crosses, positive for Theileria parva piroplasms and schizonts and 55 apparently healthy cattle were studied. The syndrome observed was characterised by severe pancytopenia, with massive normocytic, normochromic anaemia, panleukopenia and thrombocytopenia, but no reticulocytes in peripheral blood. The erythrocyte and leukocyte counts, haematocrit and haemoglobin concentrations were greatly decreased compared with those of the healthy cattle. The means +/- SD (with values of healthy cattle in parentheses) were 2.85 +/- 1.10 (6.04 +/- 1.58) x 10(12) l-1, 2.78 +/- 1.70 (10.59 +/- 4.16) x 10(9) l-1, 0.19 +/- 0.06 (0.31 +/- 0.054)1 l-1 and 4.07 +/- 1.62 (7.29 +/- 1.39) mmol l-1 respectively. Lymphoproliferation was low, while lymphocyte destruction (lymphocytolysis) was high. There were very few small schizonts in parotid and prescapular glands. Lymphocytes were extensively destroyed in medullary cords, germinal centres of lymph nodules in cortex and paracortical regions of lymph nodes and haemal nodes. The bone marrow was hypocellular, with only a few haematopoietic precursor erythroid, granulocytic and thrombopoietic cell series. All stages of prorubriblasts and rubricytes had granulated nuclei, some with schizonts. Infection of erythrocytes by merozoites appeared to take place in precursor stages. The destruction of erythroblasts, rubricytes and other haematopoietic cells resulted in anaemia without reticulocytosis, haemoglobinuria and jaundice, accompanied by panleukopenia of extreme neutropenia, lymphopenia and eosinopenia. This indicated that this T. parva strain differs from previously described buffalo- or cattle-derived T. parva infections in causing both haemoproliferation and lymphoproliferation by extensive haematopoietic cell

Deciphering signature of selection affecting beef quality traits in Angus cattle.

PubMed

Taye, Mengistie; Yoon, Joon; Dessie, Tadelle; Cho, Seoae; Oh, Sung Jong; Lee, Hak-Kyo; Kim, Heebal

2018-01-01

Artificial selection towards a desired phenotype/trait has modified the genomes of livestock dramatically that generated breeds that greatly differ in morphology, production and environmental adaptation traits. Angus cattle are among the famous cattle breeds developed for superior beef quality. This paper aimed at exploring genomic regions under selection in Angus cattle that are associated with meat quality traits and other associated phenotypes. The whole genome of 10 Angus cattle was compared with 11 Hanwoo (A-H) and 9 Jersey (A-J) cattle breeds using a cross-population composite likelihood ratio (XP-CLR) statistical method. The top 1% of the empirical distribution was taken as significant and annotated using UMD3.1. As a result, 255 and 210 genes were revealed under selection from A-H and A-J comparisons, respectively. The WebGestalt gene ontology analysis resulted in sixteen (A-H) and five (A-J) significantly enriched KEGG pathways. Several pathways associated with meat quality traits (insulin signaling, type II diabetes mellitus pathway, focal adhesion pathway, and ECM-receptor interaction), and feeding efficiency (olfactory transduction, tight junction, and metabolic pathways) were enriched. Genes affecting beef quality traits (e.g., FABP3, FTO, DGAT2, ACS, ACAA2, CPE, TNNI1), stature and body size (e.g., PLAG1, LYN, CHCHD7, RPS20), fertility and dystocia (e.g., ESR1, RPS20, PPP2R1A, GHRL, PLAG1), feeding efficiency (e.g., PIK3CD, DNAJC28, DNAJC3, GHRL, PLAG1), coat color (e.g., MC1-R) and genetic disorders (e.g., ITGB6, PLAG1) were found to be under positive selection in Angus cattle. The study identified genes and pathways that are related to meat quality traits and other phenotypes of Angus cattle. The findings in this study, after validation using additional or independent dataset, will provide useful information for the study of Angus cattle in particular and beef cattle in general.

Suboptimal Herd Performance Amplifies the Spread of Infectious Disease in the Cattle Industry

PubMed Central

Gates, M. Carolyn; Woolhouse, Mark E. J.

2014-01-01

Farms that purchase replacement breeding cattle are at increased risk of introducing many economically important diseases. The objectives of this analysis were to determine whether the total number of replacement breeding cattle purchased by individual farms could be reduced by improving herd performance and to quantify the effects of such reductions on the industry-level transmission dynamics of infectious cattle diseases. Detailed information on the performance and contact patterns of British cattle herds was extracted from the national cattle movement database as a case example. Approximately 69% of beef herds and 59% of dairy herds with an average of at least 20 recorded calvings per year purchased at least one replacement breeding animal. Results from zero-inflated negative binomial regression models revealed that herds with high average ages at first calving, prolonged calving intervals, abnormally high or low culling rates, and high calf mortality rates were generally more likely to be open herds and to purchase greater numbers of replacement breeding cattle. If all herds achieved the same level of performance as the top 20% of herds, the total number of replacement beef and dairy cattle purchased could be reduced by an estimated 34% and 51%, respectively. Although these purchases accounted for only 13% of between-herd contacts in the industry trade network, they were found to have a disproportionately strong influence on disease transmission dynamics. These findings suggest that targeting extension services at herds with suboptimal performance may be an effective strategy for controlling endemic cattle diseases while simultaneously improving industry productivity. PMID:24671129

7 CFR 1260.118 - Cattle.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 10 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Cattle. 1260.118 Section 1260.118 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (MARKETING AGREEMENTS... Promotion and Research Order Definitions § 1260.118 Cattle. Cattle means live domesticated bovine animals...

Brucellosis in cattle and micro-scale spatial variability of pastoral household income from dairy production in south western Uganda.

PubMed

Nina, Pius Mbuya; Mugisha, Samuel; Leirs, Herwig; Basuta, Gilbert Isabirye; Van Damme, Patrick

2017-11-01

Brucellosis in cattle and humans has received world-wide research attention as a neglected and re-emerging zoonotic disease with many routes of transmission. Studies of brucellosis in Uganda have emphasized occupational exposures and also revealed variations in prevalence levels by region and cattle production systems. To date, research linking pastoralist household income from dairy production to brucellosis and its transmission risk pathways do not exist in Uganda. We assessed whether spatial differences in unit milk prices can be explained by brucellosis prevalence in cattle along a distance gradient from Lake Mburo National Park in Uganda. Semi-structured interviews administered to 366 randomly selected household heads were supplemented with serological data on brucellosis in cattle. Statistical analysis included Pearson correlation test, multiple regression and analysis of variance (ANOVA) using SPSS version 17. Serological results showed that 44% of cattle blood samples were sero-positive for brucellosis. The results obtained from interviews put the statistical mean of household reported cattle abortions at 5.39 (5.08-5.70 at 95% CI, n=366). Post-hoc analysis of variance revealed that both sero-positive cattle and reported cattle abortions significantly were much lower when moving outwards from the park boundary (p<0.05), while the price of milk increased significantly (p<0.05) along the same distance gradient. Further studies should identify public and private partnerships needed to create and strengthen good zoonotic brucellosis management practices at the nexus of wildlife and livestock in Uganda. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Assessment of cattle genetic introgression into domestic yak populations using mitochondrial and microsatellite DNA markers

PubMed Central

Qi, X B; Jianlin, H; Wang, G; Rege, J E O; Hanotte, O

2010-01-01

Hybridization between yak Poephagus grunniens and taurine Bos taurus or indicine B. indicus cattle has been widely practiced throughout the yak geographical range, and gene flow is expected to have occurred between these species. To assess the impact of cattle admixture on domestic yak, we examined 1076 domestic yak from 29 populations collected in China, Bhutan, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia and Russia using mitochondrial DNA and 17 autosomal microsatellite loci. A cattle diagnostic marker-based analysis reveals cattle-specific mtDNA and/or autosomal microsatellite allele introgression in 127 yak individuals from 22 populations. The mean level of cattle admixture across the populations, calculated using allelic information at 17 autosomal microsatellite loci, remains relatively low (mYcattle = 2.66 ± 0.53% and Qcattle = 0.69 ± 2.58%), although it varies a lot across populations as well as among individuals within population. Although the level of cattle admixture shows a clear geographical structure, with higher levels of admixture in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and Mongolian and Russian regions, and lower levels in the Himalayan and Pamir Plateau region, our results indicate that the level of cattle admixture is not significantly correlated with the altitude across geographical regions as well as within geographical region. Although yak-cattle hybridization is primarily driven to produce F1 hybrids, our results show that the subsequent gene flow between yak and cattle took place and has affected contemporary genetic make-up of domestic yak. To protect yak genetic integrity, hybridization between yak and cattle should be tightly controlled. PMID:19917041

Network Analysis Reveals Putative Genes Affecting Meat Quality in Angus Cattle.

PubMed

Mateescu, Raluca G; Garrick, Dorian J; Reecy, James M

2017-01-01

Improvements in eating satisfaction will benefit consumers and should increase beef demand which is of interest to the beef industry. Tenderness, juiciness, and flavor are major determinants of the palatability of beef and are often used to reflect eating satisfaction. Carcass qualities are used as indicator traits for meat quality, with higher quality grade carcasses expected to relate to more tender and palatable meat. However, meat quality is a complex concept determined by many component traits making interpretation of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) on any one component challenging to interpret. Recent approaches combining traditional GWAS with gene network interactions theory could be more efficient in dissecting the genetic architecture of complex traits. Phenotypic measures of 23 traits reflecting carcass characteristics, components of meat quality, along with mineral and peptide concentrations were used along with Illumina 54k bovine SNP genotypes to derive an annotated gene network associated with meat quality in 2,110 Angus beef cattle. The efficient mixed model association (EMMAX) approach in combination with a genomic relationship matrix was used to directly estimate the associations between 54k SNP genotypes and each of the 23 component traits. Genomic correlated regions were identified by partial correlations which were further used along with an information theory algorithm to derive gene network clusters. Correlated SNP across 23 component traits were subjected to network scoring and visualization software to identify significant SNP. Significant pathways implicated in the meat quality complex through GO term enrichment analysis included angiogenesis, inflammation, transmembrane transporter activity, and receptor activity. These results suggest that network analysis using partial correlations and annotation of significant SNP can reveal the genetic architecture of complex traits and provide novel information regarding biological mechanisms

Complement component 3: characterization and association with mastitis resistance in Egyptian water buffalo and cattle.

PubMed

El-Halawany, Nermin; Abd-El-Monsif, Shawky A; Al-Tohamy Ahmed, F M; Hegazy, Lamees; Abdel-Shafy, Hamdy; Abdel-Latif, Magdy A; Ghazi, Yasser A; Neuhoff, Christiane; Salilew-Wondim, Dessie; Schellander, Karl

2017-03-01

Mastitis is an infectious disease of the mammary gland that leads to reduced milk production and change in milk composition. Complement component C3 plays a major role as a central molecule of the complement cascade involving in killing of microorganisms, either directly or in cooperation with phagocytic cells. C3 cDNA were isolated, from Egyptian buffalo and cattle, sequenced and characterized. The C3 cDNA sequences of buffalo and cattle consist of 5025 and 5019 bp, respectively. Buffalo and cattle C3 cDNAs share 99% of sequence identity with each other. The 4986 bp open reading frame in buffalo encodes a putative protein of 1661 amino acids-as in cattle-and includes all the functional domains. Further, analysis of the C3 cDNA sequences detected six novel single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in buffalo and three novel SNPs in cattle. The association analysis of the detected SNPs with milk somatic cell score as an indicator of mastitis revealed that the most significant association in buffalo was found in the C>A substitution (ss: 1752816097) in exon 27, whereas in cattle it was in the C>T substitution (ss: 1752816085) in exon 12. Our findings provide preliminary information about the contribution of C3 polymorphisms to mastitis resistance in buffalo and cattle.

Two Novel SNPs of PPARγ Significantly Affect Weaning Growth Traits of Nanyang Cattle.

PubMed

Huang, Jieping; Chen, Ningbo; Li, Xin; An, Shanshan; Zhao, Minghui; Sun, Taihong; Hao, Ruijie; Ma, Yun

2018-01-02

Peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) is a key transcription factor that controls adipocyte differentiation and energy in mammals. Therefore, PPARγ is a potential factor influencing animal growth traits. This study primarily evaluates PPARγ as candidate gene for growth traits of cattle and identifies potential molecular marker for cattle breeding. Per previous studies, PPARγ mRNA was mainly expressed at extremely high levels in adipose tissues as shown by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis. Three novel SNPs of the bovine PPARγ gene were identified in 514 individuals from six Chinese cattle breeds: SNP1 (AC_000179.1 g.57386668 C > G) in intron 2 and SNP2 (AC_000179.1 g.57431964 C > T) and SNP3 (AC_000179.1 g.57431994 T > C) in exon 7. The present study also investigated genetic characteristics of these SNP loci in six populations. Association analysis showed that SNP1 and SNP3 loci significantly affect weaning growth traits, especially body weight of Nanyang cattle. These results revealed that SNP1 and SNP3 are potential molecular markers for cattle breeding.

Comparison of protein and energy supplementation to mineral supplementation on feeding behavior of grazing cattle during the rainy to the dry season transition.

PubMed

Brandão, Rita Kelly Couto; de Carvalho, Gleidson Giordano Pinto; Silva, Robério Rodrigues; Dias, Daniel Lucas Santos; Mendes, Fabrício Bacelar Lima; Lins, Túlio Otávio Jardim D'Almeida; Filho, George Abreu; de Souza, Sinvaldo Oliveira; Barroso, Daniele Soares; de Almeida Rufino, Luana Marta; Tosto, Manuela Silva Libânio

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of protein-energy or mineral supplementation on the ingestive behavior of dairy steers on pasture in the post-weaning phase during the rainy to dry season transition. Twenty-two ½ Holstein-Zebu dairy steers with an average initial body weight of 234 ± 16 kg were distributed into a completely randomized design into two groups: protein-energy supplementation and mineral supplementation offered ad libitum. The steers receiving protein-energy supplementation showed higher (P < 0.05) intake of dry matter (DM) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) than those fed diets composed of mineral salt only. In addition, the animals that received protein-energy supplementation had longer period in grazing and spent on average more time per period eating at the trough (P < 0.05), however no significant differences were observed in the time per period in rumination and time per period in idle (P > 0.05). The supply of protein-energy supplement does not change the feeding behavior, except for an increase in the time spent feeding at the trough. The intake of protein-energy supplement improved the of DM and NDF feed efficiencies in grazing cattle during the rainy to the dry season transition.

Determinants Affecting on Smallholder Madura Cattle Farming at Pamekasan Regency, East Java, Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Utami, H. D.; Yakin, A.; Seruni, A. P.

2018-02-01

Study was case study at Pamekasan Regency of Madura Island, East Java, Indonesia. The research aimed to examine income of smallholder beef cattle farming and its influencing factors. The research used 30 members of the Pancong Jaya group farmer that obtained by purposive sampling method. Research regarded descriptive analysis using economic formulation and multiple regression technique. Results found that R2 Adjusted obtained 73.70% and F-calculation (12.625) indicated significant (P< 0.000). Partial analysis confirmed that five out of nine variables have effected on the beef cattle farming income. Farmer’s experience in raising cattle and their education revealed a positive and high significant (P< 0.000 and P<0.005, respectively), associated with the farm earning. Farmer’s age, the number of household members, and purchasing breeding stock appeared a negative and significant (P <0.05) and (P<0.1, accordingly) influence on farmer’s income. This study concluded that producing per AU cattle required capital approximately IDR 16,861,718 (structured by 59.99% of fixed and 40.01 % of working capital) and IDR 6,745,512 of production costs (composed by 57.47% of feeder cattle procurement, 17.78% of feed concentrate and 14.48 % of forage expenses) to obtain IDR 8,834 of revenue and IDR 2,089,512 of income. The efficient beef cattle farming also existed in corresponding with 1.31 of R/C Ratio. Farmers’ education and experience in handling cattle strongly influenced on increasing income. However, the contrast view come from farmers’ age, the number of family members, and purchasing feeder cattle in which these seemed to reduce farmers’ income.

Characterisation of Commensal Escherichia coli Isolated from Apparently Healthy Cattle and Their Attendants in Tanzania

PubMed Central

Mtambo, Madundo M. A.; Muhairwa, Amandus P.; Lupindu, Athumani M.; Olsen, John E.

2016-01-01

While pathogenic types of Escherichia coli are well characterized, relatively little is known about the commensal E. coli flora. In the current study, antimicrobial resistance in commensal E. coli and distribution of ERIC-PCR genotypes among isolates of such bacteria from cattle and cattle attendants on cattle farms in Tanzania were investigated. Seventeen E. coli genomes representing different ERIC-PCR types of commensal E. coli were sequenced in order to determine their possible importance as a reservoir for both antimicrobial resistance genes and virulence factors. Both human and cattle isolates were highly resistant to tetracycline (40.8% and 33.1%), sulphamethazole-trimethoprim (49.0% and 8.8%) and ampicillin (44.9% and 21.3%). However, higher proportion of resistant E. coli and higher frequency of resistance to more than two antimicrobials was found in isolates from cattle attendants than isolates from cattle. Sixteen out of 66 ERIC-PCR genotypes were shared between the two hosts, and among these ones, seven types contained isolates from cattle and cattle attendants from the same farm, suggesting transfer of strains between hosts. Genome-wide analysis showed that the majority of the sequenced cattle isolates were assigned to phylogroups B1, while human isolates represented phylogroups A, C, D and E. In general, in silico resistome and virulence factor identification did not reveal differences between hosts or phylogroups, except for lpfA and iss found to be cattle and B1 phylogroup specific. The most frequent plasmids replicon genes found in strains from both hosts were of IncF type, which are commonly associated with carriage of antimicrobial and virulence genes. Commensal E. coli from cattle and attendants were found to share same genotypes and to carry antimicrobial resistance and virulence genes associated with both intra and extraintestinal E. coli pathotypes. PMID:27977751

Reference ranges of hematology and lymphocyte subsets in healthy Korean native cattle (Hanwoo) and Holstein dairy cattle.

PubMed

Kim, Yun-Mi; Lee, Jin-A; Jung, Bock-Gie; Kim, Tae-Hoon; Lee, Bong-Joo; Suh, Guk-Hyun

2016-06-01

There are no accurate reference ranges for hematology parameters and lymphocyte subsets in Korean native beef cattle (Hanwoo). This study was performed to establish reliable reference ranges of hematology and lymphocyte subsets using a large number of Hanwoo cattle (n = 350) and to compare differences between Hanwoo and Holstein dairy cattle (n = 334). Additionally, age-related changes in lymphocyte subsets were studied. Bovine leukocyte subpopulation analysis was performed using mono or dual color flow cytometry. The leukocyte subpopulations investigated in healthy cattle included: CD2(+) cells, sIgM(+) cells, MHC class II(+) cells, CD3(+) CD4(+) cells, CD3(+) CD8(+) cells, and WC1(+) cells. Although Hanwoo and Holstein cattle are the same species, results showed several differences in hematology and lymphocyte subsets between Hanwoo and Holstein cattle. This study is the first report to establish reference ranges of hematology and lymphocyte subsets in adult Hanwoo cattle. © 2015 Japanese Society of Animal Science.

Genetic analysis of growth traits in Polled Nellore cattle raised on pasture in tropical region using Bayesian approaches.

PubMed

Lopes, Fernando Brito; Magnabosco, Cláudio Ulhôa; Paulini, Fernanda; da Silva, Marcelo Corrêa; Miyagi, Eliane Sayuri; Lôbo, Raysildo Barbosa

2013-01-01

Components of (co)variance and genetic parameters were estimated for adjusted weights at ages 120 (W120), 240 (W240), 365 (W365) and 450 (W450) days of Polled Nellore cattle raised on pasture and born between 1987 and 2010. Analyses were performed using an animal model, considering fixed effects: herd-year-season of birth and calf sex as contemporary groups and the age of cow as a covariate. Gibbs Samplers were used to estimate (co)variance components, genetic parameters and additive genetic effects, which accounted for great proportion of total variation in these traits. High direct heritability estimates for the growth traits were revealed and presented mean 0.43, 0.61, 0.72 and 0.67 for W120, W240, W365 and W450, respectively. Maternal heritabilities were 0.07 and 0.08 for W120 and W240, respectively. Direct additive genetic correlations between the weight at 120, 240, 365 and 450 days old were strong and positive. These estimates ranged from 0.68 to 0.98. Direct-maternal genetic correlations were negative for W120 and W240. The estimates ranged from -0.31 to -0.54. Estimates of maternal heritability ranged from 0.056 to 0.092 for W120 and from 0.064 to 0.096 for W240. This study showed that genetic progress is possible for the growth traits we studied, which is a novel and favorable indicator for an upcoming and promising Polled Zebu breed in Tropical regions. Maternal effects influenced the performance of weight at 120 and 240 days old. These effects should be taken into account in genetic analyses of growth traits by fitting them as a genetic or a permanent environmental effect, or even both. In general, due to a medium-high estimate of environmental (co)variance components, management and feeding conditions for Polled Nellore raised at pasture in tropical regions of Brazil needs improvement and growth performance can be enhanced.

Genetic Analysis of Growth Traits in Polled Nellore Cattle Raised on Pasture in Tropical Region Using Bayesian Approaches

PubMed Central

Lopes, Fernando Brito; Magnabosco, Cláudio Ulhôa; Paulini, Fernanda; da Silva, Marcelo Corrêa; Miyagi, Eliane Sayuri; Lôbo, Raysildo Barbosa

2013-01-01

Components of (co)variance and genetic parameters were estimated for adjusted weights at ages 120 (W120), 240 (W240), 365 (W365) and 450 (W450) days of Polled Nellore cattle raised on pasture and born between 1987 and 2010. Analyses were performed using an animal model, considering fixed effects: herd-year-season of birth and calf sex as contemporary groups and the age of cow as a covariate. Gibbs Samplers were used to estimate (co)variance components, genetic parameters and additive genetic effects, which accounted for great proportion of total variation in these traits. High direct heritability estimates for the growth traits were revealed and presented mean 0.43, 0.61, 0.72 and 0.67 for W120, W240, W365 and W450, respectively. Maternal heritabilities were 0.07 and 0.08 for W120 and W240, respectively. Direct additive genetic correlations between the weight at 120, 240, 365 and 450 days old were strong and positive. These estimates ranged from 0.68 to 0.98. Direct-maternal genetic correlations were negative for W120 and W240. The estimates ranged from −0.31 to −0.54. Estimates of maternal heritability ranged from 0.056 to 0.092 for W120 and from 0.064 to 0.096 for W240. This study showed that genetic progress is possible for the growth traits we studied, which is a novel and favorable indicator for an upcoming and promising Polled Zebu breed in Tropical regions. Maternal effects influenced the performance of weight at 120 and 240 days old. These effects should be taken into account in genetic analyses of growth traits by fitting them as a genetic or a permanent environmental effect, or even both. In general, due to a medium-high estimate of environmental (co)variance components, management and feeding conditions for Polled Nellore raised at pasture in tropical regions of Brazil needs improvement and growth performance can be enhanced. PMID:24040412

Management practices followed for draught cattle in the southern part of India.

PubMed

Akila, Natarajan; Chander, Mahesh

2010-02-01

A study was conducted to determine the management practices followed by the farmers for draught cattle in Tamil Nadu state, India. Methods of procurement of animals, use of female animals, breeds preferred, housing, health, disposal of animals, feeding, shoeing, purchase of animal-drawn implements and their maintenance were all assessed with 210 farmers from seven districts across different agro-climatic zones in Tamil Nadu. The results revealed that 86 % of the respondents purchased the draught cattle from the livestock markets, most were bullocks but 20 small farmers and 5 medium farmers used female animals for ploughing. Among the indigenous breeds, Kangeyam (33 %) and Hallikar (30 %) breeds were the most popular for work. Most farmers (69 %) provided a mixed type of housing (provision of housing only during the night time and the rainy season) for their draught cattle. The major health problem reported by 63 % of respondents was pyrexia. Almost all farmers sold their animals at the age of 8-10 years. The feeding practices for draught cattle were poor especially with the small farmers. The cattle were fed with mainly paddy straw and rice bran. Oilcakes and cotton seeds were given to the animals which work throughout the year mainly for ploughing and carting. The draught cattle were first shod at around 2.5 years of age. The majority of the farmers (71 %) used the traditional animal-drawn implements made by local artisans, and the farmers were not aware of the new implements to reduce the drudgery of work cattle, designed by the Agricultural Machinery Research Centre and Agricultural Engineering Departments located in India.

Practices of traditional beef farmers in their production and marketing of cattle in Zambia.

PubMed

Mumba, Chisoni; Häsler, Barbara; Muma, John B; Munyeme, Musso; Sitali, Doreen Chilolo; Skjerve, Eystein; Rich, Karl M

2018-01-01

Understanding the practices of traditional cattle farmers in developing countries is an important factor in the development of appropriate, pro-poor disease control policies, and in formulating regional-specific production incentives that can improve productivity. This paper describes the production, husbandry practices, economics, and constraints of traditional cattle farming in Zambia. A cross-sectional study design was used to obtain data from traditional cattle farmers (n = 699) using a structured questionnaire. Data analyses were carried out using SPSS and STATA statistical packages. The results revealed that the majority [65% (95% CI: 59.3-71.1)] of farmers practised a transhumant cattle herding system under communal grazing. In these transhumant herding systems, animal husbandry and management systems were found to be of poor quality, in terms of supplementary feeding, vaccination coverage, deworming, uptake of veterinary services, usage of artificial insemination, and dip tanks all being low or absent. East Coast Fever was the most common disease, affecting 60% (95% CI: 56.4-63.7) of farmers. Cattle sales were low, as farmers only sold a median of two cattle per household per year. Crop farming was found to be the main source of farm income (47%) in agro-pastoralist communities, followed by cattle farming (28%) and other sources (25%). The median cost of production in the surveyed provinces was reported at US$316, while that of revenue from cattle and cattle products sales was estimated at US$885 per herd per year. This translates to an estimated gross margin of US$569, representing 64.3% of revenue.There is considerable diversity in disease distribution, animal husbandry practices, economics, and challenges in traditional cattle production in different locations of Zambia. Therefore, to improve the productivity of the traditional cattle sub-sector, policy makers and stakeholders in the beef value chain must develop fit-for-purpose policies and

Diagnostic ultrasonography in cattle with abdominal fat necrosis.

PubMed

Tharwat, Mohamed; Buczinski, Sébastien

2012-01-01

This study describes the ultrasonographic findings in 14 cows with abdominal fat necrosis. Ultrasonography of the abdomen revealed the presence of heterogeneous hyperechoic masses and hyperechoic omentum with localized masses floating in a hypoechoic peritoneal fluid. A hyperechogenic rim was imaged around both kidneys. The intestines were coated with hyperechoic capsules and the intestinal lumens were constricted. Ultrasonographic examination of the pancreatic parenchyma showed an overall increased echogenicity which was homogenously distributed in 3 cases. A diagnosis of abdominal fat necrosis was made with ultrasound-guided biopsy of the echogenic masses, and thereafter at postmortem examination. Results from this study demonstrate the efficacy of ultrasonography as an imaging modality for antemortem diagnosis of abdominal lipomatosis in cattle. To the authors' knowledge, this study is the first that illustrates ultrasonographic findings in cattle affected with abdominal lipomatosis.

Targeting Cattle-Borne Zoonoses and Cattle Pathogens Using a Novel Trypanosomatid-Based Delivery System

PubMed Central

Mott, G. Adam; Wilson, Raymond; Fernando, Anuruddika; Robinson, Ailie; MacGregor, Paula; Kennedy, David; Schaap, Dick; Matthews, Jacqueline B.; Matthews, Keith R.

2011-01-01

Trypanosomatid parasites are notorious for the human diseases they cause throughout Africa and South America. However, non-pathogenic trypanosomatids are also found worldwide, infecting a wide range of hosts. One example is Trypanosoma (Megatrypanum) theileri, a ubiquitous protozoan commensal of bovids, which is distributed globally. Exploiting knowledge of pathogenic trypanosomatids, we have developed Trypanosoma theileri as a novel vehicle to deliver vaccine antigens and other proteins to cattle. Conditions for the growth and transfection of T. theileri have been optimised and expressed heterologous proteins targeted for secretion or specific localisation at the cell interior or surface using trafficking signals from Trypanosoma brucei. In cattle, the engineered vehicle could establish in the context of a pre-existing natural T. theileri population, was maintained long-term and generated specific immune responses to an expressed Babesia antigen at protective levels. Building on several decades of basic research into trypanosomatid pathogens, Trypanosoma theileri offers significant potential to target multiple infections, including major cattle-borne zoonoses such as Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp., Brucella abortus and Mycobacterium spp. It also has the potential to deliver therapeutics to cattle, including the lytic factor that protects humans from cattle trypanosomiasis. This could alleviate poverty by protecting indigenous African cattle from African trypanosomiasis. PMID:22046137

Experimental Infection of Cattle With a Novel Prion Derived From Atypical H-Type Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy.

PubMed

Okada, Hiroyuki; Masujin, Kentaro; Miyazawa, Kohtaro; Iwamaru, Yoshihumi; Imamura, Morikazu; Matsuura, Yuichi; Arai, Shozo; Fukuda, Shigeo; Murayama, Yuichi; Yokoyama, Takashi

2017-11-01

H-type bovine spongiform encephalopathy (H-BSE) is an atypical form of BSE in cattle. During passaging of H-BSE in transgenic bovinized (TgBoPrP) mice, a novel phenotype of BSE, termed BSE-SW emerged and was characterized by a short incubation time and host weight loss. To investigate the biological and biochemical properties of the BSE-SW prion, a transmission study was conducted in cattle, which were inoculated intracerebrally with brain homogenate from BSE-SW-infected TgBoPrP mice. The disease incubation period was approximately 15 months. The animals showed characteristic neurological signs of dullness, and severe spongiform changes and a widespread, uniform distribution of disease-associated prion protein (PrP Sc ) were observed throughout the brain of infected cattle. Immunohistochemical PrP Sc staining of the brain revealed the presence of intraglial accumulations and plaque-like deposits. No remarkable differences were identified in vacuolar lesion scores, topographical distribution patterns, and staining types of PrP Sc in the brains of BSE-SW- vs H-BSE-infected cattle. PrP Sc deposition was detected in the ganglia, vagus nerve, spinal nerve, cauda equina, adrenal medulla, and ocular muscle. Western blot analysis revealed that the specific biochemical properties of the BSE-SW prion, with an additional 10- to 12-kDa fragment, were well maintained after transmission. These findings indicated that the BSE-SW prion has biochemical properties distinct from those of H-BSE in cattle, although clinical and pathologic features of BSW-SW in cattle are indistinguishable from those of H-BSE. The results suggest that the 2 infectious agents, BSE-SW and H-BSE, are closely related strains.

Detection of Schistosoma spindale ova and associated risk factors among Malaysian cattle through coprological survey.

PubMed

Tan, Tiong Kai; Low, Van Lun; Lee, Soo Ching; Panchadcharam, Chandrawathani; Tay, Sun Tee; Ngui, Romano; Bathmanaban, Premaalatha; Kho, Kai Ling; Koh, Fui Xian; Sharma, Reuben Sunil Kumar; Jaafar, Tariq; Nizam, Quaza Nizamuddin Hassan; Lim, Yvonne Ai Lian

2015-05-01

The present study was conducted to determine the occurrence of Schistosoma spindale ova and its associated risk factors in Malaysian cattle through a coprological survey. A total of 266 rectal fecal samples were collected from six farms in Peninsular Malaysia. The overall infection rate of S. spindale was 6% (16 of 266). Schistosoma spindale infection was observed in two farms, with a prevalence of 5.4% and 51.9%, respectively. This trematode was more likely to co-occur with other gastro-intestinal parasites (i.e., Dicrocoelium spp., Paramphistomum spp., strongyle, Eimeria spp. and Entamoeba spp.). Chi-square analysis revealed that female cattle are less likely to get S. spindale infection as compared to male cattle (OR = 0.3; 95% CI = 0.08-1.06; p < 0.05), and cattle weighing lower than 200 kg, were significantly at higher risk than those higher than 200 kg (OR = 5; 95% CI = 1.07-24.79; p < 0.05) to the infection. Multivariate analysis confirmed that among the cattle in Malaysia, the age (cattle with two year old and higher: OR = 21; 95% CI = 2.48-179.44; p < 0.05) and weight (weighing 200 kg and lower: OR = 17; 95% CI = 3.38-87.19; p < 0.05) were risk factors for S. spindale infection among Malaysian cattle.

Molecular epidemiology of bovine Babesia spp. and Theileria orientalis parasites in beef cattle from northern and northeastern Thailand.

PubMed

Jirapattharasate, Charoonluk; Adjou Moumouni, Paul Franck; Cao, Shinuo; Iguchi, Aiko; Liu, Mingming; Wang, Guanbo; Zhou, Mo; Vudriko, Patrick; Changbunjong, Tanasak; Sungpradit, Sivapong; Ratanakorn, Parntep; Moonarmart, Walasinee; Sedwisai, Poonyapat; Weluwanarak, Thekhawet; Wongsawang, Witsanu; Suzuki, Hiroshi; Xuan, Xuenan

2016-02-01

Beef cattle production represents the largest cattle population in Thailand. Their productivity is constrained by tick-borne diseases such as babesiosis and theileriosis. In this study, we determined the prevalence of Babesia bigemina, Babesia bovis and Theileria orientalis using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The genetic markers that were used for detection of the above parasites were sequenced to determine identities and similarity for Babesia spp. and genetic diversity of T. orientalis. Furthermore the risk factors for the occurrence of the above protozoan parasites in beef cattle from northern and northeastern parts of Thailand were assessed. A total of 329 blood samples were collected from beef cattle in 6 provinces. The study revealed that T. orientalis was the most prevalent (30.1%) parasite in beef cattle followed by B. bigemina (13.1%) and B. bovis (5.5%). Overall, 78.7% of the cattle screened were infected with at least one of the above parasites. Co-infection with Babesia spp. and T. orientalis was 30.1%. B. bigemina and T. orientalis were the most prevalent (15.1%) co-infection although triple infection with the three parasites was observed in 3.0% of the samples. Sequencing analysis revealed that B. bigemina RAP1 gene and B. bovis SBP2 gene were conserved among the parasites from different cattle samples. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the T. orientalis MPSP gene from parasites isolated from cattle in north and northeast Thailand was classified into types 5 and 7 as reported previously. Lack of tick control program was the universal risk factor of the occurrence of Babesia spp. and T. orientalis infection in beef cattle in northern and northeastern Thailand. We therefore recommend training of farmers on appropriate tick control strategies and further research on potential vectors for T. orientalis and elucidate the effect of co-infection with Babesia spp. on the pathogenicity of T. orientalis infection on beef in northern and northeastern Thailand

Whole genome sequencing of the monomorphic pathogen Mycobacterium bovis reveals local differentiation of cattle clinical isolates.

PubMed

Lasserre, Moira; Fresia, Pablo; Greif, Gonzalo; Iraola, Gregorio; Castro-Ramos, Miguel; Juambeltz, Arturo; Nuñez, Álvaro; Naya, Hugo; Robello, Carlos; Berná, Luisa

2018-01-02

Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) poses serious risks to animal welfare and economy, as well as to public health as a zoonosis. Its etiological agent, Mycobacterium bovis, belongs to the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC), a group of genetically monomorphic organisms featured by a remarkably high overall nucleotide identity (99.9%). Indeed, this characteristic is of major concern for correct typing and determination of strain-specific traits based on sequence diversity. Due to its historical economic dependence on cattle production, Uruguay is deeply affected by the prevailing incidence of Mycobacterium bovis. With the world's highest number of cattle per human, and its intensive cattle production, Uruguay represents a particularly suited setting to evaluate genomic variability among isolates, and the diversity traits associated to this pathogen. We compared 186 genomes from MTBC strains isolated worldwide, and found a highly structured population in M. bovis. The analysis of 23 new M. bovis genomes, belonging to strains isolated in Uruguay evidenced three groups present in the country. Despite presenting an expected highly conserved genomic structure and sequence, these strains segregate into a clustered manner within the worldwide phylogeny. Analysis of the non-pe/ppe differential areas against a reference genome defined four main sources of variability, namely: regions of difference (RD), variable genes, duplications and novel genes. RDs and variant analysis segregated the strains into clusters that are concordant with their spoligotype identities. Due to its high homoplasy rate, spoligotyping failed to reflect the true genomic diversity among worldwide representative strains, however, it remains a good indicator for closely related populations. This study introduces a comprehensive population structure analysis of worldwide M. bovis isolates. The incorporation and analysis of 23 novel Uruguayan M. bovis genomes, sheds light onto the genomic diversity of this

Distribution of Leptospira serogroups in cattle herds and dogs in France.

PubMed

Ayral, Florence C; Bicout, Dominique J; Pereira, Helena; Artois, Marc; Kodjo, Angeli

2014-10-01

A retrospective study was conducted to identify and describe the distribution pattern of Leptospira serogroups in domestic animals in France. The population consisted of cattle herds and dogs with clinically suspected leptospirosis that were tested at the "Laboratoire des Leptospires" between 2008 and 2011. The laboratory database was queried for records of cattle and dogs in which seroreactivity in Leptospira microagglutination tests was consistent with a recent or current infection, excluding vaccine serogroups in dogs. A total of 394 cattle herds and 232 dogs were diagnosed with clinical leptospirosis, and the results suggested infection by the Leptospira serogroup Australis in 43% and 63%, respectively; by the Leptospira serogroup Grippotyphosa in 17% and 9%, respectively; and by the Leptospira serogroup Sejroe in 33% and 6%, respectively. This inventory of infecting Leptospira serogroups revealed that current vaccines in France are not fully capable of preventing the clinical form of the disease. © The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

9 CFR 78.7 - Brucellosis reactor cattle.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Brucellosis reactor cattle. 78.7... Restrictions on Interstate Movement of Cattle Because of Brucellosis § 78.7 Brucellosis reactor cattle. (a) Destination. Brucellosis reactor cattle may be moved interstate only for immediate slaughter as follows: (1...

9 CFR 78.7 - Brucellosis reactor cattle.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Brucellosis reactor cattle. 78.7... Restrictions on Interstate Movement of Cattle Because of Brucellosis § 78.7 Brucellosis reactor cattle. (a) Destination. Brucellosis reactor cattle may be moved interstate only for immediate slaughter as follows: (1...

Highly divergent hepaciviruses from African cattle.

PubMed

Corman, Victor Max; Grundhoff, Adam; Baechlein, Christine; Fischer, Nicole; Gmyl, Anatoly; Wollny, Robert; Dei, Dickson; Ritz, Daniel; Binger, Tabea; Adankwah, Ernest; Marfo, Kwadwo Sarfo; Annison, Lawrence; Annan, Augustina; Adu-Sarkodie, Yaw; Oppong, Samuel; Becher, Paul; Drosten, Christian; Drexler, Jan Felix

2015-06-01

The hepatitis C virus (HCV; genus Hepacivirus) is a highly relevant human pathogen. Unique hepaciviruses (HV) were discovered recently in animal hosts. The direct ancestor of HCV has not been found, but the genetically most closely related animal HVs exist in horses. To investigate whether other peridomestic animals also carry HVs, we analyzed sera from Ghanaian cattle for HVs by reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR). Nine of 106 specimens from different sampling sites contained HV RNA (8.5%) at median viral loads of 1.6 × 10(5) copies/ml. Infection seemed unrelated to cattle age and gender. Near-full-genome sequencing of five representative viruses confirmed taxonomic classifications. Cattle HVs formed two distinct phylogenetic lineages that differed by up to 17.7% on the nucleotide level in the polyprotein-encoding region, suggesting cocirculation of different virus subtypes. A conserved microRNA122-binding site in the 5' internal ribosomal entry site suggested liver tropism of cattle HVs. Phylogenetic analyses suggested the circulation of HVs in cattle for several centuries. Cattle HVs were genetically highly divergent from all other HVs, including HCV. HVs from genetically related equine and bovine hosts were not monophyletic, corroborating host shifts during the evolution of the genus Hepacivirus. Similar to equine HVs, the genetic diversity of cattle HVs was low compared to that of HCV genotypes. This suggests an influence of the human-modified ecology of peridomestic animals on virus diversity. Further studies should investigate the occurrence of cattle HVs in other geographic areas and breeds, virus pathogenicity in cattle, and the potential exposure of human risk groups, such as farmers, butchers, and abattoir workers. HCV (genus Hepacivirus) is a major human pathogen, causing liver failure and cancer. Unique hepaciviruses (HVs) were discovered over the last few years in animals, but the direct ancestor of HCV has not been found. The animal HV most closely

Pathogenic genotype of major piroplasm surface protein associated with anemia in Theileria orientalis infection in cattle.

PubMed

Kim, Suhee; Yu, Do-Hyeon; Chae, Jeong-Byoung; Choi, Kyoung-Seong; Kim, Hyeon-Cheol; Park, Bae-Keun; Chae, Joon-Seok; Park, Jinho

2017-07-27

Serious disease outbreaks in cattle caused by Theileria orientalis have emerged in the Asia-Pacific region. Genetic variables of the major piroplasm surface protein (MPSP) expressed on the surface of the piroplasm inside T. orientalis-infected erythrocytes are considered to be associated with variation in the pathogenicity of T. orientalis. Our study describes the clinically relevant MPSP types associated with anemia in Theileria-infected cattle. These results revealed that MPSP expression plays an important role in hematological alterations in Theileria-infected cattle, and that MPSP type 1 is strongly associated with bovine anemia, which can be a potential target for the prevention of bovine theileriosis.

Seroepidemiological study of Neospora caninum in beef and dairy cattle in La Pampa, Argentina.

PubMed

Fort, Marcelo; Edelsten, Martyn; Maley, Stephen; Innes, Elisabeth

2015-06-01

Neospora caninum is considered one of the major causes of abortion in cattle. The aim of this study was to examine and quantify the extent of the infection in cattle in a representative region of Argentina (La Pampa, province). An average sample size of 36 sera per herd was selected from 97 beef and 24 dairy herds. A total of 4334 serum samples were tested for specific anti- Neospora caninum IgG using an indirect-ELISA and 302 seropositive-ELISA sera were re-examined using an Avidity-ELISA procedure for N.caninum. The overall estimated seroprevalence for N.caninun was 9.6% (95%CI: 8.7%; 10.5%). Levels of seroprevalence were significantly different in beef 7.0% and dairy 20.3% cattle. Disease distribution seems to be associated with climatic conditions as well as the management system. Cows in the east and central regions were at a 4.5-fold and 2.0-fold higher risk, respectively, of being N. caninum seropositive compared with cows in west region. Levels of recent infection were evaluated through an avidity ELISA in seropositive animals, being registered a 0.56% and a 1.71% of recent infection in beef and dairy cattle respectively (p = 0.006). The results revealed that dairy cows had 3.1(95%CI: 1.4; 7.0) higher risk of contracting Neoporosis through horizontal transmission than beef cows. A relationship between Brucella abortus and N. caninum seroprevalence was also observed. The risk of being N. caninum seropositive was two times higher where Brucellosis seroprevalence was >3.5%. These results reveal the distribution of N. caninum infection in the cattle population in La Pampa, Argentina.

Horn fly larval survival in cattle dung is reduced by endophyte infection of tall fescue pasture.

PubMed

Parra, Leonardo; Mutis, Ana; Chacón, Manuel; Lizama, Marcelo; Rojas, Claudio; Catrileo, Adrián; Rubilar, Olga; Tortella, Gonzalo; Birkett, Michael A; Quiroz, Andrés

2016-07-01

The potential for using endophytic microorganisms in pest control has increased during the last 40 years. In this study, we investigated the impact of endophyte (Neotyphodium coenophialum) infection of cattle pasture upon the survival of the horn fly, Haematobia irritans, a major agricultural pest affecting livestock in many parts of the world. In laboratory assays, where cattle dung collected from endophyte-infected (E+) tall fescue cultivar K-31 was used as the oviposition substrate, larval development was significantly reduced compared with development on cattle dung from steers that grazed uninfected (E-) tall fescue. Furthermore, studies with cattle dung supplemented with the alkaloid fraction extracted from the endophytic fungi revealed significant larval mortality, and HPLC analysis identified two alkaloids, peramine and lolitrem B. The development of larvae was shown to be significantly reduced in field-collected cattle dung. These results suggest that part of the toxicity of alkaloids contained in endophytes is transferred to faecal matter, causing an increase in mortality of H. irritans. These data suggest that endophyte infection of cattle pasture, i.e. modified pasture management, can significantly affect horn fly development. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.

Comparative analyses across cattle breeds reveal the pitfalls caused by artificial and lineage-differential copy number variations

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Copy number variations (CNV) are well known genomic variants, which often complicate structural and functional genomics studies. Here, we integrated the CNV region (CNVR) result detected from 1,682 Nellore cattle with the equivalent result derived from the Bovine HapMap samples. Through comparing CN...

A genome-wide survey reveals a deletion polymorphism associated with resistance to gastrointestinal nematodes in Angus cattle

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Gastrointestinal (GI) nematode infections are a worldwide threat to animal health and production. In this study, we performed a genome-wide association study between copy number variations (CNV) and resistance to GI nematodes in an Angus cattle population. Using a linear regression analysis, we iden...

Immunological studies in cattle exposed to polybrominated biphenyls

PubMed Central

Kateley, John R.; Bazzell, S. J.

1978-01-01

The intactness of the immune system in cattle exposed to polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs) has been investigated by using several immunoassays. Eighty-seven animals have been studied, 35 control animals (not exposed to PBBs) and 52 animals exposed to PBBs (0.02–30 ppm/g fat equivalent). The immunoassays included a complete blood count, identification of peripheral blood T and B lymphocyte subpopulations, serum immunoglobulin levels (IgG, IgM, and IgA), the in vitro response to lymphocytes to phytolectins (PHA, Con A, PWM), the antibody response to Keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH), the cell-mediated response to PPD, and determination of autoantibodies and/or immunosuppressive serum factors. For control and PBB-exposed cattle, there was no statistical difference between the number of circulating erythrocytes or leukocytes, the hematocrit, or hemoglobin content; the percentage or number of T and B lymphocytes; the isotope incorporation index (DNA synthesis) of lymphocytes in response to mitogens; the concentrations of serum immunoglobulins IgG, IgM, or IgA; the mean peak titer to KLH; or in vivo or in vitro immune response to PPD. Additional evaluation of cattle with tissue levels of PBB greater than 3 ppm/g tissue for hematological and immunological parameters revealed no statistical difference from control animals. Other experiments were performed to evaluate serum from cattle exposed to PBBs for autoantibodies to smooth muscle, mitochondrial or nuclear antigens. No evidence for autoantibodies was observed. Further studies were done to examine the cytotoxic and/or immunosuppressive activity of sera from PBB-exposed animals. In these studies, the blastogenic response of lymphocytes from control cattle and humans were evaluated in the presence and absence of serum from animals exposed to PBBs (> 3 ppm/g tissue). No evidence for either a cytotoxic or an immunosuppressive influence of such sera was demonstrable. Our studies indicate that PBB, at the levels studied, does

9 CFR 93.418 - Cattle from Canada.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

.... (1) Cattle from Canada from a herd in which any cattle have been determined to have tuberculosis... from a tuberculosis-free herd; or (B) The date and place the cattle were last tested for tuberculosis; that the cattle were found negative for tuberculosis on such test; and that such test was performed...

9 CFR 93.418 - Cattle from Canada.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

.... (1) Cattle from Canada from a herd in which any cattle have been determined to have tuberculosis... from a tuberculosis-free herd; or (B) The date and place the cattle were last tested for tuberculosis; that the cattle were found negative for tuberculosis on such test; and that such test was performed...

9 CFR 93.418 - Cattle from Canada.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

.... (1) Cattle from Canada from a herd in which any cattle have been determined to have tuberculosis... from a tuberculosis-free herd; or (B) The date and place the cattle were last tested for tuberculosis; that the cattle were found negative for tuberculosis on such test; and that such test was performed...

9 CFR 93.418 - Cattle from Canada.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

.... (1) Cattle from Canada from a herd in which any cattle have been determined to have tuberculosis... from a tuberculosis-free herd; or (B) The date and place the cattle were last tested for tuberculosis; that the cattle were found negative for tuberculosis on such test; and that such test was performed...

9 CFR 93.418 - Cattle from Canada.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

.... (1) Cattle from Canada from a herd in which any cattle have been determined to have tuberculosis... from a tuberculosis-free herd; or (B) The date and place the cattle were last tested for tuberculosis; that the cattle were found negative for tuberculosis on such test; and that such test was performed...

Investigation of bovine tuberculosis outbreaks by using a trace-back system and molecular typing in Korean Hanwoo beef cattle.

PubMed

Ku, Bok Kyung; Jeon, Bo-Young; Kim, Jae Myung; Jang, Young-Boo; Lee, Hyeyoung; Choi, Jae Young; Jung, Suk Chan; Nam, Hyang-Mi; Park, Hun; Cho, Sang-Nae

2018-01-31

Bovine tuberculosis is a chronic contagious disease responsible for major agricultural economic losses. Abattoir monitoring and trace-back systems are an appropriate method to control bovine tuberculosis, particularly in beef cattle. In the present study, a trace-back system was applied to bovine tuberculosis cases in Korean native Hanwoo beef cattle. Bovine tuberculosis was detected in three index beef cattle during abattoir monitoring in Jeonbuk Province, Korea, and the original herds were traced back from each index cow. All cattle in each original herd were subjected to tuberculin skin test. The positive rates in the tuberculin skin test were 64.6% (62 of 96), 4.8% (2 of 42), and 8.1% (3 of 37) at farms A, B, and C, respectively. On post-mortem examination of 56 tuberculin-positive cattle, 62% had granulomatous lesions, and Mycobacterium bovis was cultured from 40 (71.4%) of the cattle. Molecular typing by spoligotyping and the mycobacterial interspersed repetitive unit-variable-number tandem repeat assay revealed the genotype of the M. bovis strains from the index cattle were same as the M. bovis genotype in each original herd. The results suggest that tracing back from index cattle to the original herd is an effective method to control bovine tuberculosis in beef cattle.

Sero-epidemiological survey and risk factors associated with bovine brucellosis among slaughtered cattle in Nigeria.

PubMed

Akinseye, Victor O; Adesokan, Hezekiah K; Ogugua, Akwoba J; Adedoyin, Folashade J; Otu, Patricia I; Kwaghe, Ayi V; Kolawole, Noah O; Okoro, Oyinye J; Agada, Charity A; Tade, Adeniyi O; Faleke, Olufemi O; Okeke, Anyanwu L; Akanbi, Ibikunle M; Ibitoye, Mofoluwake M; Dipeolu, Morenike O; Dale, Emma J; Lorraine, Perrett; Taylor, Andrew V; Awosanya, Emmanuel A; Cadmus, Eniola O; Stack, Judy A; Cadmus, Simeon I

2016-05-12

Bovine brucellosis is endemic in Nigeria; however, limited data exist on nationwide studies and risk factors associated with the disease. Using a cross-sectional sero-epidemiological survey, we determined the prevalence of and risk factors for brucellosis in slaughtered cattle in three geographical regions of Nigeria. Serum samples from randomly selected unvaccinated cattle slaughtered over a period of 3 years (between December 2010 and September 2013) from northern, southern and south-western Nigeria were tested for antibodies to Brucella abortus using the Rose Bengal test. Data associated with risk factors of brucellosis were analysed by Stata Version 12. In all, 8105 cattle were screened. An overall seroprevalence of 3.9% (315/8105) was recorded by the Rose Bengal test, with 3.8%, 3.4% and 4.0% from the northern, southern and south-western regions, respectively. Bivariate analysis showed that cattle screened in northern Nigeria were less likely to be seropositive for antibodies to Brucella spp. than those from south-western Nigeria (odds ratio = 0.94; 95% confidence interval: 0.73-1.22). However, logistic regression analysis revealed that breed ( p = 0.04) and sex ( p £ 0.0001) of cattle were statistically significant for seropositivity to Brucella spp. The study found that brucellosis was endemic at a low prevalence among slaughtered cattle in Nigeria, with sex and breed of cattle being significant risk factors. Considering the public health implications of brucellosis, we advocate coordinated surveillance for the disease among diverse cattle populations in Nigeria, as is carried out in most developed countries.

Cattle NK Cell Heterogeneity and the Influence of MHC Class I

PubMed Central

Allan, Alasdair J.; Sanderson, Nicholas D.; Gubbins, Simon; Ellis, Shirley A.

2015-01-01

Primate and rodent NK cells form highly heterogeneous lymphocyte populations owing to the differential expression of germline-encoded receptors. Many of these receptors are polymorphic and recognize equally polymorphic determinants of MHC class I. This diversity can lead to individuals carrying NK cells with different specificities. Cattle have an unusually diverse repertoire of NK cell receptor genes predicted to encode receptors that recognize MHC class I. To begin to examine whether this genetic diversity leads to a diverse NK cell population, we isolated peripheral NK cells from cattle with different MHC homozygous genotypes. Cytokine stimulation differentially influenced the transcription of five receptors at the cell population level. Using dilution cultures, we found that a further seven receptors were differentially transcribed, including five predicted to recognize MHC class I. Moreover, there was a statistically significant reduction in killer cell lectin-like receptor mRNA expression between cultures with different CD2 phenotypes and from animals with different MHC class I haplotypes. This finding confirms that cattle NK cells are a heterogeneous population and reveals that the receptors creating this diversity are influenced by the MHC. The importance of this heterogeneity will become clear as we learn more about the role of NK cells in cattle disease resistance and vaccination. PMID:26216890

Seasonal variation in carcass characteristics of korean cattle steers.

PubMed

Piao, M Y; Baik, M

2015-03-01

Climate temperature affects animal production. This study was conducted to evaluate whether climatic conditions affect beef carcass characteristics of Korean cattle steers. The monthly carcass characteristics of Korean cattle steers (n = 2,182,415) for 8 yr (2006 through 2013) were collected from the Korean Institute for Animal Products Quality Evaluation. Daily climate temperature (CT) and relative humidity (RH) data were collected from the Korean Meteorological Administration. Weather conditions in South Korea during summer were hot and humid, with a maximum temperature of 28.4°C and a maximum RH of 91.4%. The temperature-humidity index (THI), calculated based on CT and RH, ranges from 73 to 80 during summer. Winter in South Korea was cold, with a minimum temperature of -4.0°C and a wind-chill temperature of -6.2°C. Both marbling score (MS) and quality grade (QG) of Korean cattle steer carcasses were generally best (p<0.05) in autumn and worst in spring. A correlation analysis showed that MS and QG frequencies were not associated (p>0.05) with CT. Yield grade (YG) of Korean cattle steer carcasses was lowest (p<0.05) in winter (November to January) and highest in spring and summer (May to September). A correlation analysis revealed that YG frequency was strongly correlated (r≥0.71; p<0.01) with CT and THI values. The rib eye area, a positive YG parameter, was not associated with CT. Backfat thickness (BT), a negative YG factor, was highest in winter (November and December). The BT was strongly negatively correlated (r≤-0.74; p<0.01) with CTs. Therefore, the poor YG during winter is likely due in part to the high BT. In conclusion, YG in Korean cattle steer carcasses was worst in winter. QGs were not associated with winter or summer climatic conditions.

Seasonal Variation in Carcass Characteristics of Korean Cattle Steers

PubMed Central

Piao, M. Y.; Baik, M.

2015-01-01

Climate temperature affects animal production. This study was conducted to evaluate whether climatic conditions affect beef carcass characteristics of Korean cattle steers. The monthly carcass characteristics of Korean cattle steers (n = 2,182,415) for 8 yr (2006 through 2013) were collected from the Korean Institute for Animal Products Quality Evaluation. Daily climate temperature (CT) and relative humidity (RH) data were collected from the Korean Meteorological Administration. Weather conditions in South Korea during summer were hot and humid, with a maximum temperature of 28.4°C and a maximum RH of 91.4%. The temperature-humidity index (THI), calculated based on CT and RH, ranges from 73 to 80 during summer. Winter in South Korea was cold, with a minimum temperature of −4.0°C and a wind-chill temperature of −6.2°C. Both marbling score (MS) and quality grade (QG) of Korean cattle steer carcasses were generally best (p<0.05) in autumn and worst in spring. A correlation analysis showed that MS and QG frequencies were not associated (p>0.05) with CT. Yield grade (YG) of Korean cattle steer carcasses was lowest (p<0.05) in winter (November to January) and highest in spring and summer (May to September). A correlation analysis revealed that YG frequency was strongly correlated (r≥0.71; p<0.01) with CT and THI values. The rib eye area, a positive YG parameter, was not associated with CT. Backfat thickness (BT), a negative YG factor, was highest in winter (November and December). The BT was strongly negatively correlated (r≤−0.74; p<0.01) with CTs. Therefore, the poor YG during winter is likely due in part to the high BT. In conclusion, YG in Korean cattle steer carcasses was worst in winter. QGs were not associated with winter or summer climatic conditions. PMID:25656196

Genetic effects on beef tenderness in Bos indicus composite and Bos taurus cattle.

PubMed

O'Connor, S F; Tatum, J D; Wulf, D M; Green, R D; Smith, G C

1997-07-01

Bos indicus composite and Bos taurus cattle, originating from diverse production environments, were used to quantify genetic variation in marbling, 24-h calpastatin activity, and beef tenderness and to identify strategies for prevention of beef tenderness problems in Bos indicus composite cattle. Comparisons among 3/8 Bos indicus breeds (Braford, Red Brangus, Simbrah) revealed significant differences in marbling and 24-h calpastatin activity, but not in tenderness. Compared with Bos taurus cattle, 3/ 8 Bos indicus cattle had similar marbling scores but higher 24-h calpastatin activities. Also, beef from 3/8 Bos indicus composites aged more slowly from 1 to 7 d and was less tender at 4, 7, 14, 21, and 35 d postmortem than beef from Bos taurus cattle. However, beef from 3/8 Bos indicus cattle was relatively tender if it was aged for a sufficient period of time (21 d). The delayed response to aging and greater toughness of beef from 3/8 Bos indicus cattle was associated with Brahman breed effects and was not related to the Bos taurus germplasm source. Marbling was moderately heritable (.52 +/- .21) but exhibited positive genetic correlations with shear force at d 1 through 14 of aging, suggesting that, in these cattle, selection for increased marbling would have an unfavorable effect on beef tenderness. A low heritability estimate for 24-h calpastatin activity (.15 +/- .15), coupled with low genetic correlations between calpastatin activity and shear force at 7, 14, and 35 d, suggested that selection for low calpastatin activity would have little effect on aged beef tenderness. Panel tenderness and shear force at 7, 14, and 21 d were moderately heritable (.27 to .47), indicating that aged beef tenderness could be improved by direct selection (via progeny testing). Comparisons among Simbrah, Senegus x Simbrah, and Red Angus x Simmental steers showed that inclusion of a tropically adapted Bos taurus breed (Senepol) could be an effective strategy for preventing beef

Cattle phenotypes can disguise their maternal ancestry.

PubMed

Srirattana, Kanokwan; McCosker, Kieren; Schatz, Tim; St John, Justin C

2017-06-26

Cattle are bred for, amongst other factors, specific traits, including parasite resistance and adaptation to climate. However, the influence and inheritance of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) are not usually considered in breeding programmes. In this study, we analysed the mtDNA profiles of cattle from Victoria (VIC), southern Australia, which is a temperate climate, and the Northern Territory (NT), the northern part of Australia, which has a tropical climate, to determine if the mtDNA profiles of these cattle are indicative of breed and phenotype, and whether these profiles are appropriate for their environments. A phylogenetic tree of the full mtDNA sequences of different breeds of cattle, which were obtained from the NCBI database, showed that the mtDNA profiles of cattle do not always reflect their phenotype as some cattle with Bos taurus phenotypes had Bos indicus mtDNA, whilst some cattle with Bos indicus phenotypes had Bos taurus mtDNA. Using D-loop sequencing, we were able to contrast the phenotypes and mtDNA profiles from different species of cattle from the 2 distinct cattle breeding regions of Australia. We found that 67 of the 121 cattle with Bos indicus phenotypes from NT (55.4%) had Bos taurus mtDNA. In VIC, 92 of the 225 cattle with Bos taurus phenotypes (40.9%) possessed Bos indicus mtDNA. When focusing on oocytes from cattle with the Bos taurus phenotype in VIC, their respective oocytes with Bos indicus mtDNA had significantly lower levels of mtDNA copy number compared with oocytes possessing Bos taurus mtDNA (P < 0.01). However, embryos derived from oocytes with Bos indicus mtDNA had the same ability to develop to the blastocyst stage and the levels of mtDNA copy number in their blastocysts were similar to blastocysts derived from oocytes harbouring Bos taurus mtDNA. Nevertheless, oocytes originating from the Bos indicus phenotype exhibited lower developmental potential due to low mtDNA copy number when compared with oocytes from cattle with a Bos

7 CFR 1260.118 - Cattle.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE BEEF PROMOTION AND RESEARCH Beef Promotion and Research Order Definitions § 1260.118 Cattle. Cattle means live domesticated bovine animals...

7 CFR 1260.118 - Cattle.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE BEEF PROMOTION AND RESEARCH Beef Promotion and Research Order Definitions § 1260.118 Cattle. Cattle means live domesticated bovine animals...

7 CFR 1260.118 - Cattle.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE BEEF PROMOTION AND RESEARCH Beef Promotion and Research Order Definitions § 1260.118 Cattle. Cattle means live domesticated bovine animals...

7 CFR 1260.118 - Cattle.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE BEEF PROMOTION AND RESEARCH Beef Promotion and Research Order Definitions § 1260.118 Cattle. Cattle means live domesticated bovine animals...

Energy balance, greenhouse gas emissions, and profitability of thermobarical pretreatment of cattle waste in anaerobic digestion.

PubMed

Budde, Jörn; Prochnow, Annette; Plöchl, Matthias; Suárez Quiñones, Teresa; Heiermann, Monika

2016-03-01

In this study modeled full scale application of thermobarical hydrolysis of less degradable feedstock for biomethanation was assessed in terms of energy balance, greenhouse gas emissions, and economy. Data were provided whether the substitution of maize silage as feedstock for biogas production by pretreated cattle wastes is beneficial in full-scale application or not. A model device for thermobarical treatment has been suggested for and theoretically integrated in a biogas plant. The assessment considered the replacement of maize silage as feedstock with liquid and/or solid cattle waste (feces, litter, and feed residues from animal husbandry of high-performance dairy cattle, dry cows, and heifers). The integration of thermobarical pretreatment is beneficial for raw material with high contents of organic dry matter and ligno-cellulose: Solid cattle waste revealed very short payback times, e.g. 9 months for energy, 3 months for greenhouse gases, and 3 years 3 months for economic amortization, whereas, in contrast, liquid cattle waste did not perform positive replacement effects in this analysis. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Identification of Different Bartonella Species in the Cattle Tail Louse (Haematopinus quadripertusus) and in Cattle Blood

PubMed Central

Gutiérrez, Ricardo; Cohen, Liron; Morick, Danny; Mumcuoglu, Kosta Y.; Harrus, Shimon

2014-01-01

Bartonella spp. are worldwide-distributed facultative intracellular bacteria that exhibit an immense genomic diversity across mammal and arthropod hosts. The occurrence of cattle-associated Bartonella species was investigated in the cattle tail louse Haematopinus quadripertusus and in dairy cattle blood from Israel. Lice were collected from cattle from two dairy farms during summer 2011, and both lice and cow blood samples were collected from additional seven farms during the successive winter. The lice were identified morphologically and molecularly using 18S rRNA sequencing. Thereafter, they were screened for Bartonella DNA by conventional and real-time PCR assays using four partial genetic loci (gltA, rpoB, ssrA, and internal transcribed spacer [ITS]). A potentially novel Bartonella variant, closely related to other ruminant bartonellae, was identified in 11 of 13 louse pools collected in summer. In the cattle blood, the prevalence of Bartonella infection was 38%, identified as B. bovis and B. henselae (24 and 12%, respectively). A third genotype, closely related to Bartonella melophagi and Bartonella chomelii (based on the ssrA gene) and to B. bovis (based on the ITS sequence) was identified in a single cow. The relatively high prevalence of these Bartonella species in cattle and the occurrence of phylogenetically diverse Bartonella variants in both cattle and their lice suggest the potential role of this animal system in the generation of Bartonella species diversity. PMID:24973066

Practical applications of trace minerals for dairy cattle.

PubMed

Overton, T R; Yasui, T

2014-02-01

Trace minerals have critical roles in the key interrelated systems of immune function, oxidative metabolism, and energy metabolism in ruminants. To date, the primary trace elements of interest in diets for dairy cattle have included Zn, Cu, Mn, and Se although data also support potentially important roles of Cr, Co, and Fe in diets. Trace minerals such as Zn, Cu, Mn, and Se are essential with classically defined roles as components of key antioxidant enzymes and proteins. Available evidence indicates that these trace minerals can modulate aspects of oxidative metabolism and immune function in dairy cattle, particularly during the transition period and early lactation. Chromium has been shown to influence both immune function and energy metabolism of cattle; dairy cows fed Cr during the transition period and early lactation have evidence of improved immune function, increased milk production, and decreased cytological endometritis. Factors that complicate trace mineral nutrition at the farm level include the existence of a large number of antagonisms affecting bioavailability of individual trace minerals and uncertainty in terms of requirements under all physiological and management conditions; therefore, determining the optimum level and source of trace minerals under each specific situation continues to be a challenge. Typical factorial approaches to determine requirements for dairy cattle do not account for nuances in biological function observed with supplementation with various forms and amounts of trace minerals. Trace mineral nutrition modulates production, health, and reproduction in cattle although both formal meta-analysis and informal survey of the literature reveal substantial heterogeneity of response in these outcome variables. The industry has largely moved away from oxide-based programs toward sulfate-based programs; however, some evidence favors shifting supplementation strategies further toward more bioavailable forms of inorganic and organic trace

Independent Polled Mutations Leading to Complex Gene Expression Differences in Cattle

PubMed Central

Wiedemar, Natalie; Tetens, Jens; Jagannathan, Vidhya; Menoud, Annie; Neuenschwander, Samuel; Bruggmann, Rémy; Thaller, Georg; Drögemüller, Cord

2014-01-01

The molecular regulation of horn growth in ruminants is still poorly understood. To investigate this process, we collected 1019 hornless (polled) animals from different cattle breeds. High-density SNP genotyping confirmed the presence of two different polled associated haplotypes in Simmental and Holstein cattle co-localized on BTA 1. We refined the critical region of the Simmental polled mutation to 212 kb and identified an overlapping region of 932 kb containing the Holstein polled mutation. Subsequently, whole genome sequencing of polled Simmental and Holstein cows was used to determine polled associated genomic variants. By genotyping larger cohorts of animals with known horn status we found a single perfectly associated insertion/deletion variant in Simmental and other beef cattle confirming the recently published possible Celtic polled mutation. We identified a total of 182 sequence variants as candidate mutations for polledness in Holstein cattle, including an 80 kb genomic duplication and three SNPs reported before. For the first time we showed that hornless cattle with scurs are obligate heterozygous for one of the polled mutations. This is in contrast to published complex inheritance models for the bovine scurs phenotype. Studying differential expression of the annotated genes and loci within the mapped region on BTA 1 revealed a locus (LOC100848215), known in cow and buffalo only, which is higher expressed in fetal tissue of wildtype horn buds compared to tissue of polled fetuses. This implicates that the presence of this long noncoding RNA is a prerequisite for horn bud formation. In addition, both transcripts associated with polledness in goat and sheep (FOXL2 and RXFP2), show an overexpression in horn buds confirming their importance during horn development in cattle. PMID:24671182

Enhancement of Cellulose Degradation by Cattle Saliva

PubMed Central

Seki, Yasutaka; Kikuchi, Yukiko; Kimura, Yoshihiro; Yoshimoto, Ryo; Takahashi, Masatoshi; Aburai, Kenichi; Kanai, Yoshihiro; Ruike, Tatsushi; Iwabata, Kazuki; Sugawara, Fumio; Sakai, Hideki; Abe, Masahiko; Sakaguchi, Kengo

2015-01-01

Saccharification of cellulose is a promising technique for producing alternative source of energy. However, the efficiency of conversion of cellulose into soluble sugar using any currently available methodology is too low for industrial application. Many additives, such as surfactants, have been shown to enhance the efficiency of cellulose-to-sugar conversion. In this study, we have examined first whether cattle saliva, as an additive, would enhance the cellulase-catalyzed hydrolysis of cellulose, and subsequently elucidated the mechanism by which cattle saliva enhanced this conversion. Although cattle saliva, by itself, did not degrade cellulose, it enhanced the cellulase-catalyzed degradation of cellulose. Thus, the amount of reducing sugar produced increased approximately 2.9-fold by the addition of cattle saliva. We also found that non-enzymatic proteins, which were present in cattle saliva, were responsible for causing the enhancement effect. Third, the mechanism of cattle saliva mediated enhancement of cellulase activity was probably similar to that of the canonical surfactants. Cattle saliva is available in large amounts easily and cheaply, and it can be used without further purification. Thus, cattle saliva could be a promising additive for efficient saccharification of cellulose on an industrial scale. PMID:26402242

Differential expression of the skeletal muscle proteome in grazed cattle.

PubMed

Shibata, M; Matsumoto, K; Oe, M; Ohnishi-Kameyama, M; Ojima, K; Nakajima, I; Muroya, S; Chikuni, K

2009-08-01

The objective of this study was to investigate the differences in the muscle proteome of grass-fed and grain-fed cattle. Eight Japanese Black Cattle 10 mo of age were separated randomly into 2 groups: 1) grazing (grass-fed) and 2) concentrate (grain-fed) groups. All cattle were first housed individually in a stall barn and fed a combination of concentrate ad libitum and Italian ryegrass hay until 21 mo of age. After this control period, the 4 grass-fed cattle were placed on outdoor pasture, whereas the other 4 grain-fed cattle continued on the concentrate diet. The cattle were slaughtered at 27 mo of age, and tissues from the semitendinosus muscle were obtained for use in proteome analysis. Differential expression of muscle proteins in the 2 groups was carried out using 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2DE) and Western blot analyses, with subsequent mass spectrometry. Approximately 200 individual protein spots were detected and compared in each group using 2DE, of which 20 and 9 spots, respectively, showed differences in the spot intensity for the sarcoplasmic fraction and myofibrillar fraction. In the grazing group, the relative intensity of spots was significantly greater for adenylate kinase 1 and myoglobin in the sarcoplasmic fraction, and for slow-twitch myosin light chain 2 in the myofibrillar fraction (P < 0.05), than the concentrate group. The relative spot intensity of several glycolytic enzymes was significantly greater in the grazing group, such as beta-enolase 3, fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase A, triosephosphate isomerase, and heat shock 27 kDa protein (P < 0.05). Moreover, significantly greater slow twitch of troponin T, troponin I, and myosin heavy chain of semitendinosus muscle was detected in the grazing group than in the concentrate group using Western blot analysis (P < 0.05). Several previous reports have described that the slow-twitch muscle contents affect elements of nutrition, flavor, and food texture of meat. This study revealed muscle

A comparison of economic performance between high-yielding temperate breeds and zebu-crossbreds on smallholder dairy farms in Southern Malawi with particular focus on reproductive performance.

PubMed

Gazzarin, Christian; Banda, M C; Lips, M

2018-04-23

As in other sub-Saharan African countries, purebred dairy genetics such as Holsteins were imported to Malawi. The study investigated their economic performance by comparing them with local Zebu-crossbreds based on 131 smallholder dairy farm observations from Southern Malawi. High-yielding purebred cows and crossbred cows showed no significant differences in lactation yield and calving interval. Looking at the farms' actual costs, by-products such as maize bran clearly dominated the cost structure for both breeds, but crossbreeds showed significantly lower concentrate costs. While there was no statistically significant difference in income for both breed types, a substantial share (23%) of farms under investigation shows negative incomes. Based on survey data, two typical farms were established representing standard costs with homogenous assumptions such as identical milk price. The comparison of typical farms covering the full dairy system clearly indicated that crossbred dairy cows outperformed purebreds. In addition, a simulation of a shorter calving interval for both typical farms revealed a substantial positive impact on income for both breed types with more than 30% increase. We conclude that focusing on crossbreds in combination with improved feeding and fertility management offers a more promising strategy for smallholder dairy farms in Southern Malawi than just acquiring high-yielding purebreds.

Use of cattle farm resources by badgers (Meles meles) and risk of bovine tuberculosis (Mycobacterium bovis) transmission to cattle.

PubMed

Garnett, B T; Delahay, R J; Roper, T J

2002-07-22

Nocturnal observations, radio telemetry and time-lapse camera surveillance were used to investigate visits by badgers (Meles meles L.) to two cattle farms. During 59 half-nights (ca. 295 h) of observation and 17 nights (ca. 154 h) of camera surveillance, 139 separate visits to farm buildings, by at least 26 individually identifiable badgers from two social groups, were recorded. The badgers, which included three individuals infected with bovine tuberculosis (Mycobacterium bovis), used cowsheds, feedsheds, barns, haystacks, slurry pits, cattle troughs and farmyards to exploit a range of food resources, including cattle feed and silage. Cattle feed was contaminated with badger faeces and badgers also came into close contact with cattle. The minimum number of badgers visiting farm buildings per night was negatively correlated with local 24 h rainfall. We conclude that exploitation by badgers of resources provided by cattle farms constitutes a potentially important mechanism for tuberculosis transmission from badgers to cattle.

Abundance and Characterization of Perfect Microsatellites on the Cattle Y Chromosome.

PubMed

Ma, Zhi-Jie

2017-07-03

Microsatellites or simple sequence repeats (SSRs) are found in most organisms and play an important role in genomic organization and function. To characterize the abundance of SSRs (1-6 base-pairs [bp]) on the cattle Y chromsome, the relative frequency and density of perfect or uninterrupted SSRs based on the published Y chromosome sequence were examined. A total of 17,273 perfect SSRs were found, with total length of 324.78 kb, indicating that approximately 0.75% of the cattle Y chromosome sequence (43.30 Mb) comprises perfect SSRs, with an average length of 18.80 bp. The relative frequency and density were 398.92 loci/Mb and 7500.62 bp/Mb, respectively. The proportions of the six classes of perfect SSRs were highly variable on the cattle Y chromosome. Mononucleotide repeats had a total number of 8073 (46.74%) and an average length of 15.45 bp, and were the most abundant SSRs class, while the percentages of di-, tetra-, tri-, penta-, and hexa-nucleotide repeats were 22.86%, 11.98%, 11.58%, 6.65%, and 0.19%, respectively. Different classes of SSRs varied in their repeat number, with the highest being 42 for dinucleotides. Results reveal that repeat categories A, AC, AT, AAC, AGC, GTTT, CTTT, ATTT, and AACTG predominate on the Y chromosome. This study provides insight into the organization of cattle Y chromosome repetitive DNA, as well as information useful for developing more polymorphic cattle Y-chromosome-specific SSRs.

9 CFR 78.12 - Cattle from quarantined areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... AGRICULTURE INTERSTATE TRANSPORTATION OF ANIMALS (INCLUDING POULTRY) AND ANIMAL PRODUCTS BRUCELLOSIS Restrictions on Interstate Movement of Cattle Because of Brucellosis § 78.12 Cattle from quarantined areas. Not.... (b) Brucellosis reactor cattle. Brucellosis reactor cattle may be moved interstate in accordance with...

Molecular analysis of leptospires from serogroup Sejroe obtained from asymptomatic cattle in Rio de Janeiro - Brazil reveals genetic proximity to serovar Guaricura.

PubMed

Loureiro, A P; Hamond, C; Pinto, P; Bremont, S; Bourhy, P; Lilenbaum, W

2016-04-01

Bovine leptospirosis causes substantial reproductive failure in cattle, mainly due to infections with serovar (sv) Hardjo infection. Notwithstanding, other serovars from the serogroup (sg) Sejroe could also have important roles in bovine leptospirosis. The objective was to investigate genetic diversity of serogroup Sejroe isolates obtained from asymptomatic cattle in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Urine and vaginal fluid (VF) were collected from clinically healthy cattle immediately after slaughter. Five isolates were recovered and characterized (serogrouping) as belonging to sg Sejroe. Sequencing of rrs and secY genes further identified them as Leptospira santarosai. Analysis of secY sequences indicated a high level of sequence homology to sv Guaricura strains. Based on culture and sequence data, we inferred that other members of sg Sejroe may be important in bovine leptospiral infection, particularly genotypes of L. santarosai serovar Guaricura. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Idiopathic Brainstem Neuronal Chromatolysis (IBNC): a novel prion protein related disorder of cattle?

PubMed Central

Jeffrey, Martin; Perez, Belinda Baquero; Martin, Stuart; Terry, Linda; González, Lorenzo

2008-01-01

Background The epidemic form of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) is generally considered to have been caused by a single prion strain but at least two strain variants of cattle prion disorders have recently been recognized. An additional neurodegenerative condition, idiopathic brainstem neuronal chromatolysis and hippocampal sclerosis (IBNC), a rare neurological disease of adult cattle, was also recognised in a sub-set of cattle submitted under the BSE Orders in which lesions of BSE were absent. Between the years of 1988 and 1991 IBNC occurred in Scotland with an incidence of 7 cases per 100,000 beef suckler cows over the age of 6 years. Results When the brains of 15 IBNC cases were each tested by immunohistochemistry, all showed abnormal labelling for prion protein (PrP). Immunohistological labelling for PrP was also present in the retina of a single case available for examination. The pattern of PrP labelling in brain is distinct from that seen in other ruminant prion diseases and is absent from brains with other inflammatory conditions and from normal control brains. Brains of IBNC cattle do not reveal abnormal PrP isoforms when tested by the commercial BioRad or Idexx test kits and do not reveal PrPres when tested by Western blotting using stringent proteinase digestion methods. However, some weakly protease resistant isoforms of PrP may be detected when tissues are examined using mild proteinase digestion techniques. Conclusion The study shows that a distinctive neurological disorder of cattle, which has some clinical similarities to BSE, is associated with abnormal PrP labelling in brain but the pathology and biochemistry of IBNC are distinct from BSE. The study is important either because it raises the possibility of a significant increase in the scope of prion disease or because it demonstrates that widespread and consistent PrP alterations may not be confined to prion diseases. Further studies, including transmission experiments, are needed to

Database of cattle candidate genes and genetic markers for milk production and mastitis

PubMed Central

Ogorevc, J; Kunej, T; Razpet, A; Dovc, P

2009-01-01

A cattle database of candidate genes and genetic markers for milk production and mastitis has been developed to provide an integrated research tool incorporating different types of information supporting a genomic approach to study lactation, udder development and health. The database contains 943 genes and genetic markers involved in mammary gland development and function, representing candidates for further functional studies. The candidate loci were drawn on a genetic map to reveal positional overlaps. For identification of candidate loci, data from seven different research approaches were exploited: (i) gene knockouts or transgenes in mice that result in specific phenotypes associated with mammary gland (143 loci); (ii) cattle QTL for milk production (344) and mastitis related traits (71); (iii) loci with sequence variations that show specific allele-phenotype interactions associated with milk production (24) or mastitis (10) in cattle; (iv) genes with expression profiles associated with milk production (207) or mastitis (107) in cattle or mouse; (v) cattle milk protein genes that exist in different genetic variants (9); (vi) miRNAs expressed in bovine mammary gland (32) and (vii) epigenetically regulated cattle genes associated with mammary gland function (1). Fourty-four genes found by multiple independent analyses were suggested as the most promising candidates and were further in silico analysed for expression levels in lactating mammary gland, genetic variability and top biological functions in functional networks. A miRNA target search for mammary gland expressed miRNAs identified 359 putative binding sites in 3′UTRs of candidate genes. PMID:19508288

Immunocontraception for Managing Feral Cattle in Hong Kong

PubMed Central

Massei, Giovanna; Koon, Ka-Kei; Benton, Steven; Brown, Richard; Gomm, Matt; Orahood, Darcy S.; Pietravalle, Stéphane; Eckery, Douglas C.

2015-01-01

Conflicts between human interests and feral cattle in Hong Kong derive from growing numbers of free-roaming cattle. Public antipathy towards lethal population control led the local authorities to consider fertility control to reduce cattle numbers. This study assessed the potential side effects of the immunocontraceptive GonaCon on individual female cattle and established the effectiveness of GonaCon to induce infertility. We evaluated GonaCon in 34 captive cattle assigned to four groups: Control administered a sham solution; Webbed (surgically sterilized through removal of the oviducts), administered one dose of GonaCon; Webbed, administered one dose of GonaCon and a booster dose three months later, and Treated, administered one dose of GonaCon. The side effects of GonaCon were assessed by monitoring injection site, body weight, body condition, size of lymph nodes, body temperature, and feeding behaviour 1 week and 1, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months after vaccination and by haematological and biochemical variables at vaccination and three months post-vaccination. The effectiveness of GonaCon to cause infertility was monitored by quantifying anti-GnRH antibody titres and by using kits to detect cycling and pregnancy. GonaCon-treated cattle showed no injection site reaction, limping, or abnormal behaviour. No differences were observed in all physiological and welfare indicators between control and vaccinated cattle. All control cattle and 4 of the 12 cattle in the Treated group became pregnant. Cattle administered a booster dose had higher anti-GnRH antibody titres than cattle that received one dose. We concluded that GonaCon does not compromise the animals’ welfare and is effective in reducing fertility in cattle. A booster dose is likely to increase the duration of infertility. Further studies are required to assess the feasibility and costs of immunocontraception for controlling free-roaming cattle populations. PMID:25856283

Immunocontraception for managing feral cattle in Hong Kong.

PubMed

Massei, Giovanna; Koon, Ka-Kei; Benton, Steven; Brown, Richard; Gomm, Matt; Orahood, Darcy S; Pietravalle, Stéphane; Eckery, Douglas C

2015-01-01

Conflicts between human interests and feral cattle in Hong Kong derive from growing numbers of free-roaming cattle. Public antipathy towards lethal population control led the local authorities to consider fertility control to reduce cattle numbers. This study assessed the potential side effects of the immunocontraceptive GonaCon on individual female cattle and established the effectiveness of GonaCon to induce infertility. We evaluated GonaCon in 34 captive cattle assigned to four groups: Control administered a sham solution; Webbed (surgically sterilized through removal of the oviducts), administered one dose of GonaCon; Webbed, administered one dose of GonaCon and a booster dose three months later, and Treated, administered one dose of GonaCon. The side effects of GonaCon were assessed by monitoring injection site, body weight, body condition, size of lymph nodes, body temperature, and feeding behaviour 1 week and 1, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months after vaccination and by haematological and biochemical variables at vaccination and three months post-vaccination. The effectiveness of GonaCon to cause infertility was monitored by quantifying anti-GnRH antibody titres and by using kits to detect cycling and pregnancy. GonaCon-treated cattle showed no injection site reaction, limping, or abnormal behaviour. No differences were observed in all physiological and welfare indicators between control and vaccinated cattle. All control cattle and 4 of the 12 cattle in the Treated group became pregnant. Cattle administered a booster dose had higher anti-GnRH antibody titres than cattle that received one dose. We concluded that GonaCon does not compromise the animals' welfare and is effective in reducing fertility in cattle. A booster dose is likely to increase the duration of infertility. Further studies are required to assess the feasibility and costs of immunocontraception for controlling free-roaming cattle populations.

Comparative whole genome DNA methylation profiling of cattle sperm and somatic tissues reveals striking hypomethylated patterns in sperm

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Using whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS), we profiled the DNA methylome of cattle sperms through comparison with three bovine somatic tissues (mammary grand, brain and blood). Large differences between them were observed in the methylation patterns of global CpGs, pericentromeric satellites, p...

Differences in Beef Quality between Angus (Bos taurus taurus) and Nellore (Bos taurus indicus) Cattle through a Proteomic and Phosphoproteomic Approach.

PubMed

Rodrigues, Rafael Torres de Souza; Chizzotti, Mario Luiz; Vital, Camilo Elber; Baracat-Pereira, Maria Cristina; Barros, Edvaldo; Busato, Karina Costa; Gomes, Rafael Aparecido; Ladeira, Márcio Machado; Martins, Taiane da Silva

2017-01-01

Proteins are the major constituents of muscle and are key molecules regulating the metabolic changes during conversion of muscle to meat. Brazil is one of the largest exporters of beef and most Brazilian cattle are composed by zebu (Nellore) genotype. Bos indicus beef is generally leaner and tougher than Bos taurus such as Angus. The aim of this study was to compare the muscle proteomic and phosphoproteomic profile of Angus and Nellore. Seven animals of each breed previously subjected the same growth management were confined for 84 days. Proteins were extracted from Longissimus lumborum samples collected immediately after slaughter and separated by two-dimensional electrophoresis. Pro-Q Diamond stain was used in phosphoproteomics. Proteins identification was performed using matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Tropomyosin alpha-1 chain, troponin-T, myosin light chain-1 fragment, cytoplasmic malate dehydrogenase, alpha-enolase and 78 kDa glucose-regulated protein were more abundant in Nellore, while myosin light chain 3, prohibitin, mitochondrial stress-70 protein and heat shock 70 kDa protein 6 were more abundant in Angus (P<0.05). Nellore had higher phosphorylation of myosin regulatory light chain-2, alpha actin-1, triosephosphate isomerase and 14-3-3 protein epsilon. However, Angus had greater phosphorylation of phosphoglucomutase-1 and troponin-T (P<0.05). Therefore, proteins involved in contraction and muscle organization, myofilaments expressed in fast or slow-twitch fibers and heat shock proteins localized in mitochondria or sarcoplasmic reticulum and involved in cell flux of calcium and apoptosis might be associated with differences in beef quality between Angus and Nellore. Furthermore, prohibitin appears to be a potential biomarker of intramuscular fat in cattle. Additionally, differences in phosphorylation of myofilaments and glycolytic enzymes could be involved with differences in muscle contraction force

Differences in Beef Quality between Angus (Bos taurus taurus) and Nellore (Bos taurus indicus) Cattle through a Proteomic and Phosphoproteomic Approach

PubMed Central

Chizzotti, Mario Luiz; Vital, Camilo Elber; Baracat-Pereira, Maria Cristina; Barros, Edvaldo; Busato, Karina Costa; Gomes, Rafael Aparecido; Ladeira, Márcio Machado; Martins, Taiane da Silva

2017-01-01

Proteins are the major constituents of muscle and are key molecules regulating the metabolic changes during conversion of muscle to meat. Brazil is one of the largest exporters of beef and most Brazilian cattle are composed by zebu (Nellore) genotype. Bos indicus beef is generally leaner and tougher than Bos taurus such as Angus. The aim of this study was to compare the muscle proteomic and phosphoproteomic profile of Angus and Nellore. Seven animals of each breed previously subjected the same growth management were confined for 84 days. Proteins were extracted from Longissimus lumborum samples collected immediately after slaughter and separated by two-dimensional electrophoresis. Pro-Q Diamond stain was used in phosphoproteomics. Proteins identification was performed using matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Tropomyosin alpha-1 chain, troponin-T, myosin light chain-1 fragment, cytoplasmic malate dehydrogenase, alpha-enolase and 78 kDa glucose-regulated protein were more abundant in Nellore, while myosin light chain 3, prohibitin, mitochondrial stress-70 protein and heat shock 70 kDa protein 6 were more abundant in Angus (P<0.05). Nellore had higher phosphorylation of myosin regulatory light chain-2, alpha actin-1, triosephosphate isomerase and 14-3-3 protein epsilon. However, Angus had greater phosphorylation of phosphoglucomutase-1 and troponin-T (P<0.05). Therefore, proteins involved in contraction and muscle organization, myofilaments expressed in fast or slow-twitch fibers and heat shock proteins localized in mitochondria or sarcoplasmic reticulum and involved in cell flux of calcium and apoptosis might be associated with differences in beef quality between Angus and Nellore. Furthermore, prohibitin appears to be a potential biomarker of intramuscular fat in cattle. Additionally, differences in phosphorylation of myofilaments and glycolytic enzymes could be involved with differences in muscle contraction force

The nasopharyngeal microbiota of beef cattle before and after transport to a feedlot.

PubMed

Holman, Devin B; Timsit, Edouard; Amat, Samat; Abbott, D Wade; Buret, Andre G; Alexander, Trevor W

2017-03-22

The nasopharyngeal (NP) microbiota plays an important role in bovine health, comprising a rich and diverse microbial community. The nasopharynx is also the niche for potentially pathogenic agents which are associated with bovine respiratory disease (BRD), a serious and costly illness in feedlot cattle. We used 14 beef heifers from a closed and disease-free herd to assess the dynamics of the NP microbiota of cattle that are transported to a feedlot. Cattle were sampled prior to transport to the feedlot (day 0) and at days 2, 7, and 14. The structure of the NP microbiota changed significantly over the course of the study, with the largest shift occurring between day 0 (prior to transport) and day 2 (P < 0.001). Phylogenetic diversity and richness increased following feedlot placement (day 2; P < 0.05). The genera Pasteurella, Bacillus, and Proteus were enriched at day 0, Streptococcus and Acinetobacter at day 2, Bifidobacterium at day 7, and Mycoplasma at day 14. The functional potential of the NP microbiota was assessed using PICRUSt, revealing that replication and repair, as well as translation pathways, were more relatively abundant in day 14 samples. These differences were driven mostly by Mycoplasma. Although eight cattle were culture-positive for the BRD-associated bacterium Pasteurella multocida at one or more sampling times, none were culture-positive for Mannheimia haemolytica or Histophilus somni. This study investigated the effect that feedlot placement has on the NP microbiota of beef cattle over a 14-d period. Within two days of transport to the feedlot, the NP microbiota changed significantly, increasing in both phylogenetic diversity and richness. These results demonstrate that there is an abrupt shift in the NP microbiota of cattle after transportation to a feedlot. This may have importance for understanding why cattle are most susceptible to BRD after feedlot placement.

Bulldog dwarfism in Dexter cattle is caused by mutations in ACAN.

PubMed

Cavanagh, Julie A L; Tammen, Imke; Windsor, Peter A; Bateman, John F; Savarirayan, Ravi; Nicholas, Frank W; Raadsma, Herman W

2007-11-01

Bulldog dwarfism in Dexter cattle is one of the earliest single-locus disorders described in animals. Affected fetuses display extreme disproportionate dwarfism, reflecting abnormal cartilage development (chondrodysplasia). Typically, they die around the seventh month of gestation, precipitating a natural abortion. Heterozygotes show a milder form of dwarfism, most noticeably having shorter legs. Homozygosity mapping in candidate regions in a small Dexter pedigree suggested aggrecan (ACAN) as the most likely candidate gene. Mutation screening revealed a 4-bp insertion in exon 11 (2266_2267insGGCA) (called BD1 for diagnostic testing) and a second, rarer transition in exon 1 (-198C>T) (called BD2) that cosegregate with the disorder. In chondrocytes from cattle heterozygous for the insertion, mutant mRNA is subject to nonsense-mediated decay, showing only 8% of normal expression. Genotyping in Dexter families throughout the world shows a one-to-one correspondence between genotype and phenotype at this locus. The heterozygous and homozygous-affected Dexter cattle could prove invaluable as a model for human disorders caused by mutations in ACAN.

[Expression levels of Cdc2 and Cdc25A mRNA in cattle, yak, and cattle-yak testis].

PubMed

Dong, Li-Yan; Li, Qi-Fa; Qu, Xu-Guang; Li, Yin-Xia; Li, Xin-Fu; Hu, Hong-Tao; Xie, Zhuang

2009-05-01

The infertility of cattle-yak, which is the hybrid offspring of cattle and yak, is a difficult problem in crossbreeding and improvement of yak. Cdc2 and Cdc25A are the key genes of meiosis. The decline of their expression levels will cause the spermatogenesis failure and lead to infertility. Therefore, this study was conducted to study the relationship between the infertility of cattle-yak and the expression levels of Cdc2/Cdc25A genes. The expression profiles were obtained by RT-PCR. Cdc2 and Cdc25A genes were widely expressed in many tissues, which confirmed their important role in cell division and the progression of cell cycle. Real-time quantitative PCR analysis indicated that the expression levels of Cdc2 and Cdc25A in cattle and yak testis were higher than those in cattle-yak (P<0.05). Therefore, low expression levels of Cdc2 and Cdc25A genes may have a relationship with the infertility of cattle-yak.

The great diversity of major histocompatibility complex class II genes in Philippine native cattle

PubMed Central

Takeshima, S.N.; Miyasaka, T.; Polat, M.; Kikuya, M.; Matsumoto, Y.; Mingala, C.N.; Villanueva, M.A.; Salces, A.J.; Onuma, M.; Aida, Y.

2014-01-01

Bovine leukocyte antigens (BoLA) are extensively used as markers for bovine disease and immunological traits. However, none of the BoLA genes in Southeast Asian breeds have been characterized by polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-sequence-based typing (SBT). Therefore, we sequenced exon 2 of the BoLA class II DRB3 gene from 1120 individual cows belonging to the Holstein, Sahiwal, Simbrah, Jersey, Brahman, and Philippine native breeds using PCR-SBT. Several cross-breeds were also examined. BoLA-DRB3 PCR-SBT identified 78 previously reported alleles and five novel alleles. The number of BoLA-DRB3 alleles identified in each breed from the Philippines was higher (71 in Philippine native cattle, 58 in Brahman, 46 in Holstein × Sahiwal, and 57 in Philippine native × Brahman) than that identified in breeds from other countries (e.g., 23 alleles in Japanese Black and 35 in Bolivian Yacumeño cattle). A phylogenetic tree based on the DA distance calculated from the BoLA-DRB3 allele frequency showed that Philippine native cattle from different Philippine islands are closely related, and all of them are closely similar to Philippine Brahman cattle but not to native Japanese and Latin American breeds. Furthermore, the BoLA-DRB3 allele frequency in Philippine native cattle from Luzon Island, located in the Northern Philippines was different from that in cattle from Iloilo, Bohol, and Leyte Islands, which are located in the Southern Philippines. Therefore, we conclude that Philippine native cattle can be divided into two populations, North and South areas. Moreover, a neutrality test revealed that Philippine native cattle from Leyte showed significantly greater genetic diversity, which may be maintained by balancing selection. This study shows that Asian breeds have high levels of BoLA-DRB3 polymorphism. This finding, especially the identification of five novel BoLA-DRB3 alleles, will be helpful for future SBT studies of BoLA-DRB3 alleles in East Asian cattle. PMID:25606401

Carcass quality and meat tenderness of Hawaii pasture-finished cattle and Hawaii-originated, mainland feedlot-finished cattle.

PubMed

Kim, Yong Soo; Fukumoto, Glen Kazumi; Kim, Sunae

2012-10-01

The objective of this study was to compare the carcass quality and meat tenderness of Hawaii cattle finished on subtropical pasture with those of mainland US feedlot-finished cattle that were shipped from Hawaii after weaning. Rib-eye steak samples were collected from 30 feedlot-finished cattle harvested at a slaughter house in Washington State, USA and from 13 subtropical pasture-finished cattle harvested at a local slaughter house in Hawaii, then shipped to meat science laboratory at the University of Hawaii, Manoa. Samples were aged for 2 weeks at 4°C and frozen for later proximate analysis and meat tenderness measurement. Feedlot-finished cattle had significantly heavier carcass weight (353 vs 290 kg) and thicker backfat (13.5 vs 6.6 mm), but no significant difference was observed in rib-eye area between the two groups. Marbling score (Small) and United States Department of Agriculture quality grade (Choice) of the pasture-finished beef were not significantly (P < 0.05) different from those of feedlot-finished beef. The shear force value of pasture-finished beef (5.18 kg) was not statistically different (P < 0.05) from that of feedlot-finished beef (4.40 kg). In conclusion, results of this study suggest that Hawaii cattle finished on subtropical pasture produced as tender beef as mainland feedlot-finished cattle with less intramuscular fat.

Molecular survey and genetic characterization of Anaplasma centrale, A. marginale and A. bovis in cattle from Algeria.

PubMed

Rjeibi, M R; Ayadi, O; Rekik, M; Gharbi, M

2018-04-01

Bovine anaplasmosis could be caused by several Anaplasma species. The causative agents are transmitted by ticks and haematophagous arthropods with a high impact on both human and animal health. This study was conducted to estimate the infection rate and to characterize Anaplasma spp. in cattle from Algeria. A molecular survey was performed in Setif district (Northeast Algeria) where a total number of 180 cattle blood samples were collected and tested for the presence of Anaplasma spp. by PCR. Positive samples were genetically characterized based on the 16S rRNA and msp4 genes. PCRs revealed that the infection rates of Anaplasma spp., Anaplasma centrale, Anaplasma marginale and Anaplasma bovis were 42.2%; 39.4%; 11.1% and 4.4%, respectively. All tested animals were negative for A. phagocytophilum. Co-infection occurred in 10% (18/180) of the tested animals, and the most common co-infection pattern was an association between A. centrale and A. marginale (5.5%). Five cattle (2.7%) were co-infected by the three Anaplasma species. Holstein animals (58.1%) were more infected by A. centrale than the other breeds (p = .01). The molecular prevalence of A. centrale was significantly higher in males (54.2%) than in females (34.1%) (p = .001). A. marginale msp4 genetic analysis indicated a high sequence diversity of Algerian strains, suggesting the importation of live cattle from different origins. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene of A. bovis and A. centrale revealed a low degree of genetic diversity. Our study suggests that different species of Anaplasma are simultaneously present in the Algerian cattle. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first molecular study and genetic characterization of Anaplasma spp. in Algerian cattle. © 2017 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Pasture-scale methane emissions of grazing cattle

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Grazing cattle are mobile point sources of methane and present challenges to quantify emissions using noninterfering micrometeorological methods. Stocking density is low and cattle can bunch up or disperse over a wide area, so knowing cattle locations is critical. The methane concentration downwind ...

Soil ingestion by dairy cattle

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Darwin, R.

1990-02-15

Ingested soil may be a source of minerals to grazing cattle; it may also be a source of radionuclides, heavy metals, and organic toxins. The importance of soil ingestion in the milk pathway depends on the amount of soil ingested, the ratio of the mineral concentration in soil to that in herbage, and the ability of the cattle to solubilize and absorb the soil-derived minerals. The amount of soil ingested by cattle on pasture, in turn, depends upon the stocking level, the quantity of forage available, and the soil ingesting propensity of individual cows. The objective of this note ismore » to summarize some of the information about soil ingestion by dairy cattle and to suggest methods for incorporating soil ingestion into the Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction (HEDR) Phase I milk model. 5 refs., 4 tabs.« less

Identification of leptin gene polymorphisms associated with carcass traits and fatty acid composition in Japanese Black cattle.

PubMed

Kawaguchi, Fuki; Okura, Kazuki; Oyama, Kenji; Mannen, Hideyuki; Sasazaki, Shinji

2017-03-01

Previous studies have indicated that some leptin gene polymorphisms were associated with economically important traits in cattle breeds. However, polymorphisms in the leptin gene have not been reported thus far in Japanese Black cattle. Here, we aimed to identify the leptin gene polymorphisms which are associated with carcass traits and fatty acid composition in Japanese Black cattle. We sequenced the full-length coding sequence of leptin gene for eight Japanese Black cattle. Sequence comparison revealed eight single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Three of these were predicted to cause amino acid substitutions: Y7F, R25C and A80V. Then, we genotyped these SNPs in two populations (JB1 with 560 animals and JB2 with 450 animals) and investigated the effects on the traits. Y7F in JB1 and A80V in JB2 were excluded from statistical analysis because the minor allele frequencies were low (< 0.1). Association analysis revealed that Y7F had a significant effect on the dressed carcass weight in JB2; R25C had a significant effect on C18:0 and C14:1 in JB1 and JB2, respectively; and A80V had a significant effect on C16:0, C16:1, C18:1, monounsaturated fatty acid and saturated fatty acid in JB1. The results suggested that these SNPs could be used as an effective marker for the improvement of Japanese Black cattle. © 2016 Japanese Society of Animal Science.

Random regression models using Legendre polynomials or linear splines for test-day milk yield of dairy Gyr (Bos indicus) cattle.

PubMed

Pereira, R J; Bignardi, A B; El Faro, L; Verneque, R S; Vercesi Filho, A E; Albuquerque, L G

2013-01-01

Studies investigating the use of random regression models for genetic evaluation of milk production in Zebu cattle are scarce. In this study, 59,744 test-day milk yield records from 7,810 first lactations of purebred dairy Gyr (Bos indicus) and crossbred (dairy Gyr × Holstein) cows were used to compare random regression models in which additive genetic and permanent environmental effects were modeled using orthogonal Legendre polynomials or linear spline functions. Residual variances were modeled considering 1, 5, or 10 classes of days in milk. Five classes fitted the changes in residual variances over the lactation adequately and were used for model comparison. The model that fitted linear spline functions with 6 knots provided the lowest sum of residual variances across lactation. On the other hand, according to the deviance information criterion (DIC) and bayesian information criterion (BIC), a model using third-order and fourth-order Legendre polynomials for additive genetic and permanent environmental effects, respectively, provided the best fit. However, the high rank correlation (0.998) between this model and that applying third-order Legendre polynomials for additive genetic and permanent environmental effects, indicates that, in practice, the same bulls would be selected by both models. The last model, which is less parameterized, is a parsimonious option for fitting dairy Gyr breed test-day milk yield records. Copyright © 2013 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

9 CFR 78.8 - Brucellosis exposed cattle.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Brucellosis exposed cattle. 78.8... AGRICULTURE INTERSTATE TRANSPORTATION OF ANIMALS (INCLUDING POULTRY) AND ANIMAL PRODUCTS BRUCELLOSIS Restrictions on Interstate Movement of Cattle Because of Brucellosis § 78.8 Brucellosis exposed cattle...

9 CFR 78.8 - Brucellosis exposed cattle.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Brucellosis exposed cattle. 78.8... AGRICULTURE INTERSTATE TRANSPORTATION OF ANIMALS (INCLUDING POULTRY) AND ANIMAL PRODUCTS BRUCELLOSIS Restrictions on Interstate Movement of Cattle Because of Brucellosis § 78.8 Brucellosis exposed cattle...

9 CFR 78.8 - Brucellosis exposed cattle.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Brucellosis exposed cattle. 78.8... AGRICULTURE INTERSTATE TRANSPORTATION OF ANIMALS (INCLUDING POULTRY) AND ANIMAL PRODUCTS BRUCELLOSIS Restrictions on Interstate Movement of Cattle Because of Brucellosis § 78.8 Brucellosis exposed cattle...

9 CFR 78.7 - Brucellosis reactor cattle.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Brucellosis reactor cattle. 78.7... AGRICULTURE INTERSTATE TRANSPORTATION OF ANIMALS (INCLUDING POULTRY) AND ANIMAL PRODUCTS BRUCELLOSIS Restrictions on Interstate Movement of Cattle Because of Brucellosis § 78.7 Brucellosis reactor cattle. (a...

9 CFR 78.7 - Brucellosis reactor cattle.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Brucellosis reactor cattle. 78.7... AGRICULTURE INTERSTATE TRANSPORTATION OF ANIMALS (INCLUDING POULTRY) AND ANIMAL PRODUCTS BRUCELLOSIS Restrictions on Interstate Movement of Cattle Because of Brucellosis § 78.7 Brucellosis reactor cattle. (a...

9 CFR 78.7 - Brucellosis reactor cattle.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Brucellosis reactor cattle. 78.7... AGRICULTURE INTERSTATE TRANSPORTATION OF ANIMALS (INCLUDING POULTRY) AND ANIMAL PRODUCTS BRUCELLOSIS Restrictions on Interstate Movement of Cattle Because of Brucellosis § 78.7 Brucellosis reactor cattle. (a...

Cattle Grazing in Delta Forests

Treesearch

Robert L. Johnson

1960-01-01

What effects do grazing cattle have on the hardwood forests of the Mississippi Delta? What is the value of the forage to the cattle? To answer such questions, grazing studies were conducted in 1957 on the Delta Experimental Forest, near Stoneville.

Detection of Mycobacterium bovis in Organs of Slaughtered Cattle by DNA-Based Polymerase Chain Reaction and Ziehl-Neelsen Techniques in Bauchi State, Nigeria

PubMed Central

Sa'idu, A. S.; Okolocha, E. C.; Dzikwi, A. A.; Kwaga, J. K. P.; Gamawa, A. A.; Usman, A.; Maigari, S. A.; Ibrahim, S.

2015-01-01

Bovine tuberculosis is a chronic, infectious, and contagious zoonotic disease of domestic animals, wild animals, and humans. It also poses a public health threat and economic losses. This study was aimed at determining the prevalence of bovine tuberculosis in slaughtered cattle, based on PM meat inspection, Ziehl-Neelsen staining, and PCR techniques in Bauchi State, Nigeria. A Prospective study was conducted on 800 cattle slaughtered in the three Zonal abattoirs of Bauchi State, Nigeria. One hundred and twenty (15%) tissues from different organs had suspected bTB lesions at PM. Out of the samples examined 35 (29.2%) were AFB positive by ZN and 10 (8.3%) were confirmed positive for M. bovis by PCR, with an overall prevalence of 29.16% and 8.33%, respectively. Female had a higher prevalence rate than male cattle at 16.66% and 12.5 % by ZN and 5.00% and 3.33% by PCR, respectively (P>0.05, χ 2 = 0.218). However, there was a statistically significant association (P<0.05, χ 2 = 7.002) between detection of bTB and the age of cattle. ZN revealed that cattle aged 6 years and above had the highest number of positive bTB cases 67.9%, while cattle aged 3–5 years had the lowest 14.81%. PCR technique revealed that the cattle aged 6 and above years also had the highest percentage positive M. bovis cases of 22.84%, whereas cattle aged 3–5 years had the lowest and the overall prevalence rate of 8.33%. The study found a high infection rate of bTB among cattle and majority of the lesions 54.2% were from lungs. The prevalence of bTB was higher in Bauchi metropolitan abattoir which supplies larger population of the state with beef. PMID:26464955

Near East mtDNA haplotype variants in Roman cattle from Augusta Raurica, Switzerland, and in the Swiss Evolène breed.

PubMed

Schlumbaum, A; Turgay, M; Schibler, J

2006-08-01

Typical Near East mitochondrial haplotypes of the T2 lineage were found in one cattle metacarpus sample from the Roman period and in two present-day Evolène cattle in Switzerland. Sequences from eight additional Evolène and four Raetian Grey aligned to the European haplotype T3. Analysis of nucleotide diversity within the mitochondrial D-loop of both studied Swiss cattle breeds revealed high haplotype diversity and similar diversity to a European cattle reference group. Mitochondrial T3 haplotypes radiated star-like from two similarly frequent haplotypes, possibly indicating two different expansion routes. The breed structure of Evolène cattle can be explained either by an introduction of diverse female lineages from the domestication centre or by later admixture. The introduction of the Near East lineage to Switzerland must have happened during the Roman time or earlier.

Bali Cattle Carcass Characteristic of Different Butt Shape Condition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hafid, H.; Nuraini; Inderawati; Kurniawan, W.

2018-02-01

Carcass was main product on cattle slaughtering which contain beef for human consumption and it has high nutritional and economical value. Carcass production on cattle has been influenced by several factors, such as cattle breed, feed, and body conformation. Cattle Butt Shape was one of part cattle body conformation which allegedly has have positive correlation on produced carcass. This research was aimed to evaluate Butt Shape condition influenced on Bali cattle carcass characteristic. The research was using Bali cattle which slaughter in Kendari Slaughtering House (Rumah Potong Hewan/RPH - Kendari). The observation includes weighing, and measuring parts of carcass was conducted on 60 heads of Halal process slaughtered Bali cattle which traditionally maintained. The research parameters were carcass productivity parameters i.e: slaughtering weight, carcass weight and length, leg length and circumstances. Obtained data were analyzed using Complete Randomized Design and post hoc analyzed using Least Significant Different if have any influence. The research result showed that cattle Butt Shape condition have significant (p<0, 05) influence on all Bali cattle carcass productivity parameters. Butt shape with B category was result the best carcass productivity compare the others, while C category was better than D. It can be concluded that body and carcass weight were linearly influenced by cattle butt shape.

Cystic echinococcosis in cattle dairy farms: spatial distribution and epidemiological dynamics.

PubMed

Scala, Antonio; Bosco, Antonio; Pipia, Anna Paola; Tamponi, Claudia; Musella, Vincenzo; Costanzo, Nicola; Testoni, Francesco; Montisci, Antonio; Mocci, Giovanni; Longhi, Alessandro; Tilocca, Laura; Rinaldi, Laura; Cringoli, Giuseppe; Varcasia, Antonio

2017-05-29

A study monitoring cystic echinococcosis (CE) in adult dairy cattle from intensive livestock farms located in the municipality of Arborea (Sardinia, Italy) was carried out between 2012 and 2015. A retrospective study of veterinary reporting forms of post-mortem inspections in 10 different Italian slaughterhouses was also performed. In addition, data on viability and molecular characterisation of hydatid cysts removed from parasitised organs in cattle was carried out. A geographical information system (GIS) with data layers of the study area and the geo-referenced points of 160 cattle farms was constructed. CE was found in 21.9% (35/160) of the surveyed farms. The retrospective study revealed that 0.05% (13/23,656) of adult slaughtered animals (over one year of age) from Arborea had tested positive to CE. The results stratified per year showed the following CE prevalences: 0.09% (5/5673) in 2012; 0.02% (1/5682) in 2013; 0.08% (5/6261) in 2014; and 0.03% (2/6040) in 2015 (χ2 with 3 degrees of freedom=3.81; P=0.282). The E. granulosus sensu stricto (formerly called G1 or sheep strain) was detected in all cysts subjected to molecular analysis. The GIS analysis showed that CE is fairly resilient in the Arborea territory where most of cattle farms are located, while a small cluster of cases was found located in the southeastern part of Arborea, close to districts where sheep farms are situated. The present survey reports the presence of CE in Sardinian dairy cattle intensive farms and suggests that the parasitic pressure of CE in the island continues to be very strong.

Carrion odor and cattle grazing

PubMed Central

Lev-Yadun, Simcha; Gutman, Mario

2013-01-01

Recently, it has been proposed on theoretical grounds that carrion odor from flowers may not only attract pollinators, but also repel mammalian herbivores. Two grazing experiments involving 16 to 26 cattle heads per year, one for eight years (1982–1989) and the other for seven (1994–2000), in a region with no large carnivores that could influence cattle behavior, show that cattle avoid areas where dead cattle have recently been dumped. They grazed much less in these unfenced plots that were used to dump dead cattle each year. In the first experiment, with an area of ca. 20,000 m2 per head, the average grass biomass at the end of the season was 124.6 gr/m2 for the regular grazing area, whereas it was 236.5 gr/m2 for the carcass dumping area. In the second experiment, with a higher stocking level, with ca. 9,000 m2 per head, the average grass biomass at the end of the season was 61.7 gr/m2 for the regular grazing area, and 153.7 gr/m2 for the carcass dumping area. These significant differences existed throughout the 15 y of the experiments. We propose that these results are clear evidence of necrophobia in cattle, a character that might defend them from both pathogenic microbes and predators. This in turn demonstrates that carrion odor, primarily used by plants to attract pollinators, can simultaneously defend plants from herbivory by mammals as proposed. PMID:25210579

Comparative whole genome DNA methylation profiling of cattle sperm and somatic tissues reveals striking hypomethylated patterns in sperm

PubMed Central

Zhou, Yang; Connor, Erin E; Bickhart, Derek M; Li, Congjun; Baldwin, Ransom L; Schroeder, Steven G; Rosen, Benjamin D; Yang, Liguo; Van Tassell, Curtis P

2018-01-01

Abstract Background Although sperm DNA methylation has been studied in humans and other species, its status in cattle is largely unknown. Results Using whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS), we profiled the DNA methylome of cattle sperm through comparison with three somatic tissues (mammary gland, brain, and blood). Large differences between cattle sperm and somatic cells were observed in the methylation patterns of global CpGs, pericentromeric satellites, partially methylated domains (PMDs), hypomethylated regions (HMRs), and common repeats. As expected, we observed low methylation in the promoter regions and high methylation in the bodies of active genes. We detected selective hypomethylation of megabase domains of centromeric satellite clusters, which may be related to chromosome segregation during meiosis and their rapid transcriptional activation upon fertilization. We found more PMDs in sperm cells than in somatic cells and identified meiosis-related genes such asKIF2B and REPIN1, which are hypomethylated in sperm but hypermethylated in somatic cells. In addition to the common HMRs around gene promoters, which showed substantial differences between sperm and somatic cells, the sperm-specific HMRs also targeted to distinct spermatogenesis-related genes, including BOLL, MAEL, ASZ1, SYCP3, CTCFL, MND1, SPATA22, PLD6, DDX4, RBBP8, FKBP6, and SYCE1. Although common repeats were heavily methylated in both sperm and somatic cells, some young Bov-A2 repeats, which belong to the SINE family, were hypomethylated in sperm and could affect the promoter structures by introducing new regulatory elements. Conclusions Our study provides a comprehensive resource for bovine sperm epigenomic research and enables new discoveries about DNA methylation and its role in male fertility. PMID:29635292

Comparative whole genome DNA methylation profiling of cattle sperm and somatic tissues reveals striking hypomethylated patterns in sperm.

PubMed

Zhou, Yang; Connor, Erin E; Bickhart, Derek M; Li, Congjun; Baldwin, Ransom L; Schroeder, Steven G; Rosen, Benjamin D; Yang, Liguo; Van Tassell, Curtis P; Liu, George E

2018-05-01

Although sperm DNA methylation has been studied in humans and other species, its status in cattle is largely unknown. Using whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS), we profiled the DNA methylome of cattle sperm through comparison with three somatic tissues (mammary gland, brain, and blood). Large differences between cattle sperm and somatic cells were observed in the methylation patterns of global CpGs, pericentromeric satellites, partially methylated domains (PMDs), hypomethylated regions (HMRs), and common repeats. As expected, we observed low methylation in the promoter regions and high methylation in the bodies of active genes. We detected selective hypomethylation of megabase domains of centromeric satellite clusters, which may be related to chromosome segregation during meiosis and their rapid transcriptional activation upon fertilization. We found more PMDs in sperm cells than in somatic cells and identified meiosis-related genes such asKIF2B and REPIN1, which are hypomethylated in sperm but hypermethylated in somatic cells. In addition to the common HMRs around gene promoters, which showed substantial differences between sperm and somatic cells, the sperm-specific HMRs also targeted to distinct spermatogenesis-related genes, including BOLL, MAEL, ASZ1, SYCP3, CTCFL, MND1, SPATA22, PLD6, DDX4, RBBP8, FKBP6, and SYCE1. Although common repeats were heavily methylated in both sperm and somatic cells, some young Bov-A2 repeats, which belong to the SINE family, were hypomethylated in sperm and could affect the promoter structures by introducing new regulatory elements. Our study provides a comprehensive resource for bovine sperm epigenomic research and enables new discoveries about DNA methylation and its role in male fertility.

Ticks on Deer and Cattle in the Cattle Fever Tick Permanent Quarantine Zone, 2012

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Ticks were sampled from hosts in the cattle fever tick permanent quarantine zone along the Texas-Mexico border on five occasions in 2012. Three sample events involved white-tailed deer populations in Zapata and Starr Counties and two were from a cattle herd in Kinney County. Six species of ticks (n ...

Modeling the relationship between wolf control and cattle depredation

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Wolf control to reduce cattle depredation is an important issue to ecology and agriculture in the United States. Two recent papers use the same dataset having wolf population characteristics and cattle depredation, but come to opposing conclusions concerning the link between wolf control and cattle depredation. Our paper aims to resolve this issue by using the same dataset and developing a model based on a causal association that would explain the nature of the relationship between wolf control and cattle depredation. We use the data on wolf population, number of cattle, number of wolves killed and number of cattle killed, from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services Interagency Annual Wolf Reports over the period of 1987–2012. We find a positive link between wolf control and cattle depredation. However, it would be incorrect to infer that wolf control has a positive effect on the number of cattle depredated. We maintain that this link comes from a growing wolf population, which increases cattle depredation, and in turn, causes an increase in the number of wolves killed. While the wolf population is growing, we see both wolf removal and cattle depredation simultaneously grow. It is not until the wolf population growth nears the steady state, that removal of wolves has a sufficient negative effect to reduce or stabilize the number of cattle depredated. PMID:29084261

Cellular thermotolerance is inheritable from Holstein cattle cloned with ooplasts of Taiwan native yellow cattle.

PubMed

Kesorn, Piyawit; Lee, Jai-Wei; Wu, Hung-Yi; Ju, Jyh-Cherng; Peng, Shao-Yu; Liu, Shyh-Shyan; Wu, Hsi-Hsun; Shen, Perng-Chih

2017-01-15

We have previously demonstrated that the somatic cells from cattle cloned with Holstein (H) donor cells and Taiwan native yellow cattle (Y) ooplasm (Yo-Hd) had better thermotolerance than those from cattle cloned with both Holstein donor cells and ooplasm (Ho-Hd). The present study aimed to investigate whether the cellular thermotolerance of these cloned cattle is transmissible to their offspring (Ho-Hd-F1 and Yo-Hd-F1). Thermotolerance of ear fibroblasts derived from these cloned cattle and their offspring were analyzed. Polymorphisms in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) D-loop of ear fibroblasts derived from Yo-Hd and Yo-Hd-F1 indicated that the cytoplasm is originated from Bos indicus (Y). After heat shock, the apoptotic rates, B-cell lymphoma 2-associated X protein/B-cell lymphoma 2 ratios, and relative expression levels of cysteine-aspartic proteases (caspases)-3, -8, and -9 of ear fibroblasts with Y-originated cytoplasm (including Y, Yo-Hd, and Yo-Hd-F1) were lower (P < 0.05) than those of ear fibroblasts with H-originated cytoplasm (including H, Ho-Hd, and Ho-Hd-F1). In contrast, the relative level of HSP-70 was higher (P < 0.05) in ear fibroblasts with Y-originated cytoplasm than that of with H-originated cytoplasm. Based on our results, thermotolerance of ear fibroblasts derived from Yo-Hd and Yo-Hd-F1 cattle is better and can be transmitted, at least at the cellular level, to their offspring. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

9 CFR 93.427 - Cattle from Mexico.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Cattle from Mexico. 93.427 Section 93... CONVEYANCE AND SHIPPING CONTAINERS Ruminants Mexico 10 § 93.427 Cattle from Mexico. (a) Cattle and other ruminants imported from Mexico, except animals being transported in bond for immediate return to Mexico or...

Molecular detection of tick-borne pathogens in cattle from Southwestern Ethiopia.

PubMed

Hailemariam, Zerihun; Krücken, Jürgen; Baumann, Maximilian; Ahmed, Jabbar S; Clausen, Peter-Henning; Nijhof, Ard M

2017-01-01

Tick-borne diseases (TBDs) cause significant losses among livestock and impact the livelihoods of resource-poor farming communities worldwide. In Ethiopia, detailed studies on the epidemiology of tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) in cattle using sensitive molecular detection methods are scarce. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and species composition of bovine TBPs of veterinary significance in local cattle populations. A comprehensive cross-sectional epidemiological study was conducted in cattle populations of Illubabor zone in Southwestern Ethiopia from June to August 2013. For this purpose, blood samples were collected from 392 cattle. A combination of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and a Reverse Line Blot (RLB) hybridization assay was employed for the detection of TBPs in these samples. The PCR/RLB results of the 392 blood samples indicated a high overall prevalence of 96.9% for TBPs, including Theileria mutans (66.1%), Theileria orientalis (51.8%), Anaplasma sp. Omatjenne (25.5%), Anaplasma marginale (14.5%), Babesia bigemina (14.0%) and Theileria velifera (13.0%) and minor occurrences of Ehrlichia ruminantium (0.5%) and Ehrlichia minasensis (0.26%). Moreover, three novel Anaplasma genotypes were detected in bovine blood samples. A phylogenetic analysis revealed that they most likely represent three, but at least two, new species. The prevalence of the three novel Anaplasma species, preliminary designated as Anaplasma sp. Hadesa, Anaplasma sp. Saso and Anaplasma sp. Dedessa, was 12.5%, 14.3% and 5.6%, respectively. Overall, a total of 227 cattle (57.9%) were found to be co-infected with two or more TBPs simultaneously and 86 different species combinations were observed. The findings show a very high burden of infection of cattle with TBPs in Ethiopia. The high frequency of co-infections suggests that clinical manifestations might be complex. Further research is required to determine the pathogenicity, host cell types and vector of the

Molecular detection of tick-borne pathogens in cattle from Southwestern Ethiopia

PubMed Central

Hailemariam, Zerihun; Krücken, Jürgen; Baumann, Maximilian; Ahmed, Jabbar S.; Clausen, Peter-Henning

2017-01-01

Tick-borne diseases (TBDs) cause significant losses among livestock and impact the livelihoods of resource-poor farming communities worldwide. In Ethiopia, detailed studies on the epidemiology of tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) in cattle using sensitive molecular detection methods are scarce. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and species composition of bovine TBPs of veterinary significance in local cattle populations. A comprehensive cross-sectional epidemiological study was conducted in cattle populations of Illubabor zone in Southwestern Ethiopia from June to August 2013. For this purpose, blood samples were collected from 392 cattle. A combination of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and a Reverse Line Blot (RLB) hybridization assay was employed for the detection of TBPs in these samples. The PCR/RLB results of the 392 blood samples indicated a high overall prevalence of 96.9% for TBPs, including Theileria mutans (66.1%), Theileria orientalis (51.8%), Anaplasma sp. Omatjenne (25.5%), Anaplasma marginale (14.5%), Babesia bigemina (14.0%) and Theileria velifera (13.0%) and minor occurrences of Ehrlichia ruminantium (0.5%) and Ehrlichia minasensis (0.26%). Moreover, three novel Anaplasma genotypes were detected in bovine blood samples. A phylogenetic analysis revealed that they most likely represent three, but at least two, new species. The prevalence of the three novel Anaplasma species, preliminary designated as Anaplasma sp. Hadesa, Anaplasma sp. Saso and Anaplasma sp. Dedessa, was 12.5%, 14.3% and 5.6%, respectively. Overall, a total of 227 cattle (57.9%) were found to be co-infected with two or more TBPs simultaneously and 86 different species combinations were observed. The findings show a very high burden of infection of cattle with TBPs in Ethiopia. The high frequency of co-infections suggests that clinical manifestations might be complex. Further research is required to determine the pathogenicity, host cell types and vector of the

Herd size and bovine tuberculosis persistence in cattle farms in Great Britain.

PubMed

Brooks-Pollock, Ellen; Keeling, Matt

2009-12-01

Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) infection in cattle is one of the most complex and persistent problems faced by the cattle industry in Great Britain today. While a number of factors have been identified as increasing the risk of infection, there has been little analysis on the causes of persistent infection within farms. In this article, we use the Cattle Tracing System to examine changes in herd size and VetNet data to correlate herd size with clearance of bTB. We find that the number of active farms fell by 16.3% between 2002 and 2007. The average farm size increased by 17.9% between 2002 and 2005. Using a measure similar to the Critical Community Size, the VetNet data reveal that herd size is positively correlated with disease persistence. Since economic policy and subsidies have been shown to influence farm size, we used a simple financial model for ideal farm size which includes disease burden to conclude that increasing herd size for efficiency gains may contribute to increased disease incidence.

Genome engineering in cattle: recent technological advancements.

PubMed

Wang, Zhongde

2015-02-01

Great strides in technological advancements have been made in the past decade in cattle genome engineering. First, the success of cloning cattle by somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) or chromatin transfer (CT) is a significant advancement that has made obsolete the need for using embryonic stem (ES) cells to conduct cell-mediated genome engineering, whereby site-specific genetic modifications can be conducted in bovine somatic cells via DNA homologous recombination (HR) and whereby genetically engineered cattle can subsequently be produced by animal cloning from the genetically modified cells. With this approach, a chosen bovine genomic locus can be precisely modified in somatic cells, such as to knock out (KO) or knock in (KI) a gene via HR, a gene-targeting strategy that had almost exclusively been used in mouse ES cells. Furthermore, by the creative application of embryonic cloning to rejuvenate somatic cells, cattle genome can be sequentially modified in the same line of somatic cells and complex genetic modifications have been achieved in cattle. Very recently, the development of designer nucleases-such as zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs) and transcription activator-like effector nuclease (TALENs), and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (CRISPR/Cas9)-has enabled highly efficient and more facile genome engineering in cattle. Most notably, by employing such designer nucleases, genomes can be engineered at single-nucleotide precision; this process is now often referred to as genome or gene editing. The above achievements are a drastic departure from the traditional methods of creating genetically modified cattle, where foreign DNAs are randomly integrated into the animal genome, most often along with the integrations of bacterial or viral DNAs. Here, I review the most recent technological developments in cattle genome engineering by highlighting some of the major achievements in creating genetically engineered

The epidemiology of cattle abortion in Algeria.

PubMed

Kardjadj, Moustafa

2018-02-01

In Algeria, the epidemiology of cattle abortions is not well understood. Therefore, the present study aims to estimate the prevalence of abortion in 75 Algerian cattle herds and correlate its possible association with brucellosis positivity and some managerial risk factors. The cattle abortion herd prevalence was 41.33% [95% CI 30.16-52.5%]. As for brucellosis, the serological evidence of brucellosis exposure was observed in 9 out of 75 herds accounting for 12% [95% CI 4.65-19.35] herd seroprevalence. The risk factor analysis using the univariable analysis followed by multivariable logistic regression did confirm that brucellosis positivity (OR = 5.19), mixed herd (OR = 2.5), contact with other herd (OR = 2.91), presence of dog in the herd (OR = 2.89), imported cattle (OR = 1.91), and farmers with less than 2 years' experience (OR = 2.69) as risk factors for abortion in Algerian cattle herds. Targeting these factors using a comprehensive control measure is needed to improve animal welfare and reduce economic losses associated with abortion in dairy cattle.

Neurotuberculosis in cattle in southern Brazil.

PubMed

Konradt, Guilherme; Bassuino, Daniele Mariath; Bianchi, Matheus Viezzer; Bandinelli, Marcele Bettim; Driemeier, David; Pavarini, Saulo Petinatti

2016-06-01

Tuberculosis in cattle is a chronic infectious-contagious disease characterized by the development of nodular lesions (granulomas) in mainly the lungs and regional lymph nodes. It is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex, an acid-fast bacillus (AFB). Tuberculosis in the central nervous system is a rare condition in cattle. Herein, we describe the clinical and pathological findings of six neurotuberculosis cases in cattle diagnosed in Southern Brazil. The average age of the cattle affected was 12 months, and they varied in breed and sex. The clinical history ranged from 5 to 30 days and was characterized by motor incoordination, opisthotonus, blindness, and progression to recumbency. The cattle were euthanized, and grossly, the leptomeninges at the basilar brain showed marked and diffuse expansion, with nodular yellowish lesions ranging in size. On microscopic examination, there were multifocal granulomas located mainly in the meninges, though sometimes extending to adjacent neuropil or existing as isolated granulomas in neuropil. AFBs were observed in the cytoplasm of epithelioid macrophages and multinucleated giant cells through Ziehl-Neelsen histochemical staining and identified as Mycobacterium sp. through immunohistochemistry.

Risk factors for bovine tuberculosis in low incidence regions related to the movements of cattle

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) remains difficult to eradicate from low incidence regions partly due to the imperfect sensitivity and specificity of routine intradermal tuberculin testing. Herds with unconfirmed reactors that are incorrectly classified as bTB-negative may be at risk of spreading disease, while those that are incorrectly classified as bTB-positive may be subject to costly disease eradication measures. This analysis used data from Scotland in the period leading to Officially Tuberculosis Free recognition (1) to investigate the risks associated with the movements of cattle from herds with different bTB risk classifications and (2) to identify herd demographic characteristics that may aid in the interpretation of tuberculin testing results. Results From 2002 to 2009, for every herd with confirmed bTB positive cattle identified through routine herd testing, there was an average of 2.8 herds with at least one unconfirmed positive reactor and 18.9 herds with unconfirmed inconclusive reactors. Approximately 75% of confirmed bTB positive herds were detected through cattle with no known movements outside Scotland. At the animal level, cattle that were purchased from Scottish herds with unconfirmed positive reactors and a recent history importing cattle from endemic bTB regions were significantly more likely to react positively on routine intradermal tuberculin tests, while cattle purchased from Scottish herds with unconfirmed inconclusive reactors were significantly more likely to react inconclusively. Case-case comparisons revealed few demographic differences between herds with confirmed positive, unconfirmed positive, and unconfirmed inconclusive reactors, which highlights the difficulty in determining the true disease status of herds with unconfirmed tuberculin reactors. Overall, the risk of identifying reactors through routine surveillance decreased significantly over time, which may be partly attributable to changes in movement testing regulations

Risk factors for bovine tuberculosis in low incidence regions related to the movements of cattle.

PubMed

Gates, M Carolyn; Volkova, Victoriya V; Woolhouse, Mark E J

2013-11-09

Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) remains difficult to eradicate from low incidence regions partly due to the imperfect sensitivity and specificity of routine intradermal tuberculin testing. Herds with unconfirmed reactors that are incorrectly classified as bTB-negative may be at risk of spreading disease, while those that are incorrectly classified as bTB-positive may be subject to costly disease eradication measures. This analysis used data from Scotland in the period leading to Officially Tuberculosis Free recognition (1) to investigate the risks associated with the movements of cattle from herds with different bTB risk classifications and (2) to identify herd demographic characteristics that may aid in the interpretation of tuberculin testing results. From 2002 to 2009, for every herd with confirmed bTB positive cattle identified through routine herd testing, there was an average of 2.8 herds with at least one unconfirmed positive reactor and 18.9 herds with unconfirmed inconclusive reactors. Approximately 75% of confirmed bTB positive herds were detected through cattle with no known movements outside Scotland. At the animal level, cattle that were purchased from Scottish herds with unconfirmed positive reactors and a recent history importing cattle from endemic bTB regions were significantly more likely to react positively on routine intradermal tuberculin tests, while cattle purchased from Scottish herds with unconfirmed inconclusive reactors were significantly more likely to react inconclusively. Case-case comparisons revealed few demographic differences between herds with confirmed positive, unconfirmed positive, and unconfirmed inconclusive reactors, which highlights the difficulty in determining the true disease status of herds with unconfirmed tuberculin reactors. Overall, the risk of identifying reactors through routine surveillance decreased significantly over time, which may be partly attributable to changes in movement testing regulations and the volume of

9 CFR 73.8 - Cattle infected or exposed during transit.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Cattle infected or exposed during... SCABIES IN CATTLE § 73.8 Cattle infected or exposed during transit. (a) Healthy cattle from unquarantined State exposed en route. Should healthy cattle in transit from a State not quarantined by the Secretary...

Detection and characterization of fecal verotoxin-producing Escherichia coli from healthy cattle.

PubMed Central

Montenegro, M A; Bülte, M; Trumpf, T; Aleksić, S; Reuter, G; Bulling, E; Helmuth, R

1990-01-01

Verotoxin-producing Escherichia coli isolates from feces of healthy cattle were identified by DNA hybridization with verotoxin 1- and verotoxin 2-specific gene probes. Among 259 animals investigated, 28 (10.8%) were found to carry verotoxin-producing E. coli strains. Characterization of the verotoxin-producing isolates revealed a heterogeneous population in terms of serotype and toxin type. Nearly 40% of the strains belonged to serogroups known to be pathogenic for humans, i.e., O22, O39, O82, O91, O113, O116, O126, and O136. Two isolates from different bulls were identified as serotype O157:H7. Results obtained in this study indicate that cattle may be an important source of verotoxigenic E. coli involved in human disease. Images PMID:2199502

Mapping U.S. cattle shipment networks: Spatial and temporal patterns of trade communities from 2009 to 2011.

PubMed

Gorsich, Erin E; Luis, Angela D; Buhnerkempe, Michael G; Grear, Daniel A; Portacci, Katie; Miller, Ryan S; Webb, Colleen T

2016-11-01

The application of network analysis to cattle shipments broadens our understanding of shipment patterns beyond pairwise interactions to the network as a whole. Such a quantitative description of cattle shipments in the U.S. can identify trade communities, describe temporal shipment patterns, and inform the design of disease surveillance and control strategies. Here, we analyze a longitudinal dataset of beef and dairy cattle shipments from 2009 to 2011 in the United States to characterize communities within the broader cattle shipment network, which are groups of counties that ship mostly to each other. Because shipments occur over time, we aggregate the data at various temporal scales to examine the consistency of network and community structure over time. Our results identified nine large (>50 counties) communities based on shipments of beef cattle in 2009 aggregated into an annual network and nine large communities based on shipments of dairy cattle. The size and connectance of the shipment network was highly dynamic; monthly networks were smaller than yearly networks and revealed seasonal shipment patterns consistent across years. Comparison of the shipment network over time showed largely consistent shipping patterns, such that communities identified on annual networks of beef and diary shipments from 2009 still represented 41-95% of shipments in monthly networks from 2009 and 41-66% of shipments from networks in 2010 and 2011. The temporal aspects of cattle shipments suggest that future applications of the U.S. cattle shipment network should consider seasonal shipment patterns. However, the consistent within-community shipping patterns indicate that yearly communities could provide a reasonable way to group regions for management. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Prevalence and carrier status of leptospirosis in smallholder dairy cattle and peridomestic rodents in Kandy, Sri Lanka.

PubMed

Gamage, Chandika D; Koizumi, Nobuo; Muto, Maki; Nwafor-Okoli, Chinyere; Kurukurusuriya, Shanika; Rajapakse, Jayanthe R P V; Kularatne, Senanayake A M; Kanda, Koji; Lee, Romeo B; Obayashi, Yoshihide; Watanabe, Haruo; Tamashiro, Hiko

2011-08-01

Leptospirosis is an important bacterial zoonotic disease globally and one of the notifiable diseases in Sri Lanka. Other than human leptospirosis, little information is available on leptospirosis in domestic and feral animals in Sri Lanka. Thus, this study attempted to determine the prevalence and carrier status of leptospirosis in smallholder dairy cattle and peridomestic rodents to understand the impact of the disease on public health in Kandy, Sri Lanka. Cattle and rodent samples were collected from the Yatinuwara and Udunuwara divisional secretaries in Kandy. Serum samples were analyzed for the presence of antileptospiral antibodies using microscopic agglutination test. DNA was extracted from cattle urine and rodent kidney tissue samples, in which polymerase chain reaction was carried out to detect the Leptospira flaB gene. The cattle in 19 (38.8%) of the 49 farms harbored antileptospiral antibodies. Out of 113 cattle serum samples, 23 (20.3%) were positive; 17 (73.9%) and 6 (26.1%) reacted with serogroups Sejroe and Hebdomadis, respectively. Out of the 74 rodent samples, 13 (17.5%) were positive; 8 (61.5%) and 4 (30.8%) had reactions to serogroups Javanica and Icterohaemorrhagiae, respectively. Leptospiral DNA was detected in one cattle urine sample and identified as Leptospira interrogans. This study revealed a high prevalence of leptospirosis in cattle and rodents in Kandy. These animals were infected with a wide array of leptospiral serogroups, which are consistent with the research findings observed in humans in Kandy. Overall, serological data indicate that relative to rodents, cattle may be a more significant reservoir for human transmission and a greater source of potential risk to local agricultural communities.

Total replacement of corn by mesquite pod meal considering nutritional value, performance, feeding behavior, nitrogen balance, and microbial protein synthesis of Holstein-Zebu crossbred dairy steers.

PubMed

de Oliveira Moraes, Gláucia Sabrine; de Souza, Evaristo Jorge Oliveira; Véras, Antonia Sherlânea Chaves; de Paula Almeida, Marina; da Cunha, Márcio Vieira; Torres, Thaysa Rodrigues; da Silva, Camila Sousa; Pereira, Gerfesson Felipe Cavalcanti

2016-10-01

The objective of the present study to assess the effects of mesquite pod addition replacing corn (0, 250, 500, 750, and 1000 g/kg in the dry matter basis) on nutrient intake, animal performance, feeding behavior, nutrient digestibility, nitrogen balance, and microbial protein synthesis. Twenty-five Holstein-Zebu crossbred dairy steers at 219 ± 22 kg initial body weight and 18 months of age were used. The experiment lasted 84 days, divided into three periods of 28 days. A completely randomized design was used, and data were submitted to analysis using PROC GLM for analysis of variance and PROC REG for regression analysis using the software Statistical Analysis Systems version 9.1. Experimental diets were composed of Tifton 85 hay, soybean meal, ground corn, mesquite pod meal, and mineral salt. Samples of food offered were collected during the last 3 days of each period, and the leftovers were collected daily, with samples bulked per week. At the end of each 28-day period, the remaining animals were weighed to determine total weight gain and average daily gain. The assessment of behavioral patterns was performed through instantaneous scans in 5-min intervals for three consecutive 12-h days. A single urine sample from each animal was collected on the last day of each collection period at about 4 h after the first feeding. The replacement of corn by mesquite pod meal did not significantly influence treatments regarding nutrients intake, animal performance, and feeding behavior. Retained and consumed nitrogen ratio did not statistically differ between replacement levels. Likewise, there were no statistical differences regarding microbial protein synthesis and efficiency between replacement levels. Mesquite pod meal can be used in Holstein-Zebu crossbred dairy steers' diet with total corn replacement.

Molecular characterization and expression profile of partial TLR4 gene in association to mastitis in crossbred cattle.

PubMed

Panigrahi, Manjit; Sharma, Arjava; Bhushan, Bharat

2014-01-01

Crossbred cattle are more prone to mastitis in comparison to indigenous cattle. Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) recognizes pathogen ligands, for example, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) endotoxin from Escherichia coli and mediates signaling to initiate innate and adaptive immune responses. Mutations in TLR4 can compromise the host immune response to certain pathogens, so it may be a potential candidate for marker assisted selection to enhance mastitis resistance in dairy cattle. Hence, in this study role of bovine TLR4 gene in mastitis resistance was investigated by association as well as expression profiling analysis in crossbred cattle. The animals were divided into mastitis affected and unaffected groups on the basis of history of animals and California Mastitis Test (CMT). PCR-SSCP and Sequence analysis revealed three genotypes of coreceptor binding region 1 (CRBR1) fragment of TLR4 gene namely AA, AB, and BB in both groups of cattle. The logistic regression model did not show any significant effect of these genotypes on the occurrence of clinical mastitis. Moreover, in vitro challenge of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) with LPS failed to show any association of the genotypes with TLR4 gene expression. In a nutshell, in the present study enough evidence was not found for association of the SNP variants of CRBR1 fragment of TLR4 gene with mastitis susceptibility in crossbred cattle.

9 CFR 50.18 - Identification and disposal of cattle.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Identification and disposal of cattle... DESTROYED BECAUSE OF TUBERCULOSIS Dairy Cattle and Facilities in the El Paso, Texas, Region § 50.18 Identification and disposal of cattle. (a) All dairy cattle disposed of under this subpart must travel from the...

Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in grazing cattle in central Ethiopia.

PubMed

Ameni, Gobena; Vordermeier, Martin; Firdessa, Rebuma; Aseffa, Abraham; Hewinson, Glyn; Gordon, Stephen V; Berg, Stefan

2011-06-01

A preliminary study to characterise mycobacteria infecting tuberculous cattle from two different management systems in central Ethiopia was carried out. Approximately 27% of isolates from grazing cattle were Mycobacterium tuberculosis, while cattle in a more intensive-production system were exclusively infected with M. bovis. The practice of local farmers discharging chewed tobacco directly into the mouths of pastured cattle was identified as a potential route of human-to-cattle transmission of M. tuberculosis. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Rooms for genetic improvement in Indonesian Bali cattle population

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Widyas, N.; Nugroho, T.; Prastowo, S.

2017-04-01

Bali cattle is a species of Bos javanicus d’Alton, a local cattle in Indonesia. They are loaded with potential as meat producer and well adapted to tropical climate and limited feed resources. Studies have been made to characterize the species. This paper presents a rough estimate of the opportunity to improve the Bali cattle population genetically. Our aim is to endorse that the Bali cattle could be both superior and efficient as tropical meat producer cattle. Results shows that Bali cattle population size is decreasing for the last years with a possibility to be accompanied by genetic quality decline. However, there is hope in improving Bali cattle genetically by a proper breeding strategy. This could also be an answer to the challenge of climate change which leads to global warming; where species adaptable to such environment is more beneficial in the future.

Design and Formative Evaluation of an Information Kiosk on Cattle Health for Landless Cattle Owners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ramkumar, S.; Garforth, C.; Rao, S. V. N.; Heffernan, C.

2007-01-01

This paper describes and analyses the experience of designing, installing and evaluating a farmer-usable touch screen information kiosk on cattle health in a veterinary institution in Pondicherry. The contents of the kiosk were prepared based on identified demands for information on cattle health, arrived at through various stakeholders meetings.…

Diversity, Frequency, and Persistence of Escherichia coli O157 Strains from Range Cattle Environments†

PubMed Central

Renter, David G.; Sargeant, Jan M.; Oberst, Richard D.; Samadpour, Mansour

2003-01-01

Genetic diversity, isolation frequency, and persistence were determined for Escherichia coli O157 strains from range cattle production environments. Over the 11-month study, analysis of 9,122 cattle fecal samples, 4,083 water source samples, and 521 wildlife fecal samples resulted in 263 isolates from 107 samples presumptively considered E. coli O157 as determined by culture and latex agglutination. Most isolates (90.1%) were confirmed to be E. coli O157 by PCR detection of intimin and Shiga toxin genes. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) of XbaI-digested preparations revealed 79 unique patterns (XbaI-PFGE subtypes) from 235 typeable isolates confirmed to be E. coli O157. By analyzing up to three isolates per positive sample, we detected an average of 1.80 XbaI-PFGE subtypes per sample. Most XbaI-PFGE subtypes (54 subtypes) were identified only once, yet the seven most frequently isolated subtypes represented over one-half of the E. coli O157 isolates (124 of 235 isolates). Recurring XbaI-PFGE subtypes were recovered from samples on up to 10 sampling occasions and up to 10 months apart. Seven XbaI-PFGE subtypes were isolated from both cattle feces and water sources, and one of these also was isolated from the feces of a wild opossum (Didelphis sp.). The number of XbaI-PFGE subtypes, the variable frequency and persistence of subtypes, and the presence of identical subtypes in cattle feces, free-flowing water sources, and wildlife feces indicate that the complex molecular epidemiology of E. coli O157 previously described for confined cattle operations is also evident in extensively managed range cattle environments. PMID:12514039

Molecular characterization and epigenetic regulation of Mei1 in cattle and cattle-yak.

PubMed

Li, Bojiang; Wu, Wangjun; Luo, Hua; Liu, Zequn; Liu, Honglin; Li, Qifa; Pan, Zengxiang

2015-11-15

Mei1 is required for the homologous recombination of meiosis during the mammalian spermatogenesis. However, the knowledge about bovine Mei1 (bMei1) is still limited. In the present study, we cloned and characterized the bMei1, and investigated the epigenetic regulatory mechanism of bMei1 expression in vivo and in vitro. The full length coding region of bMei1 was 3819bp, which encoded a polypeptide of 1272 amino acids. Real-time PCR showed that the mRNA expression level of bMei1 in the testis of cattle-yak with meiotic arrest and male infertility was significantly decreased as compared with cattle (P<0.01). Conversely, the methylation levels of bMei1 promoter and gene body in the testis of cattle-yak were significantly increased. Additionally, the expression level of bMei1 in bovine mammary epithelial cells (BMECs) was activated by treatment with the methyltransferase inhibitor 5-aza-2' deoxycytidine (5-Aza-CdR). Our data suggest that bMei1 may play an important role in the meiosis of spermatogenesis and may be involved in cattle-yak male sterility, and its transcription was regulated by DNA methylation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Comparison of methanogen diversity of yak (Bos grunniens) and cattle (Bos taurus) from the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau, China.

PubMed

Huang, Xiao Dan; Tan, Hui Yin; Long, Ruijun; Liang, Juan Boo; Wright, André-Denis G

2012-10-19

Methane emissions by methanogen from livestock ruminants have significantly contributed to the agricultural greenhouse gas effect. It is worthwhile to compare methanogen from "energy-saving" animal (yak) and normal animal (cattle) in order to investigate the link between methanogen structure and low methane production. Diversity of methanogens from the yak and cattle rumen was investigated by analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences from rumen digesta samples from four yaks (209 clones) and four cattle (205 clones) from the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau area (QTP). Overall, a total of 414 clones (i.e. sequences) were examined and assigned to 95 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) using MOTHUR, based upon a 98% species-level identity criterion. Forty-six OTUs were unique to the yak clone library and 34 OTUs were unique to the cattle clone library, while 15 OTUs were found in both libraries. Of the 95 OTUs, 93 putative new species were identified. Sequences belonging to the Thermoplasmatales-affiliated Linage C (TALC) were found to dominate in both libraries, accounting for 80.9% and 62.9% of the sequences from the yak and cattle clone libraries, respectively. Sequences belonging to the Methanobacteriales represented the second largest clade in both libraries. However, Methanobrevibacter wolinii (QTPC 110) was only found in the cattle library. The number of clones from the order Methanomicrobiales was greater in cattle than in the yak clone library. Although the Shannon index value indicated similar diversity between the two libraries, the Libshuff analysis indicated that the methanogen community structure of the yak was significantly different than those from cattle. This study revealed for the first time the molecular diversity of methanogen community in yaks and cattle in Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau area in China. From the analysis, we conclude that yaks have a unique rumen microbial ecosystem that is significantly different from that of cattle, this may also help to explain why

Comparison of methanogen diversity of yak (Bos grunniens) and cattle (Bos taurus) from the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau, China

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Methane emissions by methanogen from livestock ruminants have significantly contributed to the agricultural greenhouse gas effect. It is worthwhile to compare methanogen from “energy-saving” animal (yak) and normal animal (cattle) in order to investigate the link between methanogen structure and low methane production. Results Diversity of methanogens from the yak and cattle rumen was investigated by analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences from rumen digesta samples from four yaks (209 clones) and four cattle (205 clones) from the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau area (QTP). Overall, a total of 414 clones (i.e. sequences) were examined and assigned to 95 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) using MOTHUR, based upon a 98% species-level identity criterion. Forty-six OTUs were unique to the yak clone library and 34 OTUs were unique to the cattle clone library, while 15 OTUs were found in both libraries. Of the 95 OTUs, 93 putative new species were identified. Sequences belonging to the Thermoplasmatales-affiliated Linage C (TALC) were found to dominate in both libraries, accounting for 80.9% and 62.9% of the sequences from the yak and cattle clone libraries, respectively. Sequences belonging to the Methanobacteriales represented the second largest clade in both libraries. However, Methanobrevibacter wolinii (QTPC 110) was only found in the cattle library. The number of clones from the order Methanomicrobiales was greater in cattle than in the yak clone library. Although the Shannon index value indicated similar diversity between the two libraries, the Libshuff analysis indicated that the methanogen community structure of the yak was significantly different than those from cattle. Conclusion This study revealed for the first time the molecular diversity of methanogen community in yaks and cattle in Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau area in China. From the analysis, we conclude that yaks have a unique rumen microbial ecosystem that is significantly different from that of cattle

Phenotypic characteristics of local cattle in Madura Island

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maylinda, Sucik; Nugroho, H.; Busono, W.

2017-05-01

The aim of the research is to (1) analyze phenotypic variance both qualitative and quantitative characters in Madura cattle, (2) to analyze the relationship between that characters and body weight. Cattle studied were located in Waru and Pademawu subdistrict, Pamekasan district, Indonesia. The sampling technique was accidental sampling. Subject animals were 8-20 month-old cows, grouped into 2 age groups of <1 and >1 years old. Both qualitative and quantitative phenotypic characteristics were recorded. Qualitative characteristics were the color of the body, white color in bottom and leg, black color at the back, and the presence of horns. Quantitative characteristics were the head index, body weight, chest girth (CG), body height (BH), body length (BL), and body condition score (BCS). Data were analyzed with correlation and regression analyses. Results showed that qualitative characteristics of the Madura local cattle were all those of the reference Madura cattle standard, such as the white color of leg and bottom, with small head indexes. We found that (1) most of Madura Local cattle had the standard Madura cattle characteristics in both sexes, and (2) the best cattle, in terms of body weight, can be selected based on chest girth rather than other measurements, which is advantageous because measuring the chest circumference is quicker and easier than directly measuring cattle weight in rural villages.

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Coxiella burnetii Antibodies in Bulk Milk from Cattle, Sheep, and Goats in Jordan.

PubMed

Obaidat, Mohammad M; Kersh, Gilbert J

2017-04-01

This large-scale cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the prevalence, geographical distribution, and risk factors for the presence of antibodies against Coxiella burnetii in bulk tank milk derived from dairy cattle, sheep, and goats in Jordan. Bulk milk samples were collected from 78 dairy cattle, 48 sheep, and 23 goat farms from various places in Jordan according to the density of these animal species in each region of the country. The samples were tested for C. burnetii antibodies using the CHEKIT Q-Fever Antibody ELISA kit. A standardized questionnaire was also used to collect data from each farm to identify and rank the risk factors for the presence of C. burnetii antibodies. The results revealed that 62.9% (95% confidence interval: 55.1 to 70.0%) of the tested ruminant farms were positive for C. burnetii antibodies. Positive results were obtained from 70.9% (60.6 to 79.5%) of dairy cattle farms, 52.1% (38.3 to 65.5%) of sheep farms, and 56.0% (37.1 to 73.3%) of goat farms. Six factors were associated with the presence of these antibodies on cattle farms, and five factors were associated with these antibodies on sheep and goat farms (chi-square test). The multivariate logistic regression model revealed that large dairy cattle farms, farms that add new animals to the herd, farms that infrequently clean the feeders, and farms in particular areas are 28.6, 19.9, 8.0, and 6.4 times more likely, respectively, to have animals with C. burnetii antibodies. Sheep and goat farms that mix their animals with those from other farms, graze more than 5 km, and infrequently sanitize the feeders were 8.0, 0.06, and 13.6 times more likely, respectively, to have animals with C. burnetii antibodies. These data reveal the widespread exposure of Jordanian ruminants to C. burnetii and suggest a high risk for public health.

PPARα signal pathway gene expression is associated with fatty acid content in yak and cattle longissimus dorsi muscle.

PubMed

Qin, W; Liang, C N; Guo, X; Chu, M; Pei, J; Bao, P J; Wu, X Y; Li, T K; Yan, P

2015-11-19

Intramuscular fatty acid (FA) is related to meat qualities such as juiciness, tenderness, palatability, and shear force. PPARα plays an important role in lipid metabolism in the liver and skeletal muscle. This study investigated FA composition in yaks and cattle, in order to ascertain whether a correlation between PPARα signal pathway genes as candidate genes and meat FA composition in yaks and cattle exists. Statistical analyses revealed that levels of monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) in yaks were significantly higher than those in cattle (P < 0.01), whereas saturated fatty acid (SFA) levels were significantly lower than those in cattle (P < 0.05). The mRNA expression levels of FABP4 (P < 0.05), SCP2 (P < 0.05), and APOA1 (P < 0.01) in yaks were significantly lower than those in cattle. However, LPL expression in yaks was significantly higher than that in cattle (P < 0.05). In yaks, the expression levels of FABP3 (P < 0.05) and LPL (P < 0.01) were negatively correlated with MUFA, and those of FABP4 and SCD were positively correlated with PUFA (P < 0.01). In cattle, the mRNA level of PLTP was positively correlated with SFA (P < 0.05), and LPL was positively correlated with MUFA (P < 0.05). These results suggest that these genes may participate in the regulation and control of intramuscular FA metabolism in yaks, so they could be used as candidate markers to improve yak meat quality.

Cystic echinococcosis in cattle slaughtered at Gondar Elfora export Abattoir, northwest Ethiopia.

PubMed

Abebe, Abebaw; Beyene, Desta; Kumsa, Bersissa

2014-12-01

A cross sectional and retrospective studies were conducted from November 2010 to April 2011 to determine the prevalence and characteristics of hydatid cysts in cattle slaughtered at Gondar Elfora Abattoir in northern Ethiopia. Out of the 308 cattle examined for the presence of hydatid cysts, 63 (20.5 %) of them were found harboring hydatid cysts in one or more of their internal organs. Results of the study showed higher (P < 0.05) prevalence of cystic echinococcosis in adult (22.4 %; 49/219) than in young (15.7 %; 14/89) cattle. Lowest prevalence of hydatid cysts was observed in cattle from Debark (7.7 %; 2/26) whereas highest prevalence of cystic echinococcosis was recorded in cattle from Fogera (28.2 %; 11/39). The lungs (69.3 %; 61/88) were the most affected organs followed by the livers (28.4 %; 25/88). A total of 230 hydatid cysts from different internal organs of 63 infected cattle were differentiated into 60.4 % calcified, 30 % fertile and 9.6 % sterile cysts. Likewise, a total of 13 % (30/230) small, 15.6 % (36/230) medium, and 10.9 % (25/230) large hydatid cysts were recorded. Lung harbored the highest overall count (76.9 %; 177/230) and greatest proportion of large size cysts (13.5 %; 103/177) than all the other organs. Liver harbored the highest proportion of calcified cysts (68 %; 34/50). An overall proportion of 30 % (69/230) fertile cysts were recorded. The greatest proportion of fertile cysts (33.3 %; 59/177) was recorded in lungs followed by the livers (20 %; 10/50). A retrospective data of 5 years (2004/5-2009/10) revealed an overall prevalence of 30.4 % (9,106/29,951) and highest overall prevalence of 65.5 % hydatid cysts in the lungs followed by livers (33.5 %) and least in spleen (0.04 %). In conclusion the findings reported herein show that cystic echinococcosis is widespread in cattle slaughtered in Gondar export Abattoir and suggests that the lung is the most important source of hydatid cysts for definitive hosts in

Genomic Variants Revealed by Invariably Missing Genotypes in Nelore Cattle

PubMed Central

da Silva, Joaquim Manoel; Giachetto, Poliana Fernanda; da Silva, Luiz Otávio Campos; Cintra, Leandro Carrijo; Paiva, Samuel Rezende; Caetano, Alexandre Rodrigues; Yamagishi, Michel Eduardo Beleza

2015-01-01

High density genotyping panels have been used in a wide range of applications. From population genetics to genome-wide association studies, this technology still offers the lowest cost and the most consistent solution for generating SNP data. However, in spite of the application, part of the generated data is always discarded from final datasets based on quality control criteria used to remove unreliable markers. Some discarded data consists of markers that failed to generate genotypes, labeled as missing genotypes. A subset of missing genotypes that occur in the whole population under study may be caused by technical issues but can also be explained by the presence of genomic variations that are in the vicinity of the assayed SNP and that prevent genotyping probes from annealing. The latter case may contain relevant information because these missing genotypes might be used to identify population-specific genomic variants. In order to assess which case is more prevalent, we used Illumina HD Bovine chip genotypes from 1,709 Nelore (Bos indicus) samples. We found 3,200 missing genotypes among the whole population. NGS re-sequencing data from 8 sires were used to verify the presence of genomic variations within their flanking regions in 81.56% of these missing genotypes. Furthermore, we discovered 3,300 novel SNPs/Indels, 31% of which are located in genes that may affect traits of importance for the genetic improvement of cattle production. PMID:26305794

Efficacy evaluation of a commercial neem cake for control of Haematobia irritans on Nelore cattle.

PubMed

Chagas, Ana Carolina de Souza; Oliveira, Márcia Cristina de Sena; Giglioti, Rodrigo; Calura, Fernando Henrique; Ferrenzini, Jenifer; Forim, Moacir Rossi; Barros, Antonio Thadeu Medeiros de

2010-01-01

Much attention has been given to the development of botanical insecticides to provide effective natural control of cattle ectoparasites without harming animals, consumers, and environment. This study evaluated the efficacy of a commercial neem cake in controlling Haematobia irritans infestation on cattle. The study was conducted at the Embrapa Southeast Cattle Research Center (CPPSE), in São Carlos, SP, Brazil, from April to July 2008. The neem cake mixed in mineral salt in a 2% concentration was provided to 20 Nelore cows during nine weeks and had its efficacy evaluated by comparison of the infestation level against a control group. Fly infestations were recorded weekly by digital photographs of each animal from both groups and the number of flies was later counted in a computer-assisted image analyzer. Quantification of neem cake components by high-performance liquid chromatography revealed the presence of azadirachtin (421 mg.kg(-1)) and 3-tigloyl-azadirachtol (151 mg.kg(-1)) in the tested neem cake. Addition of the 2% neem cake reduced mineral salt intake in about 22%. The 2% neem cake treatment failed to reduce horn fly infestations on cattle during the 9-week study period.

Molecular identification of Mycobacterium bovis from cattle and human host in Mali: expanded genetic diversity.

PubMed

Diallo, Mamadou; Diarra, Bassirou; Sanogo, Moumine; Togo, Antieme C G; Somboro, Anou M; Diallo, Mariam H; Traoré, Bréhima; Maiga, Mamoudou; Koné, Younoussa; Tounkara, Karim; Sarro, Yeya Dit Sadio; Baya, Bocar; Goita, Drissa; Kassambara, Hamadoun; Dembélé, Bindongo P P; Siddiqui, Sophia; Murphy, Robert L; Dao, Sounkalo; Diallo, Souleymane; Tounkara, Anatole; Niang, Mamadou

2016-07-20

Bovine tuberculosis (BTB) is a contagious, debilitating human and animal disease caused by Mycobacterium bovis, a member of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. The study objective were to estimate the frequency of BTB, examine genetic diversity of the M. bovis population in cattle from five regions in Mali and to determine whether M. bovis is involved in active tuberculosis (TB) in humans. Samples from suspected lesions on cattle at the slaughterhouses were collected. Mycobacterial smear, culture confirmation, and spoligotyping were used for diagnosis and species identification. Mycobacterium DNA from TB patients was spoligotyped to identify M. bovis. In total, 675 cattle have been examined for lesions in the five regions of Mali. Out of 675 cattle, 79 specimens presented lesions and then examined for the presence of M. bovis. Thus, 19 (24.1 %) were identified as M. bovis; eight (10.1 %) were non-tuberculous Mycobacterium (NTM). Nineteen spoligotype patterns were identified among 79 samples with five novel patterns. One case of M. bovis (spoligotype pattern SB0300) was identified among 67 TB patients. This study estimates a relatively true proportion of BTB in the regions of Mali and reveals new spoligotype patterns.

Isolation of leptospira Serovars Canicola and Copenhageni from cattle urine in the state of ParanÁ, Brazil

PubMed Central

Zacarias, Francielle Gibson da Silva; Vasconcellos, Silvio Arruda; Anzai, Eleine Kuroki; Giraldi, Nilson; de Freitas, Julio Cesar; Hartskeerl, Rudy

2008-01-01

In 2001, 698 urine samples were randomly collected from cattle at a slaughterhouse in the State of Paraná, Brazil. Direct examination using dark field microscopy was carried out immediately after collection. Five putative positive samples were cultured in modified EMJH medium, yielding two positive cultures (LO-14 and LO-10). Typing with monoclonal antibodies revealed that the two isolates were similar to Canicola (LO-14) and Copenhageni (LO-10). Microscopic agglutination test results show that Hardjo is the most common serovar in cattle in Brazil. Rats and dogs are the common maintenance hosts of serovars Copenhageni and Canicola. The excretion of highly pathogenic serovars such as Copenhageni and Canicola by cattle can represent an increasing risk for severe leptospirosis is large populations, mainly living in rural areas. PMID:24031301

Comparative study of the gut microbiome potentially related to milk protein in Murrah buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) and Chinese Holstein cattle.

PubMed

Zhang, Jiachao; Xu, Chuanbiao; Huo, Dongxue; Hu, Qisong; Peng, Qiannan

2017-02-08

Previous studies suggested a close relationship between ruminant gut microbes and the mammary gland. In this study, shotgun metagenomic sequencing was used to reveal the differences in the intestinal microbiome potentially related to milk components in Murrah buffaloes and Chinese Holstein cattle. A PCoA based on the weighted Unifrac distances showed an apparent clustering pattern in the structure of intestinal microbiota between buffalo and cattle. We could attribute the structural difference to the genera of Sutterella, Coprococcus and Dorea. A further analysis of microbial functional features revealed that the biosynthesis of amino acids (including lysine, valine, leucine and isoleucine), lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis and cofactor/vitamin biosynthesis were enriched in the buffalo. In contrast, dairy cattle had higher levels of pyruvate metabolism and carbon fixation in photosynthetic organisms. A further correlation analysis based on different milk components and the typical microbiome uncovered a significant positive correlation between milk protein and the microbial biosynthesis of amino acids, which was also positively correlated in the genera of Parabacteroides, Dorea and Sutterella. This study will expand our understanding of the intestinal microbiome of buffalo and cattle as representative ruminants, as well as provide new views about how to improve the production and nutritional qualities of animal milk.

Online information system for data collection of cattle quality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sugiharti, E.; Arifudin, R.; Putra, A. T.

2018-03-01

Innovation and development of the science and technology which proclaimed by the government through Ristekdikti need to be supported. On the other hand, the Department of Animal Husbandry and Fisheries began introducing the Cattle Card system that contains the identity of each farm animal. Therefore, UNNES especially the Department of Computer Science of FMIPA UNNES, need to give positive contribution in the field of Science and Technology to support the manual system of Cattle Card, through the preparation of prototype of the online information system of data collection of cattle in Semarang regency. The main problem is how to monitor the data of cattle quality through online information system in Semarang regency? The purpose of this research is to produce the prototype of an online information system for data collection of cattle quality in Semarang regency. Main activities: (1) Prepare the flowchart of an online system for data collection of cattle quality. (2) Collecting data to obtain data on identity descriptions of each cattle, owners, mutation records, and health records of livestock cattle. (3) Creation of the prototype of an online information system for data collection of cattle quality in Semarang Regency. The results, (1) had been produced the prototype of an online information system for data collection of cattle in the region of Semarang regency. (2) Socialization of the online information system for cattle quality data collection and exploring input from various related stakeholders. (3) There had been a limited trial of prototypes of the system in Pabelan district in the working area of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Fisheries of Semarang regency and succeeded well.

[Frequency of neurologic diseases in cattle].

PubMed

Heim, D; Fatzer, R; Hörnlimann, B; Vandevelde, M

1997-01-01

The cases of neurological diseases at the Institute of Animal Neurology, University of Berne, from 1985-1994 were assessed. During this period 532 cattle with neurological symptoms were examined. After 1980 differential diagnostic investigation of rabies negative brains were not pursued anymore and the number of examined cattle brains had declined to 25-30 per year. With the occurrence of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in 1990 in Switzerland the number of cattle brains examined has increased to 75-80 yearly. The most frequently diagnosed neurological diseases found are BSE, followed by listeriosis and viral encephalitides.

New World cattle show ancestry from multiple independent domestication events

PubMed Central

McTavish, Emily Jane; Decker, Jared E.; Schnabel, Robert D.; Taylor, Jeremy F.; Hillis, David M.

2013-01-01

Previous archeological and genetic research has shown that modern cattle breeds are descended from multiple independent domestication events of the wild aurochs (Bos primigenius) ∼10,000 y ago. Two primary areas of domestication in the Middle East/Europe and the Indian subcontinent resulted in taurine and indicine lines of cattle, respectively. American descendants of cattle brought by European explorers to the New World beginning in 1493 generally have been considered to belong to the taurine lineage. Our analyses of 47,506 single nucleotide polymorphisms show that these New World cattle breeds, as well as many related breeds of cattle in southern Europe, actually exhibit ancestry from both the taurine and indicine lineages. In this study, we show that, although European cattle are largely descended from the taurine lineage, gene flow from African cattle (partially of indicine origin) contributed substantial genomic components to both southern European cattle breeds and their New World descendants. New World cattle breeds, such as Texas Longhorns, provide an opportunity to study global population structure and domestication in cattle. Following their introduction into the Americas in the late 1400s, semiferal herds of cattle underwent between 80 and 200 generations of predominantly natural selection, as opposed to the human-mediated artificial selection of Old World breeding programs. Our analyses of global cattle breed population history show that the hybrid ancestry of New World breeds contributed genetic variation that likely facilitated the adaptation of these breeds to a novel environment. PMID:23530234

Global Metabolic Reconstruction and Metabolic Gene Evolution in the Cattle Genome

PubMed Central

Kim, Woonsu; Park, Hyesun; Seo, Seongwon

2016-01-01

The sequence of cattle genome provided a valuable opportunity to systematically link genetic and metabolic traits of cattle. The objectives of this study were 1) to reconstruct genome-scale cattle-specific metabolic pathways based on the most recent and updated cattle genome build and 2) to identify duplicated metabolic genes in the cattle genome for better understanding of metabolic adaptations in cattle. A bioinformatic pipeline of an organism for amalgamating genomic annotations from multiple sources was updated. Using this, an amalgamated cattle genome database based on UMD_3.1, was created. The amalgamated cattle genome database is composed of a total of 33,292 genes: 19,123 consensus genes between NCBI and Ensembl databases, 8,410 and 5,493 genes only found in NCBI or Ensembl, respectively, and 266 genes from NCBI scaffolds. A metabolic reconstruction of the cattle genome and cattle pathway genome database (PGDB) was also developed using Pathway Tools, followed by an intensive manual curation. The manual curation filled or revised 68 pathway holes, deleted 36 metabolic pathways, and added 23 metabolic pathways. Consequently, the curated cattle PGDB contains 304 metabolic pathways, 2,460 reactions including 2,371 enzymatic reactions, and 4,012 enzymes. Furthermore, this study identified eight duplicated genes in 12 metabolic pathways in the cattle genome compared to human and mouse. Some of these duplicated genes are related with specific hormone biosynthesis and detoxifications. The updated genome-scale metabolic reconstruction is a useful tool for understanding biology and metabolic characteristics in cattle. There has been significant improvements in the quality of cattle genome annotations and the MetaCyc database. The duplicated metabolic genes in the cattle genome compared to human and mouse implies evolutionary changes in the cattle genome and provides a useful information for further research on understanding metabolic adaptations of cattle. PMID

Prevalence of Antibodies Against Coxiella burnetii in Korean Native Cattle, Dairy Cattle, and Dogs in South Korea.

PubMed

Lyoo, Kwang-Soo; Kim, Doo; Jang, Hyung Gwan; Lee, Seung-Joon; Park, Mi Yeoun; Hahn, Tae-Wook

2017-03-01

Coxiella burnetii is a zoonotic agent and causes coxiellosis, which is a cause of reproductive failure in a range of animal species, including abortion and stillbirth and Q fever, which is most often characterized by an acute flu-like illness, mild pneumonia, and/or hepatitis in humans. While livestock are well recognized worldwide as a source of infection, the zoonotic risk of C. burnetii infection in companion animals such as dogs may be overlooked. For serological diagnosis, indirect immunofluorescent assay (IFA) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) are generally considered good methods for prevalence surveys of coxiellosis. In this study, we conducted a nationwide survey of the seroprevalence of previous exposure to C. burnetii in dogs, dairy cattle, and Korean native cattle (a primarily beef breed) in South Korea. Serum samples obtained from 3087 Korean native cattle, 1224 dairy cattle, and 1023 dogs were collected from eight provinces in South Korea, and IFA and ELISA were performed to test for seropositivity. The prevalence of C. burnetii was 1.7% in Korean native cattle, 10.5% in dairy cattle, and 2.9% in dogs. This is the first report identifying previous exposure to C. burnetii in South Korean dogs. Furthermore, the presence of C. burnetii antibodies in companion and feral dogs indicates that dogs can be a potential reservoir species for zoonotic risk of C. burnetii infection in South Korea. Therefore, more detailed studies aiming to clarify epidemiological factors should be performed in the future.

Cloning cattle: the methods in the madness.

PubMed

Oback, Björn; Wells, David N

2007-01-01

Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) is much more widely and efficiently practiced in cattle than in any other species, making this arguably the most important mammal cloned to date. While the initial objective behind cattle cloning was commercially driven--in particular to multiply genetically superior animals with desired phenotypic traits and to produce genetically modified animals-researchers have now started to use bovine SCNT as a tool to address diverse questions in developmental and cell biology. In this paper, we review current cattle cloning methodologies and their potential technical or biological pitfalls at any step of the procedure. In doing so, we focus on one methodological parameter, namely donor cell selection. We emphasize the impact of epigenetic and genetic differences between embryonic, germ, and somatic donor cell types on cloning efficiency. Lastly, we discuss adult phenotypes and fitness of cloned cattle and their offspring and illustrate some of the more imminent commercial cattle cloning applications.

Validation of Deleterious Mutations in Vorderwald Cattle

PubMed Central

Reinartz, Sina; Distl, Ottmar

2016-01-01

In Montbéliarde cattle two candidate mutations on bovine chromosomes 19 and 29 responsible for embryonic lethality have been detected. Montbéliarde bulls have been introduced into Vorderwald cattle to improve milk and fattening performance. Due to the small population size of Vorderwald cattle and the wide use of a few Montbéliarde bulls through artificial insemination, inbreeding on Montbéliarde bulls in later generations was increasing. Therefore, we genotyped an aborted fetus which was inbred on Montbéliarde as well as Vorderwald x Montbéliarde crossbred bulls for both deleterious mutations. The abortion was observed in an experimental herd of Vorderwald cattle. The objectives of the present study were to prove if one or both lethal mutations may be assumed to have caused this abortion and to show whether these deleterious mutations have been introduced into the Vorderwald cattle population through Montbéliarde bulls. The aborted fetus was homozygous for the SLC37A2:g.28879810C>T mutation (ss2019324563) on BTA29 and both parents as well as the paternal and maternal grandsire were heterozygous for this mutation. In addition, the parents and the paternal grandsire were carriers of the MH2-haplotype linked with the T-allele of the SLC37A2:g.28879810C>T mutation. For the SHBG:g.27956790C>T mutation (rs38377500) on BTA19 (MH1), the aborted fetus and its sire were heterozygous. Among all further 341 Vorderwald cattle genotyped we found 27 SLC37A2:g.28879810C>T heterozygous animals resulting in an allele frequency of 0.0396. Among the 120 male Vorderwald cattle, there were 12 heterozygous with an allele frequency of 0.05. The SLC37A2:g.28879810C>T mutation could not be found in further nine cattle breeds nor in Vorderwald cattle with contributions from Ayrshire bulls. In 69 Vorderwald cattle without genes from Montbéliarde bulls the mutated allele of SLC37A2:g.28879810C>T could not be detected. The SHBG:g.27956790C>T mutation appeared unlikely to be responsible

Characterization of the genetic diversity and population structure for the yellow cattle in Taiwan based on microsatellite markers.

PubMed

Tu, Po-An; Lin, Der-Yuh; Li, Guang-Fu; Huang, Jan-Chi; Wang, De-Chi; Wang, Pei-Hwa

2014-01-01

In recent years, the population size of Taiwan yellow cattle has drastically declined, even become endangered. A preservation project, Taiwan Yellow Cattle Genetic Preservation Project (TYCGPP), was carried out at the Livestock Research Institute (LRI) Hengchun branch (1988-present). An analysis of intra- and inter- population variability was performed to be the first step to preserve this precious genetic resource. In this work, a total number of 140 individuals selected from the five Taiwan yellow cattle populations were analyzed using 12 microsatellite markers (loci). These markers determined the level of genetic variation within and among populations as well as the phylogenetic structure. The total number of alleles detected (122, 10.28 per locus) and the expected heterozygosity (0.712) indicated that these five populations had a high level of genetic variability. Bayesian cluster analysis showed that the most likely number of groups was 2 (K = 2). Genetic differentiation among clusters was moderate (F ST = 0.095). The result of AMOVA showed that yellow cattle in Taiwan had maintained a high level of within-population genetic differentiation (91%), the remainder being accounted for by differentiation among subpopulations (4%), and by differentiation among regions (5%). The results of STRUCTURE and principal component analysis (PCA) revealed two divergent clusters. The individual unrooted phylogenetic tree showed that some Kinmen yellow cattle in the Hengchun facility (KMHC individuals) were overlapped with Taiwan yellow cattle (TW) and Taiwan yellow cattle Hengchun (HC) populations. Also, they were overlapped with Kinmen × Taiwan (KT) and Kinmen yellow cattle (KM) populations. It is possible that KMHC kept similar phenotypic characteristics and analogous genotypes between TW and KM. A significant inbreeding coefficient (F IS = 0.185; P < 0.01) was detected, suggesting a medium level of inbreeding for yellow cattle in Taiwan. The hypothesis that yellow cattle

Adaptive traits of indigenous cattle breeds: The Mediterranean Baladi as a case study.

PubMed

Shabtay, Ariel

2015-11-01

Generally taken, breeds of Bos taurus ancestry are considered more productive, in comparison with Bos indicus derived breeds that present enhanced hardiness and disease resistance, low nutritional requirements and higher capability of feed utilization. While breeds of B. taurus have been mostly selected for intensive production systems, indigenous cattle, developed mostly from indicine and African taurines, flourish in extensive habitats. Worldwide demographic and economic processes face animal production with new challenges - the increasing demand for animal food products. Intensification of animal husbandry is thus a desired goal in stricken parts of the world. An introduction of productive traits to indigenous breeds might serve to generate improved biological and economic efficiencies. For this to succeed, the genetic merit of traits like efficiency of feed utilization and product quality should be revealed, encouraging the conservation initiatives of indigenous cattle populations, many of which are already extinct and endangered. Moreover, to overcome potential genetic homogeneity, controlled breeding practices should be undertaken. The Baladi cattle are a native local breed found throughout the Mediterranean basin. Purebred Baladi animals are rapidly vanishing, as more European breeds are being introduced or used for backcrosses leading to improved production. The superiority of Baladi over large-framed cattle, in feedlot and on Mediterranean pasture, with respect to adaptability and efficiency, is highlighted in the current review. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in cattle from the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa.

PubMed

Hlokwe, Tiny Motlatso; Said, Halima; Gcebe, Nomakorinte

2017-10-10

Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the main causative agent of tuberculosis (TB) in human and Mycobacterium bovis commonly causes tuberculosis in animals. Transmission of tuberculosis caused by both pathogens can occur from human to animals and vice versa. In the current study, M. tuberculosis, as confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using primers targeting 3 regions of difference (RD4, RD9 and RD12) on the genomes, was isolated from cattle originating from two epidemiologically unrelated farms in the Eastern Cape (E.C) Province of South Africa. Although the isolates were genotyped with variable number of tandem repeat (VNTR) typing, no detailed epidemiological investigation was carried out on the respective farms to unequivocally confirm or link humans as sources of TB transmission to cattle, a move that would have embraced the 'One Health' concept. In addition, strain comparison with human M. tuberculosis in the database from the E.C Province and other provinces in the country did not reveal any match. This is the first report of cases of M. tuberculosis infection in cattle in South Africa. The VNTR profiles of the M. tuberculosis strains identified in the current study will form the basis for creating M. tuberculosis VNTR database for animals including cattle for future epidemiological studies. Our findings however, call for urgent reinforcement of collaborative efforts between the veterinary and the public health services of the country.

Two novel polymorphisms of bovine SIRT2 gene are associated with higher body weight in Nanyang cattle.

PubMed

Sun, Xiaomei; Li, Mingxun; Hao, Dan; Hua, Liushuai; Lan, Xianyong; Lei, Chuzhao; Hu, Shenrong; Qi, Xinglei; Chen, Hong

2015-03-01

Identification of polymorphisms associated with economic traits is important for successful marker-assisted selection in cattle breeding. The family of mammalian sirtuin regulates many biological functions, such as life span extension and energy metabolism. SIRT2, a most abundant sirtuin in adipocytes, acts as a crucial regulator of adipogenic differentiation and plays a key role in controlling adipose tissue function and mass. Here we investigated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of bovine SIRT2 in 1226 cattle from five breeds and further evaluated the effects of identified SNPs on economically important traits of Nanyang cattle. Our results revealed four novel SNPs in bovine SIRT2, one was located in intronic region and the other three were synonymous mutations. Linkage disequilibrium and haplotype analyses based on the identified SNPs showed obvious difference between crossbred breed and the other four beef breeds. Association analyses demonstrated that SNPs g.17333C > T and g.17578A > G have a significantly effect on 18-months-old body weight of Nanyang population. Animals with combined genotype TTGG at the above two loci exhibited especially higher body weight. Our data for the first time demonstrated that polymorphisms in bovine SIRT2 are associated with economic traits of Nanyang cattle, which will be helpful for future cattle selection practices.

Lactoferrin gene promoter variants and their association with clinical and subclinical mastitis in indigenous and crossbred cattle.

PubMed

Chopra, A; Gupta, I D; Verma, A; Chakravarty, A K; Vohra, V

2015-01-01

Lactoferrin (Lf) gene promoter was screened for the presence of single nucleotide polymphism in indigenous and crossbred cattle from North India and to evaluate its association with Mastitis. Study revealed the presence of genetic variation in regulatory region of bovine Lactoferrin gene using PCR-RFLP technique. Three genotypes namely GG, GH and HH were identified. A single nucleotide change, from guanine to adenine at 25th position was found to be significantly associated (p<0.05) with clinical mastitis in indigenous Sahiwal and crossbred Karan Fries cattle maintained at organised herd of National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal. A non-significant association was observed between subclinical mastitis, somatic cell score (SCS), and GG genotype in Karan Fries cattle, however, a lower SCS was observed in animals having GG genotype. Overall a lower incidence of clinical mastitis was recorded in those animals having GG genotype of Lf in Sahiwal and Karan Fries (KF) cattle. The SNP identified in the promoter region may effect expression lactoferrin protein, which may lead to different levels of antibacterial and anti-inflammatory activity of Lf gene. Results from this study indicated the probable role played by Lactoferrin promoter to serve as candidate gene for mastitis susceptibility among indigenous and crossbred milch cattle.

Trypanosomosis and phenotypic features of four indigenous cattle breeds in an Ethiopian field study.

PubMed

Stein, Jennie; Ayalew, Workneh; Rege, Ed; Mulatu, Woudyalew; Lemecha, Hailemariam; Tadesse, Yaregal; Tekle, Tilahun; Philipsson, Jan

2011-05-31

We conducted a two-part study in the native home areas of four cattle breeds, Abigar, Gurage, Horro and Sheko, in south-western Ethiopia. The first part of the study investigated livestock keeper knowledge about trypanosomosis and trypanotolerance. For each breed 60 livestock keepers were interviewed, resulting in a total of 240 interviews. The second part of the study focused on biological evidence for trypanotolerance. Blood samples of about 100 head of cattle per breed were collected during peak trypanosomosis challenge period and analyzed for packed cell volume (PCV) and parasitaemia. In addition individual body measurements of the sampled animals were taken and the keepers provided some information regarding their animals. Livestock keeper interviews revealed that trypanosomosis was considered a major problem in all areas (95-100%). Almost all Abigar livestock keepers knew how trypanosomosis is transmitted, whereas only 34-52% of the keepers of the other breeds had that knowledge. Most Sheko keepers (75%) knew of trypanotolerance and claimed to have trypanotolerant animals in their own herds. Among the other three breeds the knowledge of trypanotolerance was much less (8-18%). A majority of the keepers were interested in purchasing trypanotolerant animals. PCV was highest among Horro (26.2) and Sheko (25.1) cattle whereas Abigar had the lowest PCV (20.0). Sheko were least infected by trypanosomes (6%) and had the lowest number of trypanocidal treatments per year (1 treatment/animal and year). Abigar cattle were most infected (23%) followed by Gurage (20%) and Horro (17%). Gurage had by far the highest number of treatments per animal and year (24). There were large differences between the number of cattle perceived by the keepers to be infected, and the number detected from blood sampled, among Abigar, Gurage and Horro. Sheko livestock keepers were better at correctly diagnosing trypanosomosis in their animals. It is concluded that Sheko cattle have higher

Associations of GBP2 gene copy number variations with growth traits and transcriptional expression in Chinese cattle.

PubMed

Zhang, Gui-Min; Zheng, Li; He, Hua; Song, Cheng-Chuang; Zhang, Zi-Jing; Cao, Xiu-Kai; Lei, Chu-Zhao; Lan, Xian-Yong; Qi, Xing-Lei; Chen, Hong; Huang, Yong-Zhen

2018-03-20

Copy number variations (CNVs) recently have been recognized as another important genetic variability followed single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). The guanylate binding protein 2 (GBP2) gene plays an important role in cell proliferation. This study was performed to determine the presence of GBP2 CNV (relative to Angus cattle) in 466 individuals representing six main cattle breeds from China, identify its relationship with growth, and explore the biological effects of gene expression. There were two CNV regions in the GBP2 gene, for three types, CNV1 loss type (relative to Angus cattle) was more frequent in XN than other breeds, and CNV2 loss type (relative to Angus cattle) was more frequent in XN and CDM than other breeds. Though the GBP2 gene copy number presented no correlation with the transcriptional expression of JX (P > .05), but the transcriptional expression in heart is higher than other tissues, and the copy number in muscles and fat of JX is higher than others breeds. Statistical analysis revealed that the GBP2 gene CNV1 and CNV2 were significantly associated with growth traits (P < .05). In conclusion, this research established the correlations between CNVs of GBP2 gene and growth traits in different cattle breeds, and our results suggested that the CNVs in GBP2 gene may be considered markers for the molecular breeding of Chinese beef cattle. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Homeostatic signature of anabolic steroids in cattle using 1H-13C HMBC NMR metabonomics.

PubMed

Dumas, Marc-Emmanuel; Canlet, Cécile; Vercauteren, Joseph; André, François; Paris, Alain

2005-01-01

We used metabonomics to discriminate the urinary signature of different anabolic steroid treatments in cattle having different physiological backgrounds (age, sex, and race). (1)H-(13)C heteronuclear multiple bonding connectivity NMR spectroscopy and multivariate statistical methods reveal that metabolites such as trimethylamine-N-oxide, dimethylamine, hippurate, creatine, creatinine, and citrate characterize the biological fingerprint of anabolic treatment. These urinary biomarkers suggest an overall homeostatic adaptation in nitrogen and energy metabolism. From results obtained in this study, it is now possible to consider metabonomics as a complementary method usable to improve doping control strategies to detect fraudulent anabolic treatment in cattle since the oriented global metabolic response provides helpful discrimination.

Assessment of the probability of introduction of bovine tuberculosis to Danish cattle farms via imports of live cattle from abroad and immigrant workers.

PubMed

Foddai, Alessandro; Nielsen, Liza Rosenbaum; Krogh, Kaspar; Alban, Lis

2015-12-01

Denmark has been recognized as officially free (OTF) from bovine tuberculosis (bTB) since 1980. In this study, we estimated the annual probability (PIntro) of introducing Mycobacterium bovis into the Danish cattle population, through (a) imports of cattle and (b) foreign personnel working in Danish cattle herds. Data from 2000 to 2013 with date, number and origin of imported live cattle were obtained from the Danish Cattle Federation. Information on immigrants working in Danish cattle herds was obtained through a questionnaire sent by email to a sample of Danish cattle farmers (N=460). Inputs obtained from data analysis, expert opinion, the questionnaire and literature were fed into three stochastic scenario tree models used to simulate the effect of import trade patterns, and contact between immigrant workers and cattle. We also investigated the opportunity of testing animals imported from OTF countries by tuberculin skin test and animals from non-OTF countries by interferon-γ test (IFN-γ), exemplified by using year 2009 where the number of imported animals was higher than usual. Results showed that PIntro is driven mainly by importation of live cattle. The combined median annual probability of introducing M. bovis into the Danish cattle population by either imported live cattle or infectious immigrant workers, ranged from 0.3% (90% prediction interval (P.I.): 0.04%:1.4%) in 2001 to 4.9% (90% P.I.: 0.6%; 19.2%) in 2009. The median of the median PIntro estimates from the 14 years was 0.7% (median of 90% P.I.: 0.08%; 3.5%). Hence, on average, at least one introduction each 143 years could be expected, if the annual number of imported animals does not change remarkably in the future. If the number of imported animals increases, compared to the years we analyzed, additional testing of imported cattle might be considered. For example, in 2009, PIntro would have been reduced from 4.9% to 0.8% (90% P.I.: 0.1%; 4.7%) if animals from OTF countries had been tested with

Molecular characterization of Theileria orientalis from cattle in Ethiopia.

PubMed

Gebrekidan, Hagos; Gasser, Robin B; Baneth, Gad; Yasur-Landau, Daniel; Nachum-Biala, Yaarit; Hailu, Asrat; Jabbar, Abdul

2016-07-01

This study reports the first molecular characterization of Theileria orientalis in local breeds of cattle in Ethiopia. A conventional PCR utilizing major piroplasm surface protein (MPSP) gene and an established multiplexed tandem PCR (MT-PCR) were used to characterize T. orientalis and to assess the infection intensity, respectively. Of 232 blood samples tested, T. orientalis DNA was detected in only 2.2% of samples using conventional PCR; two genotypes buffeli (1.3%; 3/232) and type 5 (0.9%; 2/232) of T. orientalis were detected. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the buffeli MPSP sequences from Ethiopia were closely related to those reported from Kenya, Sri Lanka and Myanmar, and type 5 sequences from Ethiopia grouped with those from Korea, Japan, Vietnam and Thailand. A higher number of samples (3.9%; 9/232) were test-positive by MT-PCR and four genotypes (buffeli, chitose, ikeda and type 5) of T. orientalis were detected. The average intensity of infections with genotypes buffeli (DNA copy numbers 11,056) and type 5 (7508) were significantly higher (P<0.0001) than the pathogenic genotype ikeda (61 DNA copies). This first insight into T. orientalis from cattle in Ethiopia using MPSP gene provides a basis for future studies of T. orientalis in various agroclimatic zones and of the impact of oriental theilerosis on cattle in this and other countries of Africa. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Effect of sex, age and genetics on crossover interference in cattle

PubMed Central

Wang, Zhiying; Shen, Botong; Jiang, Jicai; Li, Jinquan; Ma, Li

2016-01-01

Crossovers generated by homologous recombination ensure proper chromosome segregation during meiosis. Crossover interference results in chiasmata being more evenly distributed along chromosomes, but the mechanism underlying crossover interference remains elusive. Based on large pedigrees of Holstein and Jersey cattle with genotype data, we extracted three-generation families, including 147,327 male and 71,687 female meioses in Holstein, and 108,163 male and 37,008 female meioses in Jersey, respectively. We identified crossovers in these meioses and fitted the Housworth-Stahl “interference-escape” model to study crossover interference patterns in the cattle genome. Our result reveals that the degree of crossover interference is stronger in females than in males. We found evidence for inter-chromosomal variation in the level of crossover interference, with smaller chromosomes exhibiting stronger interference. In addition, crossover interference levels decreased with maternal age. Finally, sex-specific GWAS analyses identified one locus near the NEK9 gene on chromosome 10 to have a significant effect on crossover interference levels. This locus has been previously associated with recombination rate in cattle. Collectively, this large-scale analysis provided a comprehensive description of crossover interference across chromosome, sex and age groups, identified associated candidate genes, and produced useful insights into the mechanism of crossover interference. PMID:27892966

Prevalence of Virulence Determinants and Antimicrobial Resistance among Commensal Escherichia coli Derived from Dairy and Beef Cattle

PubMed Central

Bok, Ewa; Mazurek, Justyna; Stosik, Michał; Wojciech, Magdalena; Baldy-Chudzik, Katarzyna

2015-01-01

Cattle is a reservoir of potentially pathogenic E. coli, bacteria that can represent a significant threat to public health, hence it is crucial to monitor the prevalence of the genetic determinants of virulence and antimicrobial resistance among the E. coli population. The aim of this study was the analysis of the phylogenetic structure, distribution of virulence factors (VFs) and prevalence of antimicrobial resistance among E. coli isolated from two groups of healthy cattle: 50 cows housed in the conventional barn (147 isolates) and 42 cows living on the ecological pasture (118 isolates). The phylogenetic analysis, identification of VFs and antimicrobial resistance genes were based on either multiplex or simplex PCR. The antimicrobial susceptibilities of E. coli were examined using the broth microdilution method. Two statistical approaches were used to analyse the results obtained for two groups of cattle. The relations between the dependent (VFs profiles, antibiotics) and the independent variables were described using the two models. The mixed logit model was used to characterise the prevalence of the analysed factors in the sets of isolates. The univariate logistic regression model was used to characterise the prevalence of these factors in particular animals. Given each model, the odds ratio (OR) and the 95% confidence interval for the population were estimated. The phylogroup B1 was predominant among isolates from beef cattle, while the phylogroups A, B1 and D occurred with equal frequency among isolates from dairy cattle. The frequency of VFs-positive isolates was significantly higher among isolates from beef cattle. E. coli from dairy cattle revealed significantly higher resistance to antibiotics. Some of the tested resistance genes were present among isolates from dairy cattle. Our study showed that the habitat and diet may affect the genetic diversity of commensal E. coli in the cattle. The results suggest that the ecological pasture habitat is related to

Prevalence of virulence determinants and antimicrobial resistance among commensal Escherichia coli derived from dairy and beef cattle.

PubMed

Bok, Ewa; Mazurek, Justyna; Stosik, Michał; Wojciech, Magdalena; Baldy-Chudzik, Katarzyna

2015-01-19

Cattle is a reservoir of potentially pathogenic E. coli, bacteria that can represent a significant threat to public health, hence it is crucial to monitor the prevalence of the genetic determinants of virulence and antimicrobial resistance among the E. coli population. The aim of this study was the analysis of the phylogenetic structure, distribution of virulence factors (VFs) and prevalence of antimicrobial resistance among E. coli isolated from two groups of healthy cattle: 50 cows housed in the conventional barn (147 isolates) and 42 cows living on the ecological pasture (118 isolates). The phylogenetic analysis, identification of VFs and antimicrobial resistance genes were based on either multiplex or simplex PCR. The antimicrobial susceptibilities of E. coli were examined using the broth microdilution method. Two statistical approaches were used to analyse the results obtained for two groups of cattle. The relations between the dependent (VFs profiles, antibiotics) and the independent variables were described using the two models. The mixed logit model was used to characterise the prevalence of the analysed factors in the sets of isolates. The univariate logistic regression model was used to characterise the prevalence of these factors in particular animals. Given each model, the odds ratio (OR) and the 95% confidence interval for the population were estimated. The phylogroup B1 was predominant among isolates from beef cattle, while the phylogroups A, B1 and D occurred with equal frequency among isolates from dairy cattle. The frequency of VFs-positive isolates was significantly higher among isolates from beef cattle. E. coli from dairy cattle revealed significantly higher resistance to antibiotics. Some of the tested resistance genes were present among isolates from dairy cattle. Our study showed that the habitat and diet may affect the genetic diversity of commensal E. coli in the cattle. The results suggest that the ecological pasture habitat is related to

Identification of Cryptosporidium from Dairy Cattle in Pahang, Malaysia

PubMed Central

Hisamuddin, Nur Hazirah; Hashim, Najat; Soffian, Sharmeen Nellisa; Amin, Mohd Hishammfariz Mohd; Wahab, Ridhwan Abdul; Mohammad, Mardhiah; Isa, Muhammad Lokman Md; Yusof, Afzan Mat

2016-01-01

Cryptosporidium, a protozoan parasite, can cause cryptosporidiosis which is a gastrointestinal disease that can infect humans and livestock. Cattle are the most common livestock that can be infected with this protozoan. This study was carried out to determine the prevalence of Cryptosporidium infection in cattle in Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia and to find out the association between the occurrence of infection and 3 different ages of cattle (calves less than 1 year, yearling, and adult cattle). The samples were processed by using formol-ether concentration technique and stained by modified Ziehl Neelsen. The results showed that 15.9% (24/151) of cattle were positive for Cryptosporidium oocysts. The occurrence of Cryptosporidium in calves less than 1 year was the highest with the percentage of 20.0% (11/55) followed by yearling and adult cattle, with the percentage occurrence of 15.6 % (7/45) and 11.8% (6/51), respectively. There was no significant association between the occurrence and age of cattle and presence of diarrhea. Good management practices and proper hygiene management must be taken in order to reduce the infection. It is highly important to control the infection since infected cattle may serve as potential reservoirs of the infection to other animals and humans, especially animal handlers. PMID:27180579

Potential for rapid antibody detection to identify tuberculous cattle with non-reactive tuberculin skin test results.

PubMed

Waters, W Ray; Vordermeier, H Martin; Rhodes, Shelley; Khatri, Bhagwati; Palmer, Mitchell V; Maggioli, Mayara F; Thacker, Tyler C; Nelson, Jeffrey T; Thomsen, Bruce V; Robbe-Austerman, Suelee; Bravo Garcia, Doris M; Schoenbaum, Mark A; Camacho, Mark S; Ray, Jean S; Esfandiari, Javan; Lambotte, Paul; Greenwald, Rena; Grandison, Adrian; Sikar-Gang, Alina; Lyashchenko, Konstantin P

2017-06-07

Bovine tuberculosis (TB) control programs generally rely on the tuberculin skin test (TST) for ante-mortem detection of Mycobacterium bovis-infected cattle. Present findings demonstrate that a rapid antibody test based on Dual-Path Platform (DPP ® ) technology, when applied 1-3 weeks after TST, detected 9 of 11 and 34 of 52 TST non-reactive yet M. bovis-infected cattle from the US and GB, respectively. The specificity of the assay ranged from 98.9% (n = 92, US) to 96.0% (n = 50, GB) with samples from TB-free herds. Multi-antigen print immunoassay (MAPIA) revealed the presence of antibodies to multiple antigens of M. bovis in sera from TST non-reactors diagnosed with TB. Thus, use of serologic assays in series with TST can identify a significant number of TST non-reactive tuberculous cattle for more efficient removal from TB-affected herds.

Production of cattle lacking prion protein

PubMed Central

Richt, Jürgen A; Kasinathan, Poothappillai; Hamir, Amir N; Castilla, Joaquin; Sathiyaseelan, Thillai; Vargas, Francisco; Sathiyaseelan, Janaki; Wu, Hua; Matsushita, Hiroaki; Koster, Julie; Kato, Shinichiro; Ishida, Isao; Soto, Claudio; Robl, James M; Kuroiwa, Yoshimi

2010-01-01

Prion diseases are caused by propagation of misfolded forms of the normal cellular prion protein PrPC, such as PrPBSE in bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle and PrPCJD in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in humans1. Disruption of PrPC expression in mice, a species that does not naturally contract prion diseases, results in no apparent developmental abnormalities2–5. However, the impact of ablating PrPC function in natural host species of prion diseases is unknown. Here we report the generation and characterization of PrPC-deficient cattle produced by a sequential gene-targeting system6. At over 20 months of age, the cattle are clinically, physiologically, histopathologically, immunologically and reproductively normal. Brain tissue homogenates are resistant to prion propagation in vitro as assessed by protein misfolding cyclic amplification7. PrPC-deficient cattle may be a useful model for prion research and could provide industrial bovine products free of prion proteins. PMID:17195841

9 CFR 73.8 - Cattle infected or exposed during transit.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... SCABIES IN CATTLE § 73.8 Cattle infected or exposed during transit. (a) Healthy cattle from unquarantined... of Agriculture for scabies in cattle be unloaded en route and placed in infectious premises, they... with scabies or to have been exposed thereto, shall thereafter be handled in the same manner as...

9 CFR 73.8 - Cattle infected or exposed during transit.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... SCABIES IN CATTLE § 73.8 Cattle infected or exposed during transit. (a) Healthy cattle from unquarantined... of Agriculture for scabies in cattle be unloaded en route and placed in infectious premises, they... with scabies or to have been exposed thereto, shall thereafter be handled in the same manner as...

9 CFR 73.8 - Cattle infected or exposed during transit.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... SCABIES IN CATTLE § 73.8 Cattle infected or exposed during transit. (a) Healthy cattle from unquarantined... of Agriculture for scabies in cattle be unloaded en route and placed in infectious premises, they... with scabies or to have been exposed thereto, shall thereafter be handled in the same manner as...

9 CFR 73.8 - Cattle infected or exposed during transit.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... SCABIES IN CATTLE § 73.8 Cattle infected or exposed during transit. (a) Healthy cattle from unquarantined... of Agriculture for scabies in cattle be unloaded en route and placed in infectious premises, they... with scabies or to have been exposed thereto, shall thereafter be handled in the same manner as...

The capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) as a reservoir host for Trypanosoma evansi.

PubMed

Morales, G A; Wells, E A; Angel, D

1976-10-01

Discovery of two ill horses and three dogs naturally infected with Trypanosoma evansi near an experimental station in the Eastern Plains of Colombia led to a search for reservoir hosts of the parasite. Infection was detected in 8/33 healthy capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris), none of the remaining 14 horses, and none of 32 Zebu cattle (Bos indicus), 18 paca (Cuniculus paca) and 20 spiny rats (Proechimys sp.). Contrary to common opinion, the results indicated a carrier state in the capybara. Diagnosis was based on morphology, behaviour in albino rats, and pathogenicity and host range in domestic animals.

9 CFR 93.432 - Cattle from the Republic of Ireland.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... consignor and consignee, and descriptions of the cattle, including breed, ages, markings, and tattoo and... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Cattle from the Republic of Ireland... Cattle from the Republic of Ireland. (a) All cattle to be imported from the Republic of Ireland shall be...

9 CFR 93.432 - Cattle from the Republic of Ireland.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... consignor and consignee, and descriptions of the cattle, including breed, ages, markings, and tattoo and... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Cattle from the Republic of Ireland... Cattle from the Republic of Ireland. (a) All cattle to be imported from the Republic of Ireland shall be...

9 CFR 93.432 - Cattle from the Republic of Ireland.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... consignor and consignee, and descriptions of the cattle, including breed, ages, markings, and tattoo and... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Cattle from the Republic of Ireland... Cattle from the Republic of Ireland. (a) All cattle to be imported from the Republic of Ireland shall be...

9 CFR 93.432 - Cattle from the Republic of Ireland.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... consignor and consignee, and descriptions of the cattle, including breed, ages, markings, and tattoo and... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Cattle from the Republic of Ireland... Cattle from the Republic of Ireland. (a) All cattle to be imported from the Republic of Ireland shall be...

9 CFR 93.432 - Cattle from the Republic of Ireland.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... consignor and consignee, and descriptions of the cattle, including breed, ages, markings, and tattoo and... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Cattle from the Republic of Ireland... Cattle from the Republic of Ireland. (a) All cattle to be imported from the Republic of Ireland shall be...

Modeling methane emissions by cattle production systems in Mexico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Castelan-Ortega, O. A.; Ku Vera, J.; Molina, L. T.

2013-12-01

Methane emissions from livestock is one of the largest sources of methane in Mexico. The purpose of the present paper is to provide a realistic estimate of the national inventory of methane produced by the enteric fermentation of cattle, based on an integrated simulation model, and to provide estimates of CH4 produced by cattle fed typical diets from the tropical and temperate climates of Mexico. The Mexican cattle population of 23.3 million heads was divided in two groups. The first group (7.8 million heads), represents cattle of the tropical climate regions. The second group (15.5 million heads), are the cattle in the temperate climate regions. This approach allows incorporating the effect of diet on CH4 production into the analysis because the quality of forages is lower in the tropics than in temperate regions. Cattle population in every group was subdivided into two categories: cows (COW) and other type of cattle (OTHE), which included calves, heifers, steers and bulls. The daily CH4 production by each category of animal along an average production cycle of 365 days was simulated, instead of using a default emission factor as in Tier 1 approach. Daily milk yield, live weight changes associated with the lactation, and dry matter intake, were simulated for the entire production cycle. The Moe and Tyrrell (1979) model was used to simulate CH4 production for the COW category, the linear model of Mills et al. (2003) for the OTHE category in temperate regions and the Kurihara et al. (1999) model for the OTHE category in the tropical regions as it has been developed for cattle fed tropical diets. All models were integrated with a cow submodel to form an Integrated Simulation Model (ISM). The AFRC (1993) equations and the lactation curve model of Morant and Gnanasakthy (1989) were used to construct the cow submodel. The ISM simulates on a daily basis the CH4 production, milk yield, live weight changes associated with lactation and dry matter intake. The total daily CH

Evaluating the tuberculosis hazard posed to cattle from wildlife across Europe.

PubMed

Hardstaff, Joanne L; Marion, Glenn; Hutchings, Michael R; White, Piran C L

2014-10-01

Tuberculosis (TB) caused by infection with Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis) and other closely related members of the M. tuberculosis complex (MTC) infects many domestic and wildlife species across Europe. Transmission from wildlife species to cattle complicates the control of disease in cattle. By determining the level of TB hazard for which a given wildlife species is responsible, the potential for transmission to the cattle population can be evaluated. We undertook a quantitative review of TB hazard across Europe on a country-by-country basis for cattle and five widely-distributed wildlife species. Cattle posed the greatest current and potential TB hazard other cattle for the majority of countries in Europe. Wild boar posed the greatest hazard of all the wildlife species, indicating that wild boar have the greatest ability to transmit the disease to cattle. The most common host systems for TB hazards in Europe are the cattle-deer-wild boar ones. The cattle-roe deer-wild boar system is found in 10 countries, and the cattle-red deer-wild boar system is found in five countries. The dominance of cattle with respect to the hazards in many regions confirms that intensive surveillance of cattle for TB should play an important role in any TB control programme. The significant contribution that wildlife can make to the TB hazard to cattle is also of concern, given current population and distribution increases of some susceptible wildlife species, especially wild boar and deer, and the paucity of wildlife TB surveillance programmes. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparison of worm development and host immune responses in natural hosts of schistosoma japonicum, yellow cattle and water buffalo

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Yellow cattle and water buffalo are two of the most important natural hosts for Schistosoma japonicum in China. Previous observation has revealed that yellow cattle are more suited to the development of S. japonicum than water buffalo. Understanding more about the molecular mechanisms involved in worm development, as well as the pathological and immunological differences between yellow cattle and water buffalo post infection with S japonicum will provide useful information for the vaccine design and its delivery procedure. Results The worm length (p < 0.01), worm recovery rate (p < 0.01) and the percentage of paired worms (p < 0.01) were significantly greater in yellow cattle than those in water buffalo. There were many white egg granulomas in the livers of yellow cattle, but fewer were observed in water buffalo at 7 weeks post infection. The livers of infected yellow cattle contained significantly increased accumulation of inflammatory cells, and the schistosome eggs were surrounded with large amounts of eosinophil infiltration. In contrast, no hepatocyte swelling or lymphocyte infiltration, and fewer white blood cells, was observed in water buffalo. The percentage of CD4+ T cells was higher in yellow cattle, while the percentage of CD8+ T cells was higher in water buffalo from pre-infection to 7 w post infection. The CD4/CD8 ratios were decreased in both species after challenge with schistosomes. Comparing with water buffalo, the IFN-γ level was higher and decreased significantly, while the IL-4 level was lower and increased gradually in yellow cattle from pre-infection to 7 w post infection. Conclusions In this study, we confirmed that yellow cattle were more suited to the development of S. japonicum than water buffalo, and more serious pathological damage was observed in infected yellow cattle. Immunological analysis suggested that CD4+ T cells might be an integral component of the immune response and might associate with worm development in yellow

Revisiting Host Preference in the Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex: Experimental Infection Shows M. tuberculosis H37Rv to Be Avirulent in Cattle

PubMed Central

Whelan, Adam O.; Coad, Michael; Cockle, Paul J.; Hewinson, Glyn; Vordermeier, Martin; Gordon, Stephen V.

2010-01-01

Experiments in the late 19th century sought to define the host specificity of the causative agents of tuberculosis in mammals. Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the human tubercle bacillus, was independently shown by Smith, Koch, and von Behring to be avirulent in cattle. This finding was erroneously used by Koch to argue the converse, namely that Mycobacterium bovis, the agent of bovine tuberculosis, was avirulent for man, a view that was subsequently discredited. However, reports in the literature of M. tuberculosis isolation from cattle with tuberculoid lesions suggests that the virulence of M. tuberculosis for cattle needs to be readdressed. We used an experimental bovine infection model to test the virulence of well-characterized strains of M. tuberculosis and M. bovis in cattle, choosing the genome-sequenced strains M. tuberculosis H37Rv and M. bovis 2122/97. Cattle were infected with approximately 106 CFU of M. tuberculosis H37Rv or M. bovis 2122/97, and sacrificed 17 weeks post-infection. IFN-γ and tuberculin skin tests indicated that both M. bovis 2122 and M. tuberculosis H37Rv were equally infective and triggered strong cell-mediated immune responses, albeit with some indication of differential antigen-specific responses. Postmortem examination revealed that while M. bovis 2122/97–infected animals all showed clear pathology indicative of bovine tuberculosis, the M. tuberculosis–infected animals showed no pathology. Culturing of infected tissues revealed that M. tuberculosis was able to persist in the majority of animals, albeit at relatively low bacillary loads. In revisiting the early work on host preference across the M. tuberculosis complex, we have shown M. tuberculosis H37Rv is avirulent for cattle, and propose that the immune status of the animal, or genotype of the infecting bacillus, may have significant bearing on the virulence of a strain for cattle. This work will serve as a baseline for future studies into the genetic basis of host preference

Carrier status of leptospirosis among cattle in Sri Lanka: a zoonotic threat to public health.

PubMed

Gamage, C D; Koizumi, N; Perera, A K C; Muto, M; Nwafor-Okoli, C; Ranasinghe, S; Kularatne, S A M; Rajapakse, R P V J; Kanda, K; Lee, R B; Obayashi, Y; Ohnishi, M; Tamashiro, H

2014-02-01

Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease of global importance and one of the notifiable diseases in Sri Lanka. Recent studies on human leptospirosis have suggested that the cattle could be one of the important reservoirs for human infection in the country. However, there is a dearth of local information on bovine leptospirosis, including its implications for human transmission. Thus, this study attempted to determine the carrier status of pathogenic Leptospira spp in cattle in Sri Lanka. A total of 164 cattle kidney samples were collected from the meat inspection hall in Colombo city during routine inspection procedures conducted by the municipal veterinary surgeons. The DNA was extracted and subjected to nested PCR for the detection of leptospiral flaB gene. Amplicons were sequenced, and phylogenic distances were calculated. Of 164 samples, 20 (12.2%) were positive for flaB-PCR. Sequenced amplicons revealed that Leptospira species were deduced to L. borgpetersenii (10/20, 50%), L. kirschneri (7/20, 35%) and L. interrogans (3/20, 15%). The results indicate that a high proportion of the sampled cattle harbour a variety of pathogenic Leptospira spp, which can serve as important reservoirs for human disease. © 2012 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Reindeer as hosts for nematode parasites of sheep and cattle.

PubMed

Hrabok, J T; Oksanen, A; Nieminen, M; Rydzik, A; Uggla, A; Waller, P J

2006-03-31

The reindeer husbandry range of Scandinavia overlaps with sheep, goat, and cattle pastures. The aim of this study was to determine whether reindeer are suitable hosts for ovine or bovine nematode parasites, and thus may spread these parasites into the reindeer husbandry regions. To render worm-free, twelve 4-month-old male reindeer calves, six lambs, and six bovine calves were given ivermectin at 200 microg/kg body weight. Five weeks post-treatment, six reindeer calves were each artificially dosed with 10,000 third-stage larvae (L3) of gastrointestinal nematodes derived from sheep, and an additional six reindeer with L3 derived from cattle. Lambs and bovine calves received the same dose of ovine and bovine larvae as reindeer, from the same larval source, respectively. Faecal samples collected on five occasions after the larval dosing revealed that by the fourth week, all reindeer calves, lambs, and bovine calves were infected. Animals were slaughtered on days 40 (reindeer) or 47 (lambs and bovine calves) after the larval dosing. Reindeer calves were most susceptible to L3 derived from sheep. The overall mean intensity of Haemochus contortus, Trichostrongylus axei, and Teladorsagia circumcincta, did not differ between reindeer and sheep; however, early fourth-stage larvae of H. contortus were more abundant in reindeer (p = 0.002). The establishment of bovine-derived Ostertagia ostertagi was similar in reindeer (62%) and bovine calves (57%), but larval inhibition was much higher in reindeer (91%, p < 0.001) than in cattle (31%). Very poor establishment of bovine derived Cooperia oncophora was recorded in reindeer calves (2%) compared with bovine calves (59%). These results show that young reindeer are susceptible hosts to the important gastrointestinal parasites of sheep (T. circumcincta, H. contortus) and cattle (O. ostertagi), as well as being a suitable host for T. axei.

Identification of contemporary selection signatures using composite log likelihood and their associations with marbling score in Korean cattle.

PubMed

Ryu, Jihye; Lee, Chaeyoung

2014-12-01

Positive selection not only increases beneficial allele frequency but also causes augmentation of allele frequencies of sequence variants in close proximity. Signals for positive selection were detected by the statistical differences in subsequent allele frequencies. To identify selection signatures in Korean cattle, we applied a composite log-likelihood (CLL)-based method, which calculates a composite likelihood of the allelic frequencies observed across sliding windows of five adjacent loci and compares the value with the critical statistic estimated by 50,000 permutations. Data for a total of 11,799 nucleotide polymorphisms were used with 71 Korean cattle and 209 foreign beef cattle. As a result, 147 signals were identified for Korean cattle based on CLL estimates (P < 0.01). The signals might be candidate genetic factors for meat quality by which the Korean cattle have been selected. Further genetic association analysis with 41 intragenic variants in the selection signatures with the greatest CLL for each chromosome revealed that marbling score was associated with five variants. Intensive association studies with all the selection signatures identified in this study are required to exclude signals associated with other phenotypes or signals falsely detected and thus to identify genetic markers for meat quality. © 2014 Stichting International Foundation for Animal Genetics.

Polymorphisms in the SIRT5 gene and their association with body measurement and ultrasound traits in Qinchuan cattle.

PubMed

Gui, L S; Wang, H C; Liu, G Y; Zan, L S

2015-04-22

Silent information regulator 5 (SIRT5), a member of the Sirtuin family class III nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-dependent protein deacetylases, plays an important role in metabolic and aging processes in mammals. We identified 4 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (G22010A, G22052A, G22119T, and G22245C) in the 3' untranslated regions of the SIRT5 gene from 572 Qinchuan cattle by sequencing and investigating their association with growth and ultrasound traits. The frequencies of genotype GG and allele G were high at the 4 SNPs. Based on the X(2) test, the genotypic distributions of the 4 SNPs were not in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). Association analysis of individual SNPs and haplotype combinations revealed that the 4 loci were significantly associated with some body measurement and ultrasound traits in Qinchuan cattle, and the H1H5 (AG-GA-GG-GG) diplotypes had better performance than other combinations in Qinchuan cattle. Our results demonstrate that SIRT5 may be a candidate for marker-assisted selection in future breeding programs for Qinchuan cattle.

Voluntary intake and milk production in F1 Holstein × zebu cows in confinement.

PubMed

Santos, Stefanie Alvarenga; de Campos Valadares Filho, Sebastião; Detmann, Edenio; Valadares, Rilene Ferreira Diniz; de Mendes Ruas, José Reinaldo; Prados, Laura Franco; da Silva Menchaca Vega, Danielle

2012-08-01

The objective of this study was to evaluate the nutrient intake and milk production in Holstein × zebu (F1) cows in feedlot. Eighteen F1 cows were used, divided into three treatments; six were Holstein × Gir (HGI), six were Holstein × Guzerat (HGU), and another six were Holstein × Nelore (HNE), which had recently calved, distributed into simple, random samples, under the same feeding conditions of corn silage and concentrate with 20% crude protein. The three-marker method was used (LIPE, titanium dioxide, and iADF) to estimate the individual intake and digestibility of the nutrients for the cows in group. The mathematical model used to establish the lactation curves was: Y = at(b)e(-ct) by Wood (Nature 216:164-165, 1967). The statistical analyses for the nutrient intake and digestibility, as well as parameters of metabolic efficiency, were performed using multiple linear regression (α = 5%). No effect (P > 0.05) of genetic group was observed for any of the variables studied. The intake and digestibility of the nutrients and the microbial nitrogen presented quadratic curves as a function of the lactation period (P < 0.05). The HGU cows exhibited an accumulated milk production of 4,946.81 kg at 305 days, whereas the HGI cows produced 4,821.78 kg. The HNE cows displayed inferior performance, with a production of 3,674.98 kg. It was concluded that, in confinement, F1 cows from different genetic groups do not exhibit different intake, digestibility, or metabolic efficiency. The HGU and HGI cows have greater cumulative production at 305 days.

Respiratory syncytial virus infection in cattle.

PubMed

Sacco, R E; McGill, J L; Pillatzki, A E; Palmer, M V; Ackermann, M R

2014-03-01

Bovine respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a cause of respiratory disease in cattle worldwide. It has an integral role in enzootic pneumonia in young dairy calves and summer pneumonia in nursing beef calves. Furthermore, bovine RSV infection can predispose calves to secondary bacterial infection by organisms such as Mannheimia haemolytica, Pasteurella multocida, and Histophilus somni, resulting in bovine respiratory disease complex, the most prevalent cause of morbidity and mortality among feedlot cattle. Even in cases where animals do not succumb to bovine respiratory disease complex, there can be long-term losses in production performance. This includes reductions in feed efficiency and rate of gain in the feedlot, as well as reproductive performance, milk production, and longevity in the breeding herd. As a result, economic costs to the cattle industry from bovine respiratory disease have been estimated to approach $1 billion annually due to death losses, reduced performance, and costs of vaccinations and treatment modalities. Human and bovine RSV are closely related viruses with similarities in histopathologic lesions and mechanisms of immune modulation induced following infection. Therefore, where appropriate, we provide comparisons between RSV infections in humans and cattle. This review article discusses key aspects of RSV infection of cattle, including epidemiology and strain variability, clinical signs and diagnosis, experimental infection, gross and microscopic lesions, innate and adaptive immune responses, and vaccination strategies.

Are cattle dangerous to walkers? A scoping review.

PubMed

Fraser-Williams, Angharad P; McIntyre, K Marie; Westgarth, Carri

2016-12-01

Anecdotal evidence suggests that people coming into contact with cattle while participating in outdoor pursuits can sustain severe, even fatal injuries. This has negative implications for farmers, cattle and the public. This study outlines findings from a review of published literature, UK media reports and internet guidelines currently available to the UK public for walking near cattle. A total of 54 cattle attacks were reported in the UK media from 1 January 1993 to 31 May 2013; approximately one-quarter resulted in fatality and two-thirds involved dogs. Walking with dogs among cows, particularly with calves present, was a problematic context. Twenty pieces of commonly occurring advice were found within various guidelines. However, there are no definitive approved guidelines, no published studies describing the prevalence of cattle attacks on members of the public and no system in place to document them. Attacks by cattle are underinvestigated and further work should assess their public health impact. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Disclosing the origin and diversity of Omani cattle.

PubMed

Mahgoub, Osman; Babiker, Hamza A; Kadim, I T; Al-Kindi, Mohammed; Hassan, Salwa; Al-Marzooqi, W; Eltahir, Yasmin E; Al-Abri, M A; Al-Khayat, Aisha; Al-Sinani, Kareema R; Hilal Al-Khanjari, Homoud; Costa, Vânia; Chen, Shanyuan; Beja-Pereira, Albano

2013-06-01

Among all livestock species, cattle have a prominent status as they have contributed greatly to the economy, nutrition and culture from the beginning of farming societies until the present time. The origins and diversity of local cattle breeds have been widely assessed. However, there are still some regions for which very little of their local genetic resources is known. The present work aimed to estimate the genetic diversity and the origins of Omani cattle. Located in the south-eastern corner of the Arabian Peninsula, close to the Near East, East Africa and the Indian subcontinent, the Sultanate of Oman occupies a key position, which may enable understanding cattle dispersal around the Indian Ocean. To disclose the origin of this cattle population, we used a set of 11 polymorphic microsatellites and 113 samples representing the European, African and Indian ancestry to compare with cattle from Oman. This study found a very heterogenic population with a markedly Bos indicus ancestry and with some degree of admixture with Bos taurus of African and Near East origin. © 2012 The Authors, Animal Genetics © 2012 Stichting International Foundation for Animal Genetics.

Comparison of the copy numbers of bovine leukemia virus in the lymph nodes of cattle with enzootic bovine leukosis and cattle with latent infection.

PubMed

Somura, Yoshiko; Sugiyama, Emi; Fujikawa, Hiroshi; Murakami, Kenji

2014-10-01

To establish a diagnostic index for predicting enzootic bovine leukosis (EBL), proviral bovine leukemia virus (BLV) copies in whole blood, lymph nodes and spleen were examined by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR). Cattle were divided into two groups, EBL and BLV-infected, based on meat inspection data. The number of BLV copies in all specimens of EBL cattle was significantly higher than those of BLV-infected cattle (p < 0.0001), and the number of BLV copies in the lymph nodes was particularly large. Over 70 % of the superficial cervical, medial iliac and jejunal lymph nodes from EBL cattle had more than 1,000 copies/10 ng DNA, whereas lymph nodes from BLV-infected cattle did not. These findings suggest that the cattle harboring more than 1,000 BLV copies may be diagnosed with EBL.

Seizure disorders in 43 cattle.

PubMed

D'Angelo, A; Bellino, C; Bertone, I; Cagnotti, G; Iulini, B; Miniscalco, B; Casalone, C; Gianella, P; Cagnasso, A

2015-01-01

Large animals have a relatively high seizure threshold, and in most cases seizures are acquired. No published case series have described this syndrome in cattle. To describe clinical findings and outcomes in cattle referred to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital of the University of Turin (Italy) because of seizures. Client-owned cattle with documented evidence of seizures. Medical records of cattle with episodes of seizures reported between January 2002 and February 2014 were reviewed. Evidence of seizures was identified based on the evaluation of seizure episodes by the referring veterinarian or 1 of the authors. Animals were recruited if physical and neurologic examinations were performed and if diagnostic laboratory test results were available. Forty-three of 49 cases fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The mean age was 8 months. Thirty-one animals were male and 12 were female. Piedmontese breed accounted for 39/43 (91%) animals. Seizures were etiologically classified as reactive in 30 patients (70%) and secondary or structural in 13 (30%). Thirty-six animals survived, 2 died naturally, and 5 were euthanized for reasons of animal welfare. The definitive cause of reactive seizures was diagnosed as hypomagnesemia (n = 2), hypocalcemia (n = 12), and hypomagnesemia-hypocalcemia (n = 16). The cause of structural seizures was diagnosed as cerebrocortical necrosis (n = 8), inflammatory diseases (n = 4), and lead (Pb) intoxication (n = 1). The study results indicate that seizures largely are reported in beef cattle and that the cause can be identified and successfully treated in most cases. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.

Association of oxidative status and insulin sensitivity in periparturient dairy cattle: an observational study.

PubMed

Abuelo, A; Hernández, J; Benedito, J L; Castillo, C

2016-04-01

Post-parturient insulin resistance (IR) is a common feature in all mammalian animals. However, in dairy cows, it can be exacerbated because of high milk yield, leading to excessive negative energy balance, which is related with increased disease incidence, reduced milk production and worsened reproductive performance. IR has been extensively investigated in humans suffering from diabetes mellitus. In these subjects, it is known that oxidative stress (OS) plays a causative role in the onset of IR. Although OS occurs in transitional dairy cattle, there are yet no studies that investigated the association between IR and OS in dairy cattle. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate whether there is a relationship between OS and IR in dairy cattle. Serum samples were taken repeatedly from 22 dairy cows from 2 months prior to the expected calving date to 2 months after calving and were analysed for markers of metabolic and redox balance. Surrogate indices of insulin sensitivity were also calculated. Generalised linear mixed models revealed an effect of the oxidative status on peripheral insulin concentration and on indices of insulin sensitivity. Hence, field trials should investigate the effectiveness of antioxidant therapy on insulin sensitivity in peripheral tissues during the transition period of dairy cattle. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition © 2015 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Contribution of draft cattle to rural livelihoods in a district of southeastern Uganda endemic for bovine parasitic diseases: an economic evaluation.

PubMed

Okello, Walter O; Muhanguzi, Dennis; MacLeod, Ewan T; Welburn, Susan C; Waiswa, Charles; Shaw, Alexandra P

2015-11-05

A study was conducted in Tororo District in eastern Uganda to assess the socio-economic contribution of draft cattle to rural livelihoods. The aim of the study was to empirically quantify the economic value of draft cattle thus contributing to understanding the impact of endemic parasitic diseases of cattle on livestock productivity and subsequently household income, labor and food security. A total of 205 draft cattle keeping households (n = 205) were randomly selected and structured household questionnaires were administered, focusing on work oxen use, productivity, inputs and outputs. The data obtained was analyzed using standard statistical methods and used to calculate the gross margin from the draft cattle enterprise. Secondary data were obtained from focus group discussions and key informant interviews and these were analyzed using Bayesian methods. The study showed that, apart from being labor saving, the use of animal traction is highly profitable with the gross margin per year from the use of draft cattle amounting to 245 United States dollars per work oxen owning household. The cash obtained from hiring out draft animals was equivalent to nearly a quarter of the average local household's monetary receipts. It also revealed that endemic bovine parasitic diseases such as trypanosomiasis and tick-borne diseases reduced draft cattle output by 20.9 % and potential household income from the use of draft oxen by 32.2 %. The presence of endemic cattle diseases in rural Uganda is adversely affecting the productivity of draft cattle, which in turn affects household income, labor and ultimately food security. This study highlights the contribution of draft cattle to rural livelihoods, thus increasing the expected impact of cost-effective control strategies of endemic production limiting livestock diseases in Uganda.

Cattle and pastoralism: survival and production in arid lands

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Western, D.; Finch, V.

1986-03-01

Traditional subsistence pastoralists in East Africa tend to keep large herds, milk cattle in preference to eating them, and subject them to long foraging treks. Such practices are widely considered ill-suited to arid lands and are believed to arise because cattle are raised more for social prestige than food production. Whether this is true can only be judged by considering the responses of cattle to arid zones and, given the herder's goals and options, his management practices. In considering these factors, we show that indigenous East African cattle demonstrate energy-sparing capabilities during drought. Pastoralists can therefore herd cattle at greatmore » distances from water at little more cost than animals on the normal maintenance diet and watered more frequently. The physiological response of cattle to drought, the ecological constraints imposed by livestock and wildlife competition, and the energetic efficiency of mixed milk and meat pastoralism explain why herders traditionally select their characteristic management practices.« less

Single nucleotide polymorphisms of the bovine VEGF-B gene and their associations with growth traits in the Nanyang cattle breed.

PubMed

Pang, Y H; Lei, C Z; Zhang, C L; Lan, X Y; Shao, S M; Gao, X M; Chen, H

2012-01-01

PCR-SSCP and DNA sequencing methods were applied to reveal single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the bovine VEGF-B gene in 675 samples belonging to three native Chinese cattle breeds. We found 3 SNPs and a duplication NC_007330.5: g. [782 A>G p. (Gly112 =) (;) 1000-1001dup CT (;) 1079 C>T (;) 2129 G>A p. (Arg184Gln)]. We also observed a statistically significant association of the polymorphism (1000-1001dup CT) in intron 3 of the VEGF-B gene with the body weight of the Nanyang cattle (p < 0.05). This polymorphisms of VEGF-B gene need to be verified among a larger cattle population before it can be identified as a marker for bovine body weight.

Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry for Metabolite Profiling of Japanese Black Cattle Naturally Contaminated with Zearalenone and Sterigmatocystin.

PubMed

Toda, Katsuki; Kokushi, Emiko; Uno, Seiichi; Shiiba, Ayaka; Hasunuma, Hiroshi; Fushimi, Yasuo; Wijayagunawardane, Missaka P B; Zhang, Chunhua; Yamato, Osamu; Taniguchi, Masayasu; Fink-Gremmels, Johanna; Takagi, Mitsuhiro

2017-09-21

The objective of this study was to evaluate the metabolic profile of cattle fed with or without zearalenone (ZEN) and sterigmatocystin (STC)-contaminated diets using a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry metabolomics approach. Urinary samples were collected from individual animals ( n = 6 per herd) from fattening female Japanese Black (JB) cattle herds (23 months old, 550-600 kg). Herd 1 had persistently high urinary ZEN and STC concentrations due to the presence of contaminated rice straw. Herd 2, the second female JB fattening herd (23 months old, 550-600 kg), received the same dietary feed as Herd 1, with non-contaminated rice straw. Urine samples were collected from Herd 1, two weeks after the contaminated rice straw was replaced with uncontaminated rice straw (Herd 1N). Identified metabolites were subjected to principal component analysis (PCA) and ANOVA. The PCA revealed that the effects on cattle metabolites depended on ZEN and STC concentrations. The contamination of cattle feed with multiple mycotoxins may alter systemic metabolic processes, including metabolites associated with ATP generation, amino acids, glycine-conjugates, organic acids, and purine bases. The results obtained from Herd 1N indicate that a two-week remedy period was not sufficient to improve the levels of urinary metabolites, suggesting that chronic contamination with mycotoxins may have long-term harmful effects on the systemic metabolism of cattle.

Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry for Metabolite Profiling of Japanese Black Cattle Naturally Contaminated with Zearalenone and Sterigmatocystin

PubMed Central

Toda, Katsuki; Kokushi, Emiko; Uno, Seiichi; Shiiba, Ayaka; Hasunuma, Hiroshi; Fushimi, Yasuo; Wijayagunawardane, Missaka P. B.; Zhang, Chunhua; Yamato, Osamu; Taniguchi, Masayasu; Fink-Gremmels, Johanna; Takagi, Mitsuhiro

2017-01-01

The objective of this study was to evaluate the metabolic profile of cattle fed with or without zearalenone (ZEN) and sterigmatocystin (STC)-contaminated diets using a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry metabolomics approach. Urinary samples were collected from individual animals (n = 6 per herd) from fattening female Japanese Black (JB) cattle herds (23 months old, 550–600 kg). Herd 1 had persistently high urinary ZEN and STC concentrations due to the presence of contaminated rice straw. Herd 2, the second female JB fattening herd (23 months old, 550–600 kg), received the same dietary feed as Herd 1, with non-contaminated rice straw. Urine samples were collected from Herd 1, two weeks after the contaminated rice straw was replaced with uncontaminated rice straw (Herd 1N). Identified metabolites were subjected to principal component analysis (PCA) and ANOVA. The PCA revealed that the effects on cattle metabolites depended on ZEN and STC concentrations. The contamination of cattle feed with multiple mycotoxins may alter systemic metabolic processes, including metabolites associated with ATP generation, amino acids, glycine-conjugates, organic acids, and purine bases. The results obtained from Herd 1N indicate that a two-week remedy period was not sufficient to improve the levels of urinary metabolites, suggesting that chronic contamination with mycotoxins may have long-term harmful effects on the systemic metabolism of cattle. PMID:28934162

Molecular and geographic analyses of vampire bat-transmitted cattle rabies in central Brazil

PubMed Central

Kobayashi, Yuki; Sato, Go; Mochizuki, Nobuyuki; Hirano, Shinji; Itou, Takuya; Carvalho, Adolorata AB; Albas, Avelino; Santos, Hamilton P; Ito, Fumio H; Sakai, Takeo

2008-01-01

Background Vampire bats are important rabies virus vectors, causing critical problems in both the livestock industry and public health sector in Latin America. In order to assess the epidemiological characteristics of vampire bat-transmitted rabies, the authors conducted phylogenetic and geographical analyses using sequence data of a large number of cattle rabies isolates collected from a wide geographical area in Brazil. Methods Partial nucleoprotein genes of rabies viruses isolated from 666 cattle and 18 vampire bats between 1987 and 2006 were sequenced and used for phylogenetic analysis. The genetic variants were plotted on topographical maps of Brazil. Results In this study, 593 samples consisting of 24 genetic variants were analyzed. Regional localization of variants was observed, with the distribution of several variants found to be delimited by mountain ranges which served as geographic boundaries. The geographical distributions of vampire-bat and cattle isolates that were classified as the identical phylogenetic group were found to overlap with high certainty. Most of the samples analyzed in this study were isolated from adjacent areas linked by rivers. Conclusion This study revealed the existence of several dozen regional variants associated with vampire bats in Brazil, with the distribution patterns of these variants found to be affected by mountain ranges and rivers. These results suggest that epidemiological characteristics of vampire bat-related rabies appear to be associated with the topographical and geographical characteristics of areas where cattle are maintained, and the factors affecting vampire bat ecology. PMID:18983685

An outbreak of Brucella abortus biovar 2 in Canadian cattle

PubMed Central

Forbes, Lorry B.; Steele, Thomas B.

1989-01-01

An outbreak of brucellosis caused by Brucella abortus biovar 2 was identified in cattle in Alberta in December 1986. This was the only clinical infection discovered since the national cattle herd was declared brucellosisfree in 1985. It was the first report of B. abortus biovar 2 in Canadian cattle. The outbreak, involving three herds containing purebred Hereford cattle, was spread by the private treaty sale of untested cattle, and was identified following investigation of an abortion. The source of infection for the outbreak was not established, but several possibilities were identified including infected herds present in the area during the mid-1970's, latent infection originating in a Saskatchewan herd during the early 1960's, American cattle imported during the early 1970's, and brucellosis-infected bison in Wood Buffalo National Park. The containment and elimination of this nidus of infection appears to have been successful, and the national cattle herd at the time of writing is free of the disease. PMID:17423457

[Seroprevalance of brucellosis, listeriosis and toxoplasmosis in cattle in Adana province of Turkey].

PubMed

Yağcı Yücel, Sükran; Yaman, Mehmet; Kurt, Cemal; Babür, Cahit; Celebi, Bekir; Kılıç, Selçuk; Ozen, Doğukan

2014-06-01

This study was conducted to identify the seroprevalance of diseases which are zoonotic and responsible from abortion such as toxoplasmosis, listeriosis and brucellosis in Holstein crossbred cattle of different age and sex in Adana province, between 2008 April-September. For this purpose, blood serum samples were collected from 132 cattle and analyzed for Toxoplasma gondii, Listeria monocytogenes and Brucella abortus antibodies. T. gondii, L. monocytogenes and Brucella abortus antibodies were determined by the standard Sabin- Feldman Dye Test (SFDT), Osebold method and Microtube Agglutination Test (MAT) respectively, from the blood serum samples. 132 serum tested 56.06% samples of T. gondii, 40.9% and 3.03% of L. monocytogenes and defined the B.abortus antibodies were found to be seropositive terms. There were no statistically significant difference between seropositive T. gondii, L. monocytogenes and B.abortus antibodies among age groups (p>0.05). In this study, for the first time in cattle in the region of Adana serological methods revealed the presence L. monocytogenes, toxoplasmosis and listeriosis were higher than brucellosis seropositivity. Moreover, the prevalence of these diseases in the same animal at the highest rate was determined for T. gondii and L. monocytogenes.

Arrested larval development in cattle nematodes.

PubMed

Armour, J; Duncan, M

1987-06-01

Most economically important cattle nematodes are able to arrest their larval development within the host - entering a period of dormancy or hypobiosis. Arrested larvae have a low death rate, and large numbers can accumulate in infected cattle during the grazing season. Because of this, outbreaks of disease caused by such nematodes can occur at times when recent infection with the parasites could not have occurred, for example during winter in temperature northern climates when cattle are normally housed. The capacity to arrest is a heritable trait. It is seen as an adaptation by the parasite to avoid further development to its free-living stages during times when the climate is unsuitable for free-living survival. But levels of arrestment can vary markedly in different regions, in different cattle, and under different management regimes. Climatic factors, previous conditioning, host immune status, and farm management all seem to affect arrestment levels. In this article, James Armour and Mary Duncan review the biological basis of the phenomenon, and discuss the apparently conflicting views on how it is controlled.

Polymorphism of the prion protein gene (PRNP) in two Chinese indigenous cattle breeds.

PubMed

Qin, L H; Zhao, Y M; Bao, Y H; Bai, W L; Chong, J; Zhang, G L; Zhang, J B; Zhao, Z H

2011-08-01

Prion protein (PRNP) gene has been located at position q17 of chromosome 13 in cattle. The polymorphisms of PRNP gene might be associated with BSE susceptibility. In the present work, we investigated the polymorphisms of PRNP gene, including SNP in exon 3, 23-bp indel in promoter region, 12-bp indel in intron 1 in 2 Chinese indigenous cattle breeds of northeast China. Eighty-six animals from Yanbian (34) and Chinese Red Steppes (52) were genotyped at PRNP locus by analyzing genomic DNA. A total of 4 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) sites were revealed in the PRNP gene exon 3 of the 2 cattle breeds investigated. Three of these SNPs were non-synonymous mutations that resulted in the amino acid exchanges (K119N, S154N, and M177V), and one is silent nucleotide substitutions (A234G). The two amino acid mutations of S154N and M177V were detected only in Yanbian with a very low frequency (0.0147), and they appears to be absent in Chinese Red Steppes. The average gene heterozygosity (He), effective allele numbers (Ne), Shannon's information index (I) and polymorphism information content (PIC) were 0.3088, 1.5013, 0.3814 and 0.2000 in Yanbian, respectively, being relatively higher than that of Chinese Red Steppes (0.2885, 1.4985, 0.3462 and 0.1873, respectively). In 23-bp indel and 12-bp indel loci, three different genotypes were identified in both Yanbian and Chinese Red Steppes breeds. Based 23- and 12-bp indels, four haplotypes was constructed in the 2 Chinese cattle breeds, of which the 23-bp (-)/12-bp (-) was main haplotypes accounting for more than 50% of the total in both Yanbian and Chinese Red Steppes breeds. These results might be useful in understanding the genetic characteristics of PRNP gene in Chinese indigenous cattle breeds.

Genomic adaptation of admixed dairy cattle in East Africa

PubMed Central

Kim, Eui-Soo; Rothschild, Max F.

2014-01-01

Dairy cattle in East Africa imported from the U.S. and Europe have been adapted to new environments. In small local farms, cattle have generally been maintained by crossbreeding that could increase survivability under a severe environment. Eventually, genomic ancestry of a specific breed will be nearly fixed in genomic regions of local breeds or crossbreds when it is advantageous for survival or production in harsh environments. To examine this situation, 25 Friesians and 162 local cattle produced by crossbreeding of dairy breeds in Kenya were sampled and genotyped using 50K SNPs. Using principal component analysis (PCA), the admixed local cattle were found to consist of several imported breeds, including Guernsey, Norwegian Red, and Holstein. To infer the influence of parental breeds on genomic regions, local ancestry mapping was performed based on the similarity of haplotypes. As a consequence, it appears that no genomic region has been under the complete influence of a specific parental breed. Nonetheless, the ancestry of Holstein-Friesians was substantial in most genomic regions (>80%). Furthermore, we examined the frequency of the most common haplotypes from parental breeds that have changed substantially in Kenyan crossbreds during admixture. The frequency of these haplotypes from parental breeds, which were likely to be selected in temperate regions, has deviated considerably from expected frequency in 11 genomic regions. Additionally, extended haplotype homozygosity (EHH) based methods were applied to identify the regions responding to recent selection in crossbreds, called candidate regions, resulting in seven regions that appeared to be affected by Holstein-Friesians. However, some signatures of selection were less dependent on Holsteins-Friesians, suggesting evidence of adaptation in East Africa. The analysis of local ancestry is a useful approach to understand the detailed genomic structure and may reveal regions of the genome required for specialized

Relationship of hepatic lipidosis to health and performance in dairy cattle.

PubMed

Gerloff, B J; Herdt, T H; Emery, R S

1986-04-15

In a field study of 80 cows in 9 dairy herds, serial liver biopsies were performed over the peripartum period to determine degree of hepatic lipidosis. Cattle were separated into categories of mild, moderate, and severe hepatic lipidosis on the basis of maximal amounts of hepatic triglyceride that accumulated during this period. Number of cattle with mild, moderate, and severe hepatic lipidosis were 52, 16, and 12, respectively. Cattle with severe hepatic lipidosis had greater concentrations of hepatic triglyceride before calving and after parturition, and greater serum nonesterified fatty acid concentrations and body condition loss after parturition than cattle with mild hepatic lipidosis. Rate of disease and culling and death rate because of disease were greater in cattle with severe hepatic lipidosis. Cattle with severe hepatic lipidosis had reproductive performance equal to clinically normal cattle; however, cattle with moderate hepatic lipidosis had increased days to conception, possibly related to greater milk production.

Linking bovine tuberculosis on cattle farms to white-tailed deer and environmental variables using Bayesian hierarchical analysis

USGS Publications Warehouse

Walter, W. David; Smith, Rick; Vanderklok, Mike; VerCauterren, Kurt C.

2014-01-01

Bovine tuberculosis is a bacterial disease caused by Mycobacterium bovis in livestock and wildlife with hosts that include Eurasian badgers (Meles meles), brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula), and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). Risk-assessment efforts in Michigan have been initiated on farms to minimize interactions of cattle with wildlife hosts but research onM. bovis on cattle farms has not investigated the spatial context of disease epidemiology. To incorporate spatially explicit data, initial likelihood of infection probabilities for cattle farms tested for M. bovis, prevalence of M. bovis in white-tailed deer, deer density, and environmental variables for each farm were modeled in a Bayesian hierarchical framework. We used geo-referenced locations of 762 cattle farms that have been tested for M. bovis, white-tailed deer prevalence, and several environmental variables that may lead to long-term survival and viability of M. bovis on farms and surrounding habitats (i.e., soil type, habitat type). Bayesian hierarchical analyses identified deer prevalence and proportion of sandy soil within our sampling grid as the most supported model. Analysis of cattle farms tested for M. bovisidentified that for every 1% increase in sandy soil resulted in an increase in odds of infection by 4%. Our analysis revealed that the influence of prevalence of M. bovis in white-tailed deer was still a concern even after considerable efforts to prevent cattle interactions with white-tailed deer through on-farm mitigation and reduction in the deer population. Cattle farms test positive for M. bovis annually in our study area suggesting that the potential for an environmental source either on farms or in the surrounding landscape may contributing to new or re-infections with M. bovis. Our research provides an initial assessment of potential environmental factors that could be incorporated into additional modeling efforts as more knowledge of deer herd

Web Based Cattle Disease Expert System Diagnosis with forward Chaining Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zamsuri, Ahmad; Syafitri, Wenni; Sadar, Muhamad

2017-12-01

Cattle is one of the livestock who have high economic potential, whether for livestock, cattle seed, or even for food stock. Everything that comes from Cattle is a treasure for example the Milk, the Meat, and Cattle-hide. The factor that cause Cattles to die is the spread of disease that could crock up the Cattle’s health. So that the Expert system is needed to utilize and analye the Cattle’s disease so it could detect the disease without going to the veterinarian. Forward chaining method is one of the correct method in this expert system wherein began with Symptoms to determine the illness. From this matter, we built a web based expert system application on Cattles disease to ease the disease detection and showing the brief information about the Cattles itself.

Associations of rumen parameters with feed efficiency and sampling routine in beef cattle.

PubMed

Lam, S; Munro, J C; Zhou, M; Guan, L L; Schenkel, F S; Steele, M A; Miller, S P; Montanholi, Y R

2018-07-01

also spent 318% and 93.2% more time (P⩽0.05) in acidotic (4.14% v. 1.30%) (pH⩽5.6) and optimal (5.6cattle. The circadian patterns revealed lower (P⩽0.05) RpH and no differences (P⩾0.10) in RT pre-, during, and post-prandial periods in efficient compared with inefficient cattle. In essence, superior feed efficiency in cattle seems linked to rumen features consistent with improved efficiency of feed utilization. Microbial abundance, rumen epithelial histomorphology, and RpH, may serve as indicators for feed efficiency in cattle. The divergences of assessments made on-farm and at slaughter should be considered in the development of proxies for feed efficiency.

Hypolipidemic and anti-inflammatory effects of aorta and heart tissues of cattle and pigs in the atherosclerosis rat model.

PubMed

Chernukha, Irina M; Fedulova, Liliya V; Kotenkova, Elena A; Takeda, Shiro; Sakata, Ryoichi

2018-05-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of aorta and heart tissues obtained from cattle and pigs on atherosclerosis disorders. Atherosclerosis model rats were provided with the respective diets consisting of aorta and heart tissues. Administration of each tissue suppressed body weight gain as compared to that of the control. In particular, the aorta tissues of pigs and cattle demonstrated significant suppressions in body weight gain in the model rats. The aorta tissues of pigs and cattle showed a significant increase and decrease in the serum high-density lipoproteins and atherogenic index, respectively, which was correlated with the increase in apolipoprotein A1. Hematological analysis revealed that aorta tissues of pigs and cattle clearly reduced the ratio of granulocytes/lymphocytes in the atherosclerosis rats. Serum vascular cellular adhesion molecule-1 levels in the atherosclerosis rats, which were administered these aorta tissues, were also significantly reduced. Additionally, there was an increase in von Willebrand factor in the rat serum. Based on the results obtained, the aorta tissues of pigs and cattle, in particular, demonstrated positive effects in the atherosclerosis rats due to the alteration of lipid metabolism and reduction in inflammation related to atherosclerosis. © 2018 Japanese Society of Animal Science.

Immunopathological changes and apparent recovery from infection revealed in cattle in an experimental model of Johne's disease using a lyophilised culture of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis.

PubMed

Begg, Douglas J; Plain, Karren M; de Silva, Kumudika; Gurung, Ratna; Gunn, Alison; Purdie, Auriol C; Whittington, Richard J

2018-06-01

Johne's disease (JD) or paratuberculosis is an economically significant, chronic enteropathy of ruminants caused by Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP). Experimental models of JD in cattle are logistically challenging due to the need for long term monitoring, because the clinical disease can take years to manifest. Three trials were undertaken, the largest involving 20 cattle exposed orally to a low dose of C strain MAP and 10 controls studied for 4.75 years. Frequent blood and faecal sampling was used to monitor immunological and infection parameters, and intestinal biopsies were performed at two time points during the subclinical disease phase. Although clinical disease was not seen, there was evidence of infection in 35% of the animals and at necropsy 10% had histopathological lesions consistent with JD, similar to the proportions expected in naturally infected herds. Faecal shedding occurred in two distinct phases: firstly there was intermittent shedding <∼9 months post-exposure that did not correlate with disease outcomes; secondly, in a smaller cohort of animals, this was followed by more consistent shedding of increasing quantities of MAP, associated with intestinal pathology. There was evidence of regression of histopathological lesions in the ileum of one animal, which therefore had apparently recovered from the disease. Both cattle with histopathological lesions of paratuberculosis at necropsy had low MAP-specific interferon-gamma responses at 4 months post-exposure and later had consistently shed viable MAP; they also had the highest loads of MAP DNA in faeces 4.75 year s post-exposure. In a trial using a higher dose of MAP, a higher proportion of cattle developed paratuberculosis. The information derived from these trials provides greater understanding of the changes that occur during the course of paratuberculosis in cattle. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Inventory of methane emissions from U.S. cattle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Westberg, H.; Lamb, B.; Johnson, K. A.; Huyler, M.

2001-01-01

Many countries, including the United States, are in the process of inventorying greenhouse gas emissions as a prerequisite for designing control strategies. We have developed a measurement-based inventory of methane emissions from cattle in the United States. Methane emission factors were established for the major livestock groups using an internal tracer method. The groups studied included cows, replacement heifers, slaughter cattle, calves, and bulls in the beef sector and cows plus replacement heifers in the dairy industry. Since methane emission is dependent on the quality and quantity of feed, diets were chosen that are representative of the feed regimes utilized by producers in the United States. Regional cattle populations, obtained from U.S. Department of Agriculture statistics, were combined with the methane emission factors to yield regional emission estimates. The methane totals from the five regions were then summed to give a U.S. inventory of cattle emissions for 1990, 1992, 1994, 1996, and 1998. Annual releases ranged from 6.50 Tg in 1990 to a high of 6.98 Tg in 1996. On a regional scale the North Central region of the United States had the largest methane emissions from livestock followed by the South Central and the West. The beef cow group released the most methane (˜2.5 Tg yr-1) followed by slaughter cattle (˜1.7 Tg yr-1) and dairy cows at about 1.5 Tg yr-1. Methane released by cattle in the United States contributes about 11% of the global cattle source.

Kinetic model development for biogas production from cattle dung

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghatak, Manjula Das; Mahanta, P.

2017-07-01

Biogas is a mixture of methane, carbon dioxide and traces of numerous trace of elements. It is produced by anaerobic digestion of organic matters including cattle dung which depend upon various factors affecting the population and activity of microorganisms producing biogas. Among the various factors temperature is one of them which play a significant role in biogas production from cattle dung. Biogas production from cattle dung was studied at temperatures 35°C to 55°C at a step of 5°C to study the effect of temperature on biogas production from cattle dung. In this work a mathematical model is developed for evaluating the effect of temperature on the rate of biogas production from cattle dung. The new mathematical model is derived by adding the effect of temperature on the modified Gompertz model. The new model is found to be suitable for predicting the biogas production from cattle dung in the temperature range 35°C to 55°C. The results from the new model are found to be highly correlated to the experimental data of present study.

Molecular detection and characterization of Theileria infection in cattle and yaks from Tibet Plateau Region, China.

PubMed

Qin, Gege; Li, Youquan; Liu, Junlong; Liu, Zhijie; Yang, Jifei; Zhang, Lin; Liu, Guangyuan; Guan, Guiquan; Luo, Jianxun; Yin, Hong

2016-07-01

Theileriosis continues to threaten the livestock industry worldwide, but comprehensive epidemiological surveys for this disease have not been conducted in the Tibet Plateau Region, China. In this study, we screened 154 cattle blood samples from the Tibet Plateau Region (Lhasa, Lhoka, and Tianzhu), China, for detection of Theileria pathogens by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with species-specific primers. The results revealed that the prevalence was 6.9 % (2/29) for Theileria orientalis and 27.6 % (8/29) for Theileria sinensis in Lhasa, 0 % (0/30) for T. orientalis and 26.7 % (8/30) for T. sinensis in Lhoka, and 0 % (0/95) for T. orientalis and 30.5 % (29/95) for T. sinensis in Tianzhu. Interestingly, Theileria luwenshuni, which was a previously reported pathogenic Theileria sp. in sheep and goats, was detected in blood samples from cattle and yaks for the first time, with a prevalence of 10 % (3/30) in Lhoka and 1.1 % (1/95) in Tianzhu. No other Theileria sp. was detected in these samples. T. sinensis and T. orientalis infections were detected in cattle and yaks, and T. luwenshuni was discovered for the first time in cattle and yaks in the Tibet Plateau Region, China.

Breed and trait preferences of Sheko cattle keepers in southwestern Ethiopia.

PubMed

Desta, Takele Taye; Ayalew, Workneh; Hegde, B P

2011-04-01

Like their smallholder subsistence counterparts in developing countries, breed and trait preferences of Sheko cattle keepers have broad perspectives. Our study has documented breed and trait preferences of Sheko cattle keepers in southwestern Ethiopia--the natural breeding tract of Sheko cattle. Our results showed that due to their multifunctionality, cattle are the most preferred livestock species. Overall, farmers showed slightly more preference to local Zebus over Sheko breed. This is due to voracious feeding behavior of Sheko cattle, which make them less preferable in the face of worsening feed shortage, and due to aggressive temperament of Sheko cattle. This is despite Sheko's outperforming potential over local Zebus in their milk production, draft power, and hardiness. At trait level, overall milk production was consistently reported as the most preferred trait followed by fertility and traction. This trait preference rank has matched with the reported frequency count ranks for Sheko cattle use. However, breed preference rank has not matched with reported trait preference ranks because Sheko excels local Zebus in all the three most preferred traits, but it was ranked second. Therefore, to minimize these conflicting interests, breed management plans for Sheko cattle should target on strategies that help to solve feed shortage problem and to improve feeding practices, and on selection of less aggressive Sheko cattle. Therefore, these strategies should be considered in line with Sheko cattle conservation and genetic improvement programs.

Genetic diversity and divergence among Spanish beef cattle breeds assessed by a bovine high-density SNP chip.

PubMed

Cañas-Álvarez, J J; González-Rodríguez, A; Munilla, S; Varona, L; Díaz, C; Baro, J A; Altarriba, J; Molina, A; Piedrafita, J

2015-11-01

The availability of SNP chips for massive genotyping has proven to be useful to genetically characterize populations of domestic cattle and to assess their degree of divergence. In this study, the Illumina BovineHD BeadChip genotyping array was used to describe the genetic variability and divergence among 7 important autochthonous Spanish beef cattle breeds. The within-breed genetic diversity, measured as the marker expected heterozygosity, was around 0.30, similar to other European cattle breeds. The analysis of molecular variance revealed that 94.22% of the total variance was explained by differences within individuals whereas only 4.46% was the result of differences among populations. The degree of genetic differentiation was small to moderate as the pairwise fixation index of genetic differentiation among breeds (F) estimates ranged from 0.026 to 0.068 and the Nei's D genetic distances ranged from 0.009 to 0.016. A neighbor joining (N-J) phylogenetic tree showed 2 main groups of breeds: Pirenaica, Bruna dels Pirineus, and Rubia Gallega on the one hand and Avileña-Negra Ibérica, Morucha, and Retinta on the other. In turn, Asturiana de los Valles occupied an independent and intermediate position. A principal component analysis (PCA) applied to a distance matrix based on marker identity by state, in which the first 2 axes explained up to 17.3% of the variance, showed a grouping of animals that was similar to the one observed in the N-J tree. Finally, a cluster analysis for ancestries allowed assigning all the individuals to the breed they belong to, although it revealed some degree of admixture among breeds. Our results indicate large within-breed diversity and a low degree of divergence among the autochthonous Spanish beef cattle breeds studied. Both N-J and PCA groupings fit quite well to the ancestral trunks from which the Spanish beef cattle breeds were supposed to derive.

Molecular diagnosis and phylogenetic analysis of Babesia bigemina and Babesia bovis hemoparasites from cattle in South Africa.

PubMed

Mtshali, Moses Sibusiso; Mtshali, Phillip Senzo

2013-08-08

Babesia parasites, mainly Babesia bovis and B. bigemina, are tick-borne hemoparasites inducing bovine babesiosis in cattle globally. The clinical signs of the disease include, among others, anemia, fever and hemoglobinuria. Babesiosis is known to occur in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. In this study, we aim to provide information about the occurrence and phylogenetic relationship of B. bigemina and B. bovis species in cattle from different locations in nine provinces of South Africa. A total of 430 blood samples were randomly collected from apparently healthy cattle. These samples were genetically tested for Babesia parasitic infections using nested PCR assays with species-specific primers. Nested PCR assays with Group I primer sets revealed that the overall prevalence of B. bigemina and B. bovis in all bovine samples tested was 64.7% (95% CI = 60.0-69.0) and 35.1% (95% CI = 30.6-39.8), respectively. Only 117/430 (27.2%) animals had a mixed infection. The highest prevalence of 87.5% (95% CI = 77.2-93.5) for B. bigemina was recorded in the Free State province collection sites (Ficksburg, Philippolis and Botshabelo), while North West collection sites had the highest number of animals infected with B. bovis (65.5%; 95% CI = 52.7-76.4). Phylograms were inferred based on B. bigemina-specific gp45 and B. bovis-specific rap-1 nucleotide sequences obtained with Group II nested PCR primers. Phylogenetic analysis of gp45 sequences revealed significant differences in the genotypes of B. bigemina isolates investigated, including those of strains published in GenBank. On the other hand, a phylogeny based on B. bovis rap-1 sequences indicated a similar trend of clustering among the sequences of B. bovis isolates investigated in this study. This study demonstrates the occurrence of Babesia parasites in cattle from different provinces of South Africa. It was also noted that the situation of Babesia parasitic infection in cattle from certain areas

9 CFR 72.7 - Interstate movement of cattle from cooperating States.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Interstate movement of cattle from cooperating States. 72.7 Section 72.7 Animals and Animal Products ANIMAL AND PLANT HEALTH INSPECTION SERVICE... (SPLENETIC) FEVER IN CATTLE § 72.7 Interstate movement of cattle from cooperating States. Cattle in areas...

Biophysical and economic water productivity of dual-purpose cattle farming.

PubMed

Sraïri, M T; Benjelloun, R; Karrou, M; Ates, S; Kuper, M

2016-02-01

This study analyzes key factors influencing water productivity in cattle rearing, particularly in contexts characterized by water scarcity. This was done through year-round monitoring of on-farm practices within five smallholder farms located in the Saïss area (northern Morocco). The on-farm monitoring protocol consisted of characterizing: (i) volumes of water used for fodder production and distinguished by source (rainfall, surface irrigation and groundwater), (ii) virtual water contained in off-farm feed resources, (iii) total forage biomass production, (iv) dietary rations fed to lactating cows and their calves and (v) milk output and live weight gain. Findings reveal a mean water footprint of 1.62±0.81 and 8.44±1.09 m3/kg of milk and of live weight gain, respectively. Groundwater represented only 13.1% and 2.2% of the total water used to get milk and live weight gain, respectively, while rainfall represented 53.0% and 48.1% of the total water for milk and live weight gain, respectively. The remaining water volumes used came from surface irrigation water (7.4% for milk and 4.0% for live weight gain) and from virtual water (26.5% for milk and 44.7% for live weight gain). The results also revealed a relatively small gross margin per m3 of water used by the herd, not exceeding an average value of US $ 0.05, when considering both milk and live weight. Given the large variability in farm performances, which affect water productivity in cattle rearing throughout the production process, we highlight the potential for introducing a series of interventions that are aimed at saving water, while concurrently improving efficiency in milk production and live weight gain. These interventions should target the chain of production functions that are implemented throughout the process of water productivity in cattle rearing. Moreover, these interventions are of particular importance given our findings that livestock production depends largely upon rainfall, rather than

Predicting Madura cattle growth curve using non-linear model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Widyas, N.; Prastowo, S.; Widi, T. S. M.; Baliarti, E.

2018-03-01

Madura cattle is Indonesian native. It is a composite breed that has undergone hundreds of years of selection and domestication to reach nowadays remarkable uniformity. Crossbreeding has reached the isle of Madura and the Madrasin, a cross between Madura cows and Limousine semen emerged. This paper aimed to compare the growth curve between Madrasin and one type of pure Madura cows, the common Madura cattle (Madura) using non-linear models. Madura cattles are kept traditionally thus reliable records are hardly available. Data were collected from small holder farmers in Madura. Cows from different age classes (<6 months, 6-12 months, 1-2years, 2-3years, 3-5years and >5years) were observed, and body measurements (chest girth, body length and wither height) were taken. In total 63 Madura and 120 Madrasin records obtained. Linear model was built with cattle sub-populations and age as explanatory variables. Body weights were estimated based on the chest girth. Growth curves were built using logistic regression. Results showed that within the same age, Madrasin has significantly larger body compared to Madura (p<0.05). The logistic models fit better for Madura and Madrasin cattle data; with the estimated MSE for these models were 39.09 and 759.28 with prediction accuracy of 99 and 92% for Madura and Madrasin, respectively. Prediction of growth curve using logistic regression model performed well in both types of Madura cattle. However, attempts to administer accurate data on Madura cattle are necessary to better characterize and study these cattle.

Eliminating bovine tuberculosis in cattle and badgers: insight from a dynamic model.

PubMed

Brooks-Pollock, Ellen; Wood, James L N

2015-06-07

Bovine tuberculosis (BTB) is a multi-species infection that commonly affects cattle and badgers in Great Britain. Despite years of study, the impact of badgers on BTB incidence in cattle is poorly understood. Using a two-host transmission model of BTB in cattle and badgers, we find that published data and parameter estimates are most consistent with a system at the threshold of control. The most consistent explanation for data obtained from cattle and badger populations includes within-host reproduction numbers close to 1 and between-host reproduction numbers of approximately 0.05. In terms of controlling infection in cattle, reducing cattle-to-cattle transmission is essential. In some regions, even large reductions in badger prevalence can have a modest impact on cattle infection and a multi-stranded approach is necessary that also targets badger-to-cattle transmission directly. The new perspective highlighted by this two-host approach provides insight into the control of BTB in Great Britain.

Eliminating bovine tuberculosis in cattle and badgers: insight from a dynamic model

PubMed Central

Brooks-Pollock, Ellen; Wood, James L. N.

2015-01-01

Bovine tuberculosis (BTB) is a multi-species infection that commonly affects cattle and badgers in Great Britain. Despite years of study, the impact of badgers on BTB incidence in cattle is poorly understood. Using a two-host transmission model of BTB in cattle and badgers, we find that published data and parameter estimates are most consistent with a system at the threshold of control. The most consistent explanation for data obtained from cattle and badger populations includes within-host reproduction numbers close to 1 and between-host reproduction numbers of approximately 0.05. In terms of controlling infection in cattle, reducing cattle-to-cattle transmission is essential. In some regions, even large reductions in badger prevalence can have a modest impact on cattle infection and a multi-stranded approach is necessary that also targets badger-to-cattle transmission directly. The new perspective highlighted by this two-host approach provides insight into the control of BTB in Great Britain. PMID:25972466

Characterization of Diarrheagenic Escherichia coli Isolated in Organic Waste Products (Cattle Fecal Matter, Manure and, Slurry) from Cattle's Markets in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

PubMed

Bako, Evariste; Kagambèga, Assèta; Traore, Kuan Abdoulaye; Bagre, Touwendsida Serge; Ibrahim, Hadiza Bawa; Bouda, Soutongnooma Caroline; Bonkoungou, Isidore Juste Ouindgueta; Kaboré, Saidou; Zongo, Cheikna; Traore, Alfred Sababenejo; Barro, Nicolas

2017-09-22

Cattle farming can promote diarrheal disease transmission through waste, effluents or cattle fecal matter. The study aims to characterize the diarrheagenic Escherichia coli (DEC) isolated from cattle feces, manure in the composting process and slurry, collected from four cattle markets in Ouagadougou. A total of 585 samples (340 cattle feces, 200 slurries and 45 manures in the composting process) were collected from the four cattle markets between May 2015 and May 2016. A multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), namely 16-plex PCR, was used to screen simultaneously the virulence genes specific for shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC), enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC), enteroinvasive E. coli (EIEC) and enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC). DEC was detected in 10.76% of samples. ETEC was the most prevalent (9.91%). STEC and EAEC have been observed with the same rate (0.51%). ETEC were detected in 12.64% of cattle feces, in 6.66% of manure in the composting process and in 5% of slurry. STEC were detected in 0.58% of cattle feces and in 2.22% of manure in the composting process. EAEC was detected only in 1% of slurry and in 2.22% of manure in the composting process. ETEC strains were identified based on estIa gene and/or estIb gene and/or elt gene amplification. Of the 58 ETEC, 10.34% contained astA , 17.24% contained elt , 3.44% contained estIa and 79.31% contained estIb . The two positive EAEC strains contained only the aggR gene, and the third was positive only for the pic gene. The results show that effluent from cattle markets could contribute to the spreading of DEC in the environment in Burkina Faso.

Evaluation of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for detection of cattle in the Cattle Fever Tick Permanent Quarantine Zone

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

An unmanned aerial vehicle was used to capture videos of cattle in pastures to determine the efficiency of this technology for use by Mounted Inspectors in the Permanent Quarantine zone (PQZ) of the Cattle Fever Tick Eradication Program in south Texas along the U.S.-Mexico Border. These videos were ...

Therapeutic management of botulism in dairy cattle.

PubMed

Pandian, S Jegaveera; Subramanian, M; Vijayakumar, G; Balasubramaniam, G A; Sukumar, K

2015-11-01

To report the successful recovery of few dairy cattle from botulism in response to a modified therapeutic strategy. Seventy four naturally-occurring clinical cases of bovine botulism encountered during the period of 2012-2014 which were confirmed by mouse lethality test became material for this study. Affected animals were made into three groups based on the treatment modifications made during the course of study. With the modified therapeutic regimen, 17 animals recovered after 7-10 days of treatment. Clinical recovery took 2-30 days. Animals which were not given intravenous fluid and calcium recovered uneventfully. Cattle which were already treated with intravenous fluids, calcium borogluconate, and antibiotics did not recover. They were either died or slaughtered for salvage. In cattle with botulism, administration of Vitamin AD3E and activated charcoal aid the clinical recovery. Besides, strictly avoiding anti-clostridial antibiotics, fluid therapy, and calcium therapy may facilitate the clinical recovery. Upon fluid administration, the pulmonary congestion existed in the ailing cattle might have worsened the anoxia. Administration of antibiotics like penicillin, aminoglycosides, and tetracyclines further worsen the neuronal paralysis by increasing the availability of botulinum neurotoxin. Cattle in early botulism have fair chances of recovery with the modified therapy.

Therapeutic management of botulism in dairy cattle

PubMed Central

Pandian, S. Jegaveera; Subramanian, M.; Vijayakumar, G.; Balasubramaniam, G. A.; Sukumar, K.

2015-01-01

Aim: To report the successful recovery of few dairy cattle from botulism in response to a modified therapeutic strategy. Materials and Methods: Seventy four naturally-occurring clinical cases of bovine botulism encountered during the period of 2012-2014 which were confirmed by mouse lethality test became material for this study. Affected animals were made into three groups based on the treatment modifications made during the course of study. Results and Discussion: With the modified therapeutic regimen, 17 animals recovered after 7-10 days of treatment. Clinical recovery took 2-30 days. Animals which were not given intravenous fluid and calcium recovered uneventfully. Cattle which were already treated with intravenous fluids, calcium borogluconate, and antibiotics did not recover. They were either died or slaughtered for salvage. Conclusion: In cattle with botulism, administration of Vitamin AD3E and activated charcoal aid the clinical recovery. Besides, strictly avoiding anti-clostridial antibiotics, fluid therapy, and calcium therapy may facilitate the clinical recovery. Upon fluid administration, the pulmonary congestion existed in the ailing cattle might have worsened the anoxia. Administration of antibiotics like penicillin, aminoglycosides, and tetracyclines further worsen the neuronal paralysis by increasing the availability of botulinum neurotoxin. Cattle in early botulism have fair chances of recovery with the modified therapy. PMID:27047034

A genome-wide scan for signatures of differential artificial selection in ten cattle breeds.

PubMed

Rothammer, Sophie; Seichter, Doris; Förster, Martin; Medugorac, Ivica

2013-12-21

Since the times of domestication, cattle have been continually shaped by the influence of humans. Relatively recent history, including breed formation and the still enduring enormous improvement of economically important traits, is expected to have left distinctive footprints of selection within the genome. The purpose of this study was to map genome-wide selection signatures in ten cattle breeds and thus improve the understanding of the genome response to strong artificial selection and support the identification of the underlying genetic variants of favoured phenotypes. We analysed 47,651 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) using Cross Population Extended Haplotype Homozygosity (XP-EHH). We set the significance thresholds using the maximum XP-EHH values of two essentially artificially unselected breeds and found up to 229 selection signatures per breed. Through a confirmation process we verified selection for three distinct phenotypes typical for one breed (polledness in Galloway, double muscling in Blanc-Bleu Belge and red coat colour in Red Holstein cattle). Moreover, we detected six genes strongly associated with known QTL for beef or dairy traits (TG, ABCG2, DGAT1, GH1, GHR and the Casein Cluster) within selection signatures of at least one breed. A literature search for genes lying in outstanding signatures revealed further promising candidate genes. However, in concordance with previous genome-wide studies, we also detected a substantial number of signatures without any yet known gene content. These results show the power of XP-EHH analyses in cattle to discover promising candidate genes and raise the hope of identifying phenotypically important variants in the near future. The finding of plausible functional candidates in some short signatures supports this hope. For instance, MAP2K6 is the only annotated gene of two signatures detected in Galloway and Gelbvieh cattle and is already known to be associated with carcass weight, back fat thickness and

Genome wide association study and genomic prediction for fatty acid composition in Chinese Simmental beef cattle using high density SNP array.

PubMed

Zhu, Bo; Niu, Hong; Zhang, Wengang; Wang, Zezhao; Liang, Yonghu; Guan, Long; Guo, Peng; Chen, Yan; Zhang, Lupei; Guo, Yong; Ni, Heming; Gao, Xue; Gao, Huijiang; Xu, Lingyang; Li, Junya

2017-06-14

Fatty acid composition of muscle is an important trait contributing to meat quality. Recently, genome-wide association study (GWAS) has been extensively used to explore the molecular mechanism underlying important traits in cattle. In this study, we performed GWAS using high density SNP array to analyze the association between SNPs and fatty acids and evaluated the accuracy of genomic prediction for fatty acids in Chinese Simmental cattle. Using the BayesB method, we identified 35 and 7 regions in Chinese Simmental cattle that displayed significant associations with individual fatty acids and fatty acid groups, respectively. We further obtained several candidate genes which may be involved in fatty acid biosynthesis including elongation of very long chain fatty acids protein 5 (ELOVL5), fatty acid synthase (FASN), caspase 2 (CASP2) and thyroglobulin (TG). Specifically, we obtained strong evidence of association signals for one SNP located at 51.3 Mb for FASN using Genome-wide Rapid Association Mixed Model and Regression-Genomic Control (GRAMMAR-GC) approaches. Also, region-based association test identified multiple SNPs within FASN and ELOVL5 for C14:0. In addition, our result revealed that the effectiveness of genomic prediction for fatty acid composition using BayesB was slightly superior over GBLUP in Chinese Simmental cattle. We identified several significantly associated regions and loci which can be considered as potential candidate markers for genomics-assisted breeding programs. Using multiple methods, our results revealed that FASN and ELOVL5 are associated with fatty acids with strong evidence. Our finding also suggested that it is feasible to perform genomic selection for fatty acids in Chinese Simmental cattle.

Genomic characteristics of cattle copy number variations

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

We performed a systematic analysis of cattle copy number variations (CNVs) using the Bovine HapMap SNP genotyping data, including 539 animals of 21 modern cattle breeds and 6 outgroups. After correcting genomic waves and considering the trio information, we identified 682 candidate CNV regions (CNVR...

21 CFR 189.5 - Prohibited cattle materials.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... dietary ingredients in dietary supplements. The use or intended use of any prohibited cattle material in... risk materials, small intestine of all cattle except as provided in paragraph (b)(2) of this section..., nerve paralysis, fractured vertebral column, or metabolic conditions. (5) Specified risk material means...

Remote chemical immobilisation method for free-ranging Australian cattle.

PubMed

Hampton, J O; Skroblin, A; Perry, A L; De Ridder, T R

2016-12-01

Many situations are encountered in Australia where the capture and restraint of free-ranging cattle (Bos taurus/Bos indicus) is required. Chemical immobilisation via darting is a potentially useful tool for managing and researching large wild herbivores; however, there is no reliable method for its application to Australian cattle. The aim of this study was to develop an efficacious, humane, cost-effective ground darting method for free-ranging cattle. The 30 female cattle were darted and captured on a pastoral station in north-west Australia from a vehicle. Xylazine (0.59 mg/kg) and ketamine (3.59 mg/kg) were used to capture animals and yohimbine (0.10 mg/kg) was used as an antagonist to xylazine to reduce recumbent time. Cattle became recumbent at a mean time of 8 min and a mean distance of 260 m from darting. The mortality rate was zero on the day of capture and 7% at 14 days post-capture. The majority of darted cattle were successfully immobilised with one dart and recovered within 30 min, with consumables costing approximately A$30 per captured animal. The technique developed represents a rapid and humane method for capturing free-ranging cattle and, with consideration for legislation surrounding use of veterinary chemicals, could be applied in many contexts across Australia. © 2016 Australian Veterinary Association.

Developing a typology for local cattle breed farmers in Europe.

PubMed

Soini, K; Diaz, C; Gandini, G; de Haas, Y; Lilja, T; Martin-Collado, D; Pizzi, F; Hiemstra, S J

2012-12-01

Recognizing cultural diversity among local breed farmers is crucial for the successful development and implementation of farm animal genetic resources FAnGr conservation policies and programmes. In this study based on survey data collected in the EUropean REgional CAttle breeds project from six European countries, a typology of local breed farmers was designed and profiles for each of the farmer types were developed to assist these policy needs. Three main farmer types were constructed: production-oriented, product and service-oriented and hobby-oriented farmers. In addition, seven subtypes were characterized under the main types: sustainable producers, opportunists, multi-users, brand makers, traditionalists, pragmatists and newcomers. These types have many similarities to the 'productivist', 'multifunctional' and 'post-productivist' farmer types. The typology not only reveals the high level of diversity among local cattle breed farmers in Europe, which presents an opportunity for the in situ conservation of animal genetic resources, but also a challenge for policy to meet the differing requirements of the farmer types. © 2012 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

DNA polymorphism at the BoLA-DRB3 gene of cattle in relation to resistance and susceptibility to leukemia

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sulimova, G.E.; Udina, I.G.; Shaikhaev, G.O.

1995-09-01

Polymorphism of exon 2 of the BoLA-DRB3 gene was investigated by the PCR-RFLP method in a sample of healthy and leukemia-afflicted Black Pied cattle. Allele variety was studied and allele frequencies were determined in a total sample and in the two groups. Alleles mediating resistance (BoLA-DRB3.2{sup *}11, {sup *}23, and {sup *}28) and susceptibility to leukemia (DRB3.2{sup *}22, {sup *}24, {sup *}16, and {sup *}8) were revealed in Black Pied cattle. The dominant type of inheritance of the disease resistance was confirmed. On the basis of original and published data obtained earlier for Holstein-Friesian cattle, a conclusion was made aboutmore » the universal character of the spectrum of BoLA-DRB3 alleles providing resistance and susceptibility to leukemia. 18 refs., 1 fig., 3 tabs.« less

A proline-to-histidine mutation in POU1F1 is associated with production traits in dairy cattle.

PubMed

Huang, W; Maltecca, C; Khatib, H

2008-10-01

POU class 1 homeobox 1 (POU1F1) is a member of the tissue-specific POU-containing transcription factor family. The expression of POU1F1 in mammalian pituitary gland controls the transcription of the genes encoding growth hormone, prolactin (PRL) and the subunits of thyroid-stimulating hormone. In addition, some genes in the JAK/STAT signalling pathway downstream of POU1F1 have been shown to be associated with different production traits in dairy cattle. To investigate whether the POU1F1 gene is associated with economically important traits in dairy cattle, a pooled DNA sequencing approach was used to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the gene. An SNP in exon 3 of POU1F1 that changes a proline to a histidine was identified. A total of 2141 individuals from two North American Holstein cattle resource populations were genotyped for this SNP using a modified PCR-RFLP method. Statistical analyses revealed significant association of POU1F1 variants with milk yield and productive life, which makes POU1F1 a possible candidate for marker-assisted selection in dairy cattle breeding programmes.

Wide but Variable Distribution of a Hypervirulent Campylobacter jejuni Clone in Beef and Dairy Cattle in the United States

PubMed Central

Tang, Yizhi; Meinersmann, Richard J.; Sahin, Orhan; Wu, Zuowei; Dai, Lei; Carlson, James; Plumblee Lawrence, Jodie; Genzlinger, Linda; LeJeune, Jeffrey T.

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Campylobacter jejuni clone SA is the major cause of sheep abortion and contributes significantly to foodborne illnesses in the United States. Clone SA is hypervirulent because of its distinct ability to produce systemic infection and its predominant role in clinical sheep abortion. Despite the importance of clone SA, little is known about its distribution and epidemiological features in cattle. Here we describe a prospective study on C. jejuni clone SA prevalence in 35 feedlots in 5 different states in the United States and a retrospective analysis of clone SA in C. jejuni isolates collected by National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) dairy studies in 2002, 2007, and 2014. In feedlot cattle feces, the overall prevalence of Campylobacter organisms was 72.2%, 82.1% of which were C. jejuni. Clone SA accounted for 5.8% of the total C. jejuni isolates, but its prevalence varied by feedlot and state. Interestingly, starlings on the feedlots harbored C. jejuni in feces, including clone SA, suggesting that these birds may play a role in the transmission of Campylobacter. In dairy cattle, the overall prevalence of clone SA was 7.2%, but a significant decrease in the prevalence was observed from 2002 to 2014. Whole-genome sequence analysis of the dairy clone SA isolates revealed that it was genetically stable over the years and most of the isolates carried the tetracycline resistance gene tet(O) in the chromosome. These findings indicate that clone SA is widely distributed in both beef and dairy cattle and provide new insights into the molecular epidemiology of clone SA in ruminants. IMPORTANCE C. jejuni clone SA is a major cause of small-ruminant abortion and an emerging threat to food safety because of its association with foodborne outbreaks. Cattle appear to serve as a major reservoir for this pathogenic organism, but there is a major gap in our knowledge about the epidemiology of clone SA in beef and dairy cattle. By taking advantage of surveillance

Wide but variable distribution of a hypervirulent Campylobacter jejuni clone in beef and dairy cattle in the United States.

PubMed

Tang, Yizhi; Meinersmann, Richard J; Sahin, Orhan; Wu, Zuowei; Dai, Lei; Carlson, James; Plumblee, Jodie; Genzlinger, Linda; LeJeune, Jeffrey T; Zhang, Qijing

2017-09-29

Campylobacter jejuni clone SA is the major cause of sheep abortion and contributes significantly to foodborne illnesses in the United States. Clone SA is hypervirulent because of its distinct ability to produce systemic infection and its predominant role in clinical sheep abortion. Despite the importance of clone SA, little is known about its distribution and epidemiological features in cattle. Here, we describe a prospective study on C. jejuni clone SA prevalence in 35 feedlots in 5 different states in the U.S. and a retrospective analysis of clone SA in C. jejuni isolates collected by National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) Dairy Studies 2002, 2007 and 2014. In feedlot cattle feces, the overall prevalence of Campylobacter was 72.2%, 82.1% of which were C. jejuni Clone SA accounted for 5.8% of the total C. jejuni isolates, but its prevalence varied by feedlot and state. Interestingly, starlings on the feedlots harbored C. jejuni in feces including clone SA, suggesting it may play a role in the transmission of Campylobacter In dairy cattle, the overall prevalence of clone SA was 7.2%, but a significant decrease in the prevalence was observed from 2002 to 2014. Whole genome sequence analysis of the dairy clone SA isolates revealed that it was genetically stable over the years and most of the isolates carried the tetracycline resistance gene tet(O ) in the chromosome. These findings indicate clone SA is widely distributed in both beef and dairy cattle, and provide new insights into the molecular epidemiology of clone SA in ruminants. Importance C. jejuni clone SA is a major cause of small ruminant abortion and an emerging threat to food safety because of its association with foodborne outbreaks. Cattle appears to serve as a major reservoir for this pathogenic organism, but there is a major gap in our knowledge about the epidemiology of clone SA in beef and dairy cattle. By taking advantage of surveillance studies conducted on a national scale, this

Diversity and population-genetic properties of copy number variations and multicopy genes in cattle

PubMed Central

Bickhart, Derek M.; Xu, Lingyang; Hutchison, Jana L.; Cole, John B.; Null, Daniel J.; Schroeder, Steven G.; Song, Jiuzhou; Garcia, Jose Fernando; Sonstegard, Tad S.; Van Tassell, Curtis P.; Schnabel, Robert D.; Taylor, Jeremy F.; Lewin, Harris A.; Liu, George E.

2016-01-01

The diversity and population genetics of copy number variation (CNV) in domesticated animals are not well understood. In this study, we analysed 75 genomes of major taurine and indicine cattle breeds (including Angus, Brahman, Gir, Holstein, Jersey, Limousin, Nelore, and Romagnola), sequenced to 11-fold coverage to identify 1,853 non-redundant CNV regions. Supported by high validation rates in array comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) and qPCR experiments, these CNV regions accounted for 3.1% (87.5 Mb) of the cattle reference genome, representing a significant increase over previous estimates of the area of the genome that is copy number variable (∼2%). Further population genetics and evolutionary genomics analyses based on these CNVs revealed the population structures of the cattle taurine and indicine breeds and uncovered potential diversely selected CNVs near important functional genes, including AOX1, ASZ1, GAT, GLYAT, and KRTAP9-1. Additionally, 121 CNV gene regions were found to be either breed specific or differentially variable across breeds, such as RICTOR in dairy breeds and PNPLA3 in beef breeds. In contrast, clusters of the PRP and PAG genes were found to be duplicated in all sequenced animals, suggesting that subfunctionalization, neofunctionalization, or overdominance play roles in diversifying those fertility-related genes. These CNV results provide a new glimpse into the diverse selection histories of cattle breeds and a basis for correlating structural variation with complex traits in the future. PMID:27085184

Hematological Changes Associated with Theileria orientalis Infection in Korean Indigenous Cattle

PubMed Central

Kim, Suhee; Yu, Do-Hyeon; Kang, Sung-Woo; Chae, Jeong-Byoung; Choi, Kyoung-Seong; Kim, Hyeon-Cheol; Park, Bae-Keun; Chae, Joon-Seok; Park, Jinho

2017-01-01

Tick-borne pathogens can cause serious problems in grazing cattle. However, little information is available on tick-mediated diseases in cattle grazing on mountains. Thus, this study aimed to understand the potential problems related to tick-borne diseases in grazing cattle through the investigation of prevalent tick-transmitted infections, and their associated hematological changes, in terms of season and grazing type in Korean indigenous cattle (=Hanwoo). Hanwoo cattle from 3 regions of the Republic of Korea (=Korea) were either maintained indoors or placed on grassy mountains from spring to fall of 2014 and 2015. Cattle that grazed in mountainous areas showed a greater prevalence of tick-borne infections with an increased Theileria orientalis infection rate (54.7%) compared to that in non-grazing cattle (16.3%) (P<0.001). Accordingly, the red blood cell (RBC) count and hematocrit (HCT) values of grazing cattle were significantly lower than those of non-grazing cattle throughout the season (P<0.05). Moreover, RBC, hemoglobin (Hb), and HCT of T. orientalis-positive group were significantly lower than those of T. orientalis-negative group (P<0.05). T. orientalis is a widespread tick-borne pathogen in Korea. Grazing of cattle in mountainous areas is closely associated with an increase in T. orientalis infection (RR=3.4, P<0.001), and with consequent decreases in RBC count and HCT. Thus, these findings suggest that the Hanwoo cattle in mountainous areas of Korea are at a high risk of infection by T. orientalis, which can lead to hematological alterations. This study highlights the necessity of preventive strategies that target T. orientalis infection. PMID:29103263

Hematological Changes Associated with Theileria orientalis Infection in Korean Indigenous Cattle.

PubMed

Kim, Suhee; Yu, Do-Hyeon; Kang, Sung-Woo; Chae, Jeong-Byoung; Choi, Kyoung-Seong; Kim, Hyeon-Cheol; Park, Bae-Keun; Chae, Joon-Seok; Park, Jinho

2017-10-01

Tick-borne pathogens can cause serious problems in grazing cattle. However, little information is available on tick-mediated diseases in cattle grazing on mountains. Thus, this study aimed to understand the potential problems related to tick-borne diseases in grazing cattle through the investigation of prevalent tick-transmitted infections, and their associated hematological changes, in terms of season and grazing type in Korean indigenous cattle (=Hanwoo). Hanwoo cattle from 3 regions of the Republic of Korea (=Korea) were either maintained indoors or placed on grassy mountains from spring to fall of 2014 and 2015. Cattle that grazed in mountainous areas showed a greater prevalence of tick-borne infections with an increased Theileria orientalis infection rate (54.7%) compared to that in non-grazing cattle (16.3%) (P<0.001). Accordingly, the red blood cell (RBC) count and hematocrit (HCT) values of grazing cattle were significantly lower than those of non-grazing cattle throughout the season (P<0.05). Moreover, RBC, hemoglobin (Hb), and HCT of T. orientalis-positive group were significantly lower than those of T. orientalis-negative group (P<0.05). T. orientalis is a widespread tick-borne pathogen in Korea. Grazing of cattle in mountainous areas is closely associated with an increase in T. orientalis infection (RR=3.4, P<0.001), and with consequent decreases in RBC count and HCT. Thus, these findings suggest that the Hanwoo cattle in mountainous areas of Korea are at a high risk of infection by T. orientalis, which can lead to hematological alterations. This study highlights the necessity of preventive strategies that target T. orientalis infection.

Association of Escherichia coli O157:H7 with Houseflies on a Cattle Farm†

PubMed Central

Alam, Muhammad J.; Zurek, Ludek

2004-01-01

The ecology of Escherichia coli O157:H7 is not well understood. The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of and characterize E. coli O157:H7 associated with houseflies (HF). Musca domestica L. HF (n = 3,440) were collected from two sites on a cattle farm over a 4-month period and processed individually for E. coli O157:H7 isolation and quantification. The prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 was 2.9 and 1.4% in HF collected from feed bunks and a cattle feed storage shed, respectively. E. coli O157:H7 counts ranged from 3.0 × 101 to 1.5 × 105 CFU among the positive HF. PCR analysis of the E. coli O157:H7 isolates revealed that 90.4, 99.2, 99.2, and 100% of them (n = 125) possessed the stx1, stx2, eaeA, and fliC genes, respectively. Large populations of HF on cattle farms may play a role in the dissemination of E. coli O157:H7 among animals and to the surrounding environment. PMID:15574966

Association of Escherichia coli O157:H7 with houseflies on a cattle farm.

PubMed

Alam, Muhammad J; Zurek, Ludek

2004-12-01

The ecology of Escherichia coli O157:H7 is not well understood. The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of and characterize E. coli O157:H7 associated with houseflies (HF). Musca domestica L. HF (n = 3,440) were collected from two sites on a cattle farm over a 4-month period and processed individually for E. coli O157:H7 isolation and quantification. The prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 was 2.9 and 1.4% in HF collected from feed bunks and a cattle feed storage shed, respectively. E. coli O157:H7 counts ranged from 3.0 x 10(1) to 1.5 x 10(5) CFU among the positive HF. PCR analysis of the E. coli O157:H7 isolates revealed that 90.4, 99.2, 99.2, and 100% of them (n = 125) possessed the stx1, stx2, eaeA, and fliC genes, respectively. Large populations of HF on cattle farms may play a role in the dissemination of E. coli O157:H7 among animals and to the surrounding environment.

Infertility and growth suppression in beef cattle associated with abnormalities in their geochemical environment

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Case, A.A.; Selby, L.A.; Hutcheson, D.P.

1973-01-01

Infertility and growth suppression were reported in two beef-cattle herds located in a small valley in central Missouri. Clinical, epidemiological, and toxicological evaluation of the herds and ranches by personnel from the Environmental Health Surveillance Center suggested that the problem was related to the local geochemical environment. US Geological Survey personnel, engaged in a geochemical survey of the natural environment of Missouri, were asked to evaluate the site geochemically. Geochemical studies of waters, alluvial deposits, and vegetation revealed that aluminum, beryllium, cobalt, copper, molybdenum, and nickel occur in anomalous concentrations in these materials. The principal source of these elements ismore » believed to be clay, shale, limestone, coal, and pyrite that were exposed at the head of the valley when the clay was mined. Young beef cattle from two ranches which were pastured on the flood plain below the claypile experienced a severe growth suppression from an imbalance of minerals or other nutrients in their feed or water, or both. Metabolic disturbances in these cattle resembled chronic molybdenosis. Imbalances of copper and molybdenum, in addition to those of cobalt and other substances, may have contributed to this syndrome. 17 references.« less

The cattle farming activities in Aǧrı province

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Şahinler, Zeki; Demir, Yücel

2016-04-01

This study aims to present the current data in the existing situation and potential of the cattle breeding. East Anatolia has an important place in Turkey's cattle breeding sector. Thus, Aǧrı is one of the key cities in the region and livestock breeding is a major resource of income for the population. According to Turkish Statistical Institute's data, the city of Aǧrı has the 8th place with its 321 710 head of cattle currently. In cattle gene types, with 170 583 head in local breeds it is in the first place, while it is in the 10thplace with a total of 131 195 head in crossbreeding and it stands in 63th place with 19 932 head culture race. Once again, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute's data, cattle farming brought in 382 987 750 TL as a result of 259 011 tons of the milk, 5 665 tons of meat and 8 887 skins. In 2014, Turkish Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock subsidized cattle farming in the city by paying 20 551 816 TL. Therefore, it is important to determine the existing conditions of livestock sector of the city, especially cattle farming, with regard to its potential and problems. Consequently, it would be possible to develop short term, mid-term, long term goals and solutions for the problems. As a conclusion, the city has a remarkable place in the region with its cattle population, characteristics of animal production and its position in the employment. Aǧrı represents a small model in local level for Turkey's overall livestock farming.

Tick infestations in extensively grazed cattle and efficacy trial of high-cis cypermethrin pour-on preparation for control of ticks in Mvomero district in Tanzania.

PubMed

Hezron E, Nonga; Adrian, Muwonge; Robinson H, Mdegela

2012-11-19

This study aimed at determining the extent of tick infestations in extensively grazed cattle and assess the efficacy of Ecotix® acaricide (2.5% high cis cypermethrin) in Mvomero district in Tanzania. A total of 1200 Tanzanian short horn Zebu (TSHZ) from two farms in two villages were qualitatively assessed for tick infestations and 40 animals (grouped in 10s from each farm) were separated in their herds and quantitatively examined to establish the tick load. The animals were grouped in treatment regime groups (TxRG 1, 2, 3, and 4), TxRG 1 being the control group was treated with water. Ecotix® was applied on day 0 for TxRG 2, days 0 and 7 for TxRG 3 and days 0, 7 and 14 for TxRG 4 and tick load was monitored for 28 days. All the animals examined were infested with ticks. The identified ticks were Rhipicephalus appendiculatus (55%), Amblyomma variegatum (18%), R. (Boophilus) microplus (12.9%), R. (B) decoloratus (7.1%), R. evertsi evertsi (4.4%) and R. composites (2.6%). The overall mean (mean±SEM) tick density on day zero was 63±30 ticks per animal (ranging from 20-160). The mean tick density on day zero was 44.6±25.4, 74.6±30.3, 55.0±26.2 and 77±33.5 for groups one, two, three and four respectively. Post-treatment quantitative assessment of tick burden revealed that the TxRG 1 animals maintained a tick load throughout the study period. A significant decrease in tick load in animals in groups TxRG 2, 3 and 4 (P=0.0001) with increasing frequency of Ecotix® application was recorded. There was however no significant difference in tick reduction between TxRG 3 and 4 (P=0.0986). Thus TxRG 3 would be sufficient for the monthly tick treatment and with this regime, the farmer would save up to 2.5 USD per animal during six months of dry season. The study revealed a high tick infestation among the TSHZ kept in extensive grazing systems in Mvomero district and that when treated with Ecotix® as pour-on preparation using a two application regime per month, the tick

In vitro permissiveness of bovine neutrophils and monocyte derived macrophages to Leishmania donovani of Ethiopian isolate.

PubMed

Tasew, Geremew; Gadisa, Endalamaw; Abera, Adugna; Zewude, Aboma; Chanyalew, Menberework; Aseffa, Abraham; Abebe, Markos; Ritter, Uwe; van Zandbergen, Ger; Laskay, Tamás; Tafess, Ketema

2016-04-18

Epidemiological studies in Ethiopia have documented that the risk of visceral leishmaniasis (VL, Kala-azar) is higher among people living with domestic animals. The recent report on isolation of Leishmania donovani complex DNA and the detected high prevalence of anti-leishmanial antibodies in the blood of domestic animals further strengthen the potential role of domestic animals in the epidemiology of VL in Ethiopia. In mammalian hosts polymorphonuclear cells (PMN) and macrophages are the key immune cells influencing susceptibility or control of Leishmania infection. Thus to substantiate the possible role of cattle in VL transmission we investigate the permissiveness of bovine PMN and monocyte derived macrophages (MDM) for Leishmania (L.) donovani infection. Whole blood was collected from pure Zebu (Boss indicus) and their cross with Holstein Friesian cattle. L. donovani (MHOM/ET/67/HU3) wild and episomal green fluorescent protein (eGFP) labelled stationary stage promastigotes were co-incubated with whole blood and MDM to determine infection of these cells. Engulfment of promastigotes by the cells and their transformation to amastigote forms in MDM was studied with direct microscopy. Microscopy and flow cytometry were used to measure the infection rate while PCR-RLFP was used to confirm the infecting parasite. L. donovani infected bovine whole blood PMN in the presence of plasma factors and all cellular elements. Morphological examinations of stained cytospin smears revealed that PMN engulfed promastigotes. Similarly, we were able to show that bovine MDM can be infected by L. donovani, which transformed to amastigote forms in the cells. The in vitro infection of bovine PMN and MDM by L. donovani further strengthens the possibility that cattle might serve as source of L. donovani infection for humans.

Salmonella in peripheral lymph nodes of healthy cattle at slaughter

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

To more fully characterize the burden of Salmonella enterica in bovine peripheral lymph nodes (PLN), PLN (n=5,450) were collected from healthy cattle at slaughter in 12 commercial abattoirs that slaughtered feedlot-fattened (FF) cattle exclusively (n=7), cattle removed (or culled) from breeding herd...

Evaluation of the humoral immune responses in adult cattle and sheep, 4 and 2.5 years post-vaccination with a bluetongue serotype 8 inactivated vaccine.

PubMed

Batten, C A; Edwards, L; Oura, C A L

2013-08-20

One of the big surprises about the devastating outbreak of bluetongue serotype-8 that spread across Northern and Western Europe between 2006 and 2008 was how relatively quickly the virus was controlled and eradicated from affected countries. This was at least in part attributed to the high levels of vaccine coverage achieved in affected countries. A previous study revealed that neutralising antibodies persisted in the majority of vaccinated cattle for at least 3 years post-vaccination, indicating that cattle are likely to be protected for this time period. The current study revealed that neutralising antibodies persisted in the same group of cattle for up to 4 years post-vaccination, and that neutralising antibodies persisted for up to 2.5 years in sheep that had been vaccinated on two occasions one year apart. These results have implications for future bluetongue surveillance programmes and vaccine control strategies. Copyright © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Occurrence of tick-borne haemoparasites in cattle in the Mungwi District, Northern Province, Zambia.

PubMed

Tembo, Stephen; Collins, Nicola E; Sibeko-Matjila, Kgomotso P; Troskie, Milana; Vorster, Ilse; Byaruhanga, Charles; Oosthuizen, Marinda C

2018-03-01

Little is known about the occurrence of haemoparasites in cattle in communal grazing areas of Mungwi District of Northern Province, Zambia. Clinical signs and post mortem lesions are pathognomonic of mixed tick-borne infections especially babesiosis, anaplasmosis and East Coast fever. The main objective of this study was to screen selected communal herds of cattle for tick-borne haemoparasites, and identify the tick vectors associated with the high cattle mortalities due to suspected tick-borne diseases in the local breeds of cattle grazing along the banks of the Chambeshi River in Mungwi District, Northern Province, Zambia. A total of 299 cattle blood samples were collected from July to September 2010 from Kapamba (n = 50), Chifulo (n = 102), Chisanga (n = 38), Kowa (n = 95) and Mungwi central (n = 14) in the Mungwi District. A total of 5288 ticks were also collected from the sampled cattle from April to July 2011. DNA was extracted from the cattle blood and the hypervariable region of the parasite small subunit rRNA gene was amplified and subjected to the reverse line blot (RLB) hybridization assay. The results of the RLB assay revealed the presence of tick-borne haemoparasites in 259 (86.6%) cattle blood samples occurring either as single (11.0%) or mixed (75.6%) infections. The most prevalent species present were the benign Theileria mutans (54.5%) and T. velifera (51.5%). Anaplasma marginale (25.7%), Babesia bovis (7.7%) and B. bigemina (3.3%) DNA were also detected in the samples. Only one sample (from Kapamba) tested positive for the presence of T. parva. This was an unexpected finding; also because the tick vector, Rhipicephalus appendiculatus, was identified on animals from Kowa (14.0%), Chisanga (8.5%), Chifulo (6.0%) and Kapamba (1.4%). One sample (from Kapamba) tested positive for the presence of Ehrlichia ruminantium even though Amblyomma variegatum ticks were identified from 52.9% of the sampled animals from all study areas. There

Assessing the heat tolerance of 17 beef cattle genotypes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaughan, J. B.; Mader, T. L.; Holt, S. M.; Sullivan, M. L.; Hahn, G. L.

2010-11-01

Cattle production plays a significant role in terms of world food production. Nearly 82% of the world's 1.2 billion cattle can be found in developing countries. An increasing demand for meat in developing countries has seen an increase in intensification of animal industries, and a move to cross-bred animals. Heat tolerance is considered to be one of the most important adaptive aspects for cattle, and the lack of thermally-tolerant breeds is a major constraint on cattle production in many countries. There is a need to not only identify heat tolerant breeds, but also heat tolerant animals within a non-tolerant breed. Identification of heat tolerant animals is not easy under field conditions. In this study, panting score (0 to 4.5 scale where 0 = no stress and 4.5 = extreme stress) and the heat load index (HLI) [HLIBG<25°C = 10.66 + 0.28 × rh + 1.30 × BG - WS; and, HLI BG> 25°C = 8.62 + 0.38 × rh + 1.55 × BG - 0.5 × WS + e(2.4 - WS), where BG = black globe temperature (oC), rh = relative humidity (decimal form), WS = wind speed (m/s) and e is the base of the natural logarithm] were used to assess the heat tolerance of 17 genotypes (12,757 steers) within 13 Australian feedlots over three summers. The cattle were assessed under natural climatic conditions in which HLI ranged from thermonuetral (HLI < 70) to extreme (HLI > 96; black globe temperature = 40.2°C, relative humidity = 64%, wind speed = 1.58 m/s). When HLI > 96 a greater number ( P < 0.001) of pure bred Bos taurus and crosses of Bos taurus cattle had a panting score ≥ 2 compared to Brahman cattle, and Brahman-cross cattle. The heat tolerance of the assessed breeds was verified using panting scores and the HLI. Heat tolerance of cattle can be assessed under field conditions by using panting score and HLI.

West African Cattle Farmers' Perception of Tick-Borne Diseases.

PubMed

Adehan, Safiou B; Adakal, Hassane; Gbinwoua, Donald; Yokossi, Daté; Zoungrana, Sébastien; Toé, Patrice; Ouedraogo, Mathieu; Gbaguidi, A Michel; Adoligbé, Camus; Fandohan, A Belarmin; Hounmanou, Gildas; Glèlè Kakaï, Romain; Farougou, Souaïbou; De Clercq, Eva M

2018-03-13

Worldwide, cattle production is struggling to face the negative impacts caused by ticks and Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus is one of the most harmful ticks for livestock. Most of the people in West Africa depend on cattle farming and subsistence agriculture. The presence of ticks on cattle is a major problem faced by smallholder farmers who fight for their livelihood. National and regional tick control programs could assist these rural communities in protecting their livelihoods against ticks and tick-borne diseases, but only if they take into account the targeted herders and their perception on cattle management and tick control. This paper aims to provide a better insight in the socio-economic characteristics of Beninese cattle farmers, and their perception on tick burden, as well as to document common tick control strategies. Different tick species and their seasonality are well understood by cattle herders. For tick control, many still use manual tick removal, especially in the north of the country. The high cost of acaricides, the lack of financial means of African farmers, and of the local stockbreeders in particular, limits the use of acaricides in livestock breeding in Benin. While aiming to increase the meat or milk production of their animals, stockbreeders who can afford it sometimes turn to an abusive use of acaricides, which might in time lead to an increase in tick resistance. This study remains one of the rare studies to report extensively on the perceptions of West African cattle herders.

Anaplasma marginale and A. phagocytophilum in cattle in Tunisia.

PubMed

M'ghirbi, Youmna; Bèji, Marwa; Oporto, Beatriz; Khrouf, Fatma; Hurtado, Ana; Bouattour, Ali

2016-10-20

Tick-borne diseases caused by Anaplasma species put serious constraints on the health and production of domestic cattle in tropical and sub-tropical regions. After recovering from a primary infection, cattle typically become persistent carriers of pathogens and play a critical role in the epidemiology of the disease, acting as reservoirs of the Anaplasma spp. In this study a duplex PCR assay was used for the simultaneous detection of Anaplasma marginale and Anaplasma phagocytophilum in cattle using two primer pairs targeting msp4 and msp2 genes, respectively. We used this method to analyze DNA preparations derived from 328 blood cattle samples that were collected from 80 farms distributed among Tunisia's four bioclimatic zones. The prevalence of the A. marginale infection (24.7 %) was significantly higher and more widespread (in all bioclimatic areas) than that of A. phagocytophilum (0.6 %), which was found in a mixed infection with A. marginale. The duplex PCR assay used proved to be a rapid, specific and inexpensive mean for the simultaneous detection of Anaplasma marginale and Anaplasma phagocytophilum in cattle blood. It allowed us to report the identification of A. phagocytophilum for the first time in cattle in Tunisia and confirm the presence of A. marginale in cattle from several geographical areas of the country. Further epidemiological studies undertaken using this assay will help improve the surveillance of the associated diseases in the regions where they are endemic.