Hasil untuk "Cattle"

DEWI N. M. A. K., S. P. SYAHLANI, F. T. HARYADI

The marketing strategy needs serious attention because the marketing process with the right marketing channels can provide the best selling price because it has an impact on increasing farmers' income. In 1990, farmers implemented direct marketing channels. On the other hand, the last two decades have shown that farmers' dependence on belantik is higher compared to direct marketing channels. A study to identify the role of belantik needs to be carried out to determine the basis of livestock farmers' dependence on belantik as an intermediary in the marketing channel for Bali cattle in Bali Province. The method used is a literature review. The results of the study show that marketing of Bali cattle in Bali Province is still dominated by indirect marketing involving belantik to market livestock to inter-island traders and slaughterers. The high dependence of farmers on belantik is due to the farmers' weak bargaining power, such as small livestock ownership scale, high transportation costs, unavailability of capital, livestock as a side business, lack of entrepreneurial spirit, no livestock price standards, and farmers lack skills in estimating body weight which allows livestock not to be sold or sold at low prices. This condition shows that belantik has quite an important role in marketing bali cattle in Bali Province.

Reiichiro Sato, Sueun Kim, Shoichi Okada et al.

BackgroundHernia formation is a well-known abdominal wall disorder in calves and most often occurs in the umbilical region. In addition, it occurs in the abdominal wall outside the umbilical region. It has been reported to involve acquired factors, such as external force to the lower or lateral abdominal wall, trauma, muscle weakness, and, although rare, congenital or hereditary factors. Although there have been reports on the repair of abdominal wall hernias caused by abnormal muscle formation, there have been no reports on the treatment of abdominal wall hernias caused by abnormal vertebral and rib formation in cattle or other ruminants. In this study, for the first time, we describe a case of successful closure of a hernia in the left flank caused by malformation of the vertebrae and ribs. The repair was performed by narrowing the ribs using a surgical wire and covering the defect with a free omental graft.Case presentationA male Japanese Black calf showed a mild bulge of the left abdominal wall and abnormal morphology of the left ribs immediately after birth. At 3 months of age, computed tomography revealed fusion of the 9th, 10th, and 11th thoracic vertebrae and missing formation of the 10th and 11th left ribs at the thoracic vertebral fusion site. Additionally, a 15.2 × 24.4 cm abdominal hernia had formed in the abdominal wall. During surgery, the ribs forming the hernia were narrowed with a surgical wire, and the hernia was covered with a large autologous free omental graft to prevent intra-abdominal organ prolapse. At the monthly follow-up (11 months after surgery), the calf had developed similarly to other calves of the same age on the farm, and no complications were noted.ConclusionsThe current case shows that a combination of rib correction using a surgical wire combined with transplantation of a free autologous greater omentum graft was shown to be a possible treatment option for surgical repair of large abdominal wall hernias caused by rib malformation.

Dan Zhao, Yu-Hao Song, Jin-Ming Song et al.

Previously, we researched that bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) induced a very significant increase in fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) expression in mouse liver and that FGF21 was increased in the peripheral blood of BVD cattle and BVD mice. To determine the role of FGF21 in relieving clinical symptoms and inhibiting the intestinal damage caused by BVDV in BVD development in mice, BALB/c mice were intraperitoneally injected with cytopathic biotype (cp) BVDV-LS01 (isolated and identified by our group) to establish a BVD mouse model. The role of FGF21 in the BVD mouse model was investigated by injecting the mice with FGF21. The animals were divided into control, BVDV challenge, BVDV + FGF21, BVDV + FGF21Ab (anti-FGF21 antibody), and BVDV + IgG (immunoglobulin G) groups. The stool consistency, the degree of bloody diarrhea, histopathological changes, inflammatory cell infiltration, weight loss percentage, and detection of BVDV in the feces of the mice were examined, and the pathological changes and inflammatory cytokine expression were analyzed. The results showed that after BVDV challenge, the average BVD mouse model score of the BVDV mice was 11.6 points. In addition to mild diarrhea and tissue damage, BVDV was detected in the stools of 13 BVDV mice. Only two mice in the control group had scores (both, 1 point each). The comprehensive scoring results demonstrated the successful establishment of the BVD mouse model. FGF21 alleviated the clinical symptoms in the BVD mice and significantly improved weight loss. Furthermore, FGF21 inhibited the BVDV-induced leukocyte, platelet, and lymphocyte reduction while inhibiting the expression of BVDV-induced inflammatory factors. In the BVD mice, FGF21 promoted duodenal epithelial cell proliferation, thereby significantly improving the damage to the cells. In conclusion, FGF21 exerted a good therapeutic effect on the BVD mouse model.

Sotohy Ahmed Mohamed, Ehsan A. Hassan, Amgad A. Ezzat et al.

A cross sectional study was conducted to isolate and identify Shiga toxinproducing Escherichia coli (STEC) from raw cow milk. A total of 267 milk samples were collected from apparently healthy cattle in 7 different dairy farms. Thirty-nine STEC isolate were identified out of 86-positive E. coli strains (56.98%). The prevalence of E. coli and STEC was 32.2% and 18.4%, respectively. Antimicrobial susceptibility of the isolated STEC was determined by disc diffusion method. A total of 16 antimicrobials of seven antimicrobial classes were used. Commercially available antibiotic disc namely aminoglycosides [Erythromycin (15 μg), Clindamycin (2μg, Kanamycin (30 μg, Amikacin (30 μg) , Gentamicin (10 μg), cephalosporins (Cefepime (30 μg, Cefotaxime (30μg), Cefazolin (30μg], Fluoroquinolones [Naladixic acid (30 μg), Ciprofloxacin (5 μg), Levofloxacin (5μg)], penicillin (Ampicillin 10 μg),Tetracycline (tetracycline 30 μg), Sulphonamides (Sulphamethoxazol 30 μg, and Carbapenems [Meropenem 10 μg, Imipenem 10 μg] were used. E. coli strain ATCC25922 was used as a control strain in the experiment. Highest resistance was observed against erythromycin (100%) followed by cefepime (97.4%) and clindamycin (82.1%), Nalidixic acid (61.5%), sulphamethazon (48.7%), tetracycline (41.0), kanamycin (33.3%), and cefotaxime (33.3%). Carapenems were found to be the most effective antimicrobial group where the examined STEC isolates were susceptible to Imipinem at 97.4% (38/39), followed by Meropenem at 94.9% (37/39). Results showed that multidrug resistance STEC isolates were 81.25% of the tested antimicrobial (13/16). In conclusion, high prevalence of STEC in raw milk indicate insufficient hygienic measures adopted during milking and handling and verify that raw milk is potential source of these multidrug resistant strains.

Mounir Adnane, Aspinas Chapwanya

Cattle have a genital microbiome that is established early in life, even before calving. Microbial influx into the reproductive system of cows, during calving or mating, is unavoidable and is likely to alter the commensal microflora composition. It is now well established that a commensal endometrial flora is largely responsible for the overall fertility of cows. These microbes are important for maintenance of structural integrity of the genital mucosal barrier, immunomodulation, and protection against pathogens. Further, the genital microbiome functions in the semiochemical communication between a male and female. An optimal balance between the abundance and diversity of the microbiome is essential to promote female genital tract health. Disruption of this balance leads to dysbiosis and genital diseases and perturbed fertility. As part of the global strategy of One World, One Health, there is a need to reduce antibiotic use in animals. This area of research has the potential to expand the knowledge about the nexus between the endometrial microbiome and fertility including being probiotic in different species.

Heather W. Neave, Karin E. Schütz, Dawn E. Dalley

ABSTRACT: Dairy cows are motivated to access dry lying surfaces and will seek protection from wind and rain, but winter conditions may limit these opportunities when cows are managed outdoors. The primary aim of this observational study was to determine the effects of weather and paddock soil conditions on lying behavior of dairy cows managed outdoors during winter and fed crop in situ, a practice occurring in New Zealand with year-round grazing of dairy cows. A secondary aim was to characterize eating and ruminating behaviors during winter weather and paddock soil conditions. Four groups (99 nonlactating, pregnant cows each) were managed on 4 outdoor paddock areas on the same farm; the groups were fed pasture silage and grazed either kale (2 groups) or fodder beet (2 groups). Behaviors were recorded using validated leg-based (lying behavior) and ear-based (eating and ruminating time) accelerometers on 30 focal cows in each group over 32 d. Soil depth and wetness were scored daily at 25 points along 4 transects within each paddock area using recognized technical measures (penetrometer, soil volumetric water content), which were compared with practical tools for farmer use (ruler, moisture meter, percentage of sites in paddock scored as dry, wet, sodden, or with surface water pooling). Rainfall occurred most days during the study (mean 1.6 mm/d; maximum 12.2 mm/d), resulting in wet and muddy paddocks (mud depth with ruler: mean 6 cm, maximum 18 cm; paddock sites scored as wet or sodden: mean 34%, maximum 100%; paddock sites with surface water pooling: mean 27%, maximum 100%). Group lying time was 9.6 ± 2.3 h/d (mean ± standard deviation); however, 21% of cows consistently lay less than 8 h/d (to a minimum of 4.9 h/d). A mixed regression model tested the effects of daily weather and paddock soil conditions on daily lying time, with group as the observational unit, day as repeated measure, crop type as a fixed effect, crop type interactions with explanatory variables, and random intercepts of group and paddock within group. Lying time was less on the day of and day after rainfall (24 and 29 min/d less for 1 mm increase in rainfall, respectively). Two days after rainfall, lying time rebounded to about 1 h longer than before the rainfall. On the day after the heaviest rainfall event, group average lying time was only 2.5 ± 1.9 h/d (mean ± standard deviation); in 2 groups, 30% and 38% of cows, respectively, did not lie down at all for 24 h. Lying time decreased with deteriorating paddock soil conditions, especially with increasing surface water pooling, suggesting that this may be a useful measure to estimate the quality of the lying surface. Descriptively, ruminating time appeared to decrease with increased surface water pooling, possibly due to decreased lying time. Our results demonstrated that dairy cows could experience periods of short or no lying time during inclement weather and muddy paddock soil conditions. Prior rainfall and surface water pooling may be useful measures to determine if lying time, and thus animal welfare, are compromised.

Zhiyuan Fang, Guowen Liu, Mengyao Zhu et al.

ABSTRACT: Mitochondria are the main site of fatty acid oxidation and reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation. Damaged or dysfunctional mitochondria induce oxidative stress and increase the risk of lipid accumulation. During the process of mitophagy, PTEN induced kinase 1 (PINK1) accumulates on damaged mitochondria and recruits cytoplasmic Parkin to mitochondria. As an autophagy receptor protein, sequestosome-1 (p62) binds Parkin-ubiquitinated outer mitochondrial membrane proteins and microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3) to facilitate degradation of damaged mitochondria. In nonruminants, clearance of dysfunctional mitochondria through the PINK1/Parkin-mediated mitophagy pathway contributes to reducing ROS production and maintaining metabolic homeostasis. Whether PINK1/Parkin-mediated mitophagy plays a similar role in dairy cow liver is not well known. Thus, the objective of this study was to investigate mitophagy status in dairy cows with fatty liver and its role in free fatty acid (FFA)-induced oxidative stress and lipid accumulation. Liver and blood samples were collected from healthy dairy cows (n = 10) and cows with fatty liver (n = 10) that had a similar number of lactations (median = 3, range = 2 to 4) and days in milk (median = 6 d, range = 3 to 9 d). Calf hepatocytes were isolated from 5 healthy newborn female Holstein calves (1 d of age, 30–40 kg). Hepatocytes were transfected with small interfering RNA targeted against PRKN for 48 h or transfected with PRKN overexpression plasmid for 36 h, followed by treatment with FFA (0.3 or 1.2 mM) for 12 h. Mitochondria were isolated from fresh liver tissue or calf hepatocytes. Serum concentrations of β-hydroxybutyrate were higher in dairy cows with fatty liver. Hepatic malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) were greater in cows with fatty liver. The lower protein abundance of PINK1, Parkin, p62, and LC3-II in hepatic mitochondrial fraction of dairy cows with fatty liver indicated the mitophagy was impaired. In hepatocytes, knockdown of PRKN decreased protein abundance of p62 and LC3-II in the mitochondrial fraction, and increased contents of triacylglycerol (TG), MDA, and H2O2. In addition, protein abundances of PINK1, Parkin, p62, and LC3-II were lower in the mitochondrial fraction from hepatocytes treated with 1.2 mM FFA than the hepatocytes treated with 0.3 mM FFA, whereas the content of TG, MDA, and H2O2 increased. In 1.2 mM FFA-treated hepatocytes, PRKN overexpression increased protein abundance of p62 and LC3-II in the mitochondrial fraction and decreased contents of TG, MDA, and H2O2. Together, our data demonstrate that low abundance of mitophagy markers is associated with ROS overproduction in dairy cows with fatty liver and impaired mitophagy induced by a high concentration of FFA promotes ROS production and lipid accumulation in female calf hepatocytes.

Luciano Iván Alzogaray, Matías Nino Caraffini

En la provincia de La Pampa, la principal limitante que encuentran los molinos es la baja calidad panadera. Esto se atribuye principalmente a los problemas de fertilidad de los suelos sumado a un uso insuficiente de fertilizantes. La concentración proteica en el grano de trigo (Triticum aestivum L.) es de gran interés agronómico ya que el contenido de proteínas es uno de los determinantes del precio del grano y afecta la calidad panadera como en el valor nutricional. Esta investigación tiene por objetivo evaluar el efecto de la partición de la fertilización nitrogenada sobre la concentración de proteína en grano de trigo (Triticum aestivum L.) en la región semiárida pampeana. El experimento se realizó a campo y se trabajó con los genotipos Klein Proteo, ACA 315, Baguette Premium 11 y Themix. Los dos primeros pertenecen al grupo de calidad 1, el segundo al grupo 2 y el tercero integra el grupo 3. Se fertilizó al estado de macollaje con 100 Kg urea.ha-1 y en floración con de 20 Kg nitrógeno.ha-1 con mochila manual. Se determinó el rendimiento en grano, la concentración de proteína en grano, la concentración de nitrógeno en hoja bandera y el índice de verdor en espigazón y floración. La fertilización nitrogenada en macollaje determina la concentración de proteína en grano para todos los cultivares en estudio. Las diferencias genotípicas en la concentración de proteína en grano pueden asociarse a diferencias genotípicas en la removilización de nitrógeno desde la hoja al grano dado que Klein Proteo, un cultivar del grupo 1 de calidad, mostró la mayor reducción de nitrógeno en hoja en función de la edad y la concentración más elevada de proteína en grano. Por otra parte, es factible que aumente la concentración de proteína en grano ante la fertilización nitrogenada en macollaje si la concentración de nitrógeno en hoja en Z51 es inferior al 4%. No obstante, siempre es conveniente realizar un muestreo presiembra y en base a eso agregar el faltante de nitrógeno, según lo requerido, 30 kg/tn de producto esperado, como así también analizar los pronósticos y la evolución del año para ver la factibilidad de la fertilización en macollaje. Directora: Pereyra Cardozo, María Clementina Co-Director: Fernández, Miguel Ángel

Enrique Trasviña-Muñoz, Gilberto López-Valencia, Francisco Javier Monge-Navarro et al.

Stray dogs are one of the main reservoirs of intestinal parasitic infections and some have zoonotic potential. An epidemiological survey was carried out between September 2017 and May 2018 in Mexicali Valley, this area sacrifices around 92,470 head of cattle monthly, which represents 27% of the national slaughter and has 71,307 hectares for crops. In this period the Municipal Animal Control Center during their routine visits to the Mexicali Valley captured 103 dogs. All the dogs were evaluated using copromicroscopic techniques to detect intestinal parasites. The general frequency of parasitic infections was 28.15% (29/103), the most frequent parasite being <i>Dipylidium caninum</i> 16.50% (17/103), followed by <i>Taenia</i> spp. 6.79% (7/103), <i>Taenia hydatigena</i> 2.91% (3/103), <i>Taenia serialis</i> 0.97% (1/103), <i>Taenia pisiformis</i> (0.97%)<i>,</i> <i>Toxocara canis</i> 3.88% (4/103), <i>Toxascaris leonina</i> 1.94% (2/103), and <i>Cystoisospora</i> spp. 1.94% (2/103). No significant statistical associations were found between parasitic infections and the studied variables (sex, age, and size) however; there was a significant statistical association with the capture area. Most of the parasites found in this survey have potential to affect the human population and animal production.

Shan Li, Pengtao Gong, Nan Zhang et al.

Neospora caninum is an obligate intracellular apicomplexan parasite, the etiologic agent of neosporosis, and a major cause of reproductive loss in cattle. There is still a lack of effective prevention and treatment measures. The 14-3-3 protein is a widely expressed acidic protein that spontaneously forms dimers within apicomplexan parasites. This protein has been isolated and sequenced in many parasites; however, there are few reports about the N. caninum 14-3-3 protein. Here, we successfully expressed and purified a recombinant fusion protein of Nc14-3-3 (rNc14-3-3) and prepared a polyclonal antibody. Immunofluorescence and immunogold electron microscopy studies of tachyzoites or N. caninum-infected cells suggested that 14-3-3 was localized in the cytosol and the membrane. Western blotting analysis indicated that rNc14-3-3 could be recognized by N. caninum-infected mouse sera, suggesting that 14-3-3 may be an infection-associated antigen that is involved in the host immune response. We demonstrated that rNc14-3-3 induced cytokine expression by activating the MAPK and AKT signaling pathways, and inhibitors of p38, ERK, JNK, and AKT could significantly decrease the production of IL-6, IL-12p40, and TNF-α. In addition, phosphorylated nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB/p65) was observed in wild-type peritoneal macrophages (PMs) treated with rNc14-3-3, and the protein level of NF-κB/p65 was reduced in the cytoplasm but increased correspondingly in the nucleus after 2 h of treatment. These results were also observed in deficient in TLR2-/- PMs. Taken together, our results indicated that the N. caninum 14-3-3 protein can induce effective immune responses and stimulate cytokine expression by activating the MAPK, AKT, and NF-κB signaling pathways but did not dependent TLR2, suggesting that Nc14-3-3 is a novel vaccine candidate against neosporosis.

B. Prister, V. Slavov, V. Bidenko

Aim. To estimate the impact of additions of different doses of copper, cobalt and iodine salts to the diet of dry and lactating cows on the absorption and removal of 137 Сs from the organism. Methods. Four groups of black and white breed cows –– were selected for the study on the farm in Narodychi district of Zhytomyr region following the traditional methods. The animals were fed salts of microelements with concentrated feedstuffs. Specifi c radioactivity of feedstuffs, feces, urine, milk was defi ned by the gamma-spectrometry method using AMA-OZF analyzer. Results. During the dry period the content of 137 Сs in nutrition of cows of experimental groups was almost the same, whereas its removal from the organism of animals was different depending on the impact of microelements on the degree of radionuclide absorption. The exceeding of the norms of copper and cobalt by 30 % and iodine – by 70 % promotes the decrease of “visible” absorption of cesium and enhances its removal due to the radionuclide, accumulated in the tissues. The radioactivity of the diet of animals dur- ing lactation increased considerably (22–26-fold) and amounted to 17–22 kBq per day; at the same time high bioavailability of the radionuclide was revealed. The increase in 137 Cs content in the diet of cows during the grazing period is related to the use of contaminated fi elds. In May specifi c radioactivity of cow milk was the lowest; its insignifi cant increase (50–65 Bq/l) was observed in June, July and August. The radioactivity of cow milk in September and October increased considerably (150–184 Bq/l). The fortifi cation of the diet of animals of the 3 rd experimental group with copper, cobalt, and iodine promoted the decrease in the radioactivity of cow milk comparing the cow milk of the 1 st experimental group and the milk of the 4 th experimental group. During the lactation period the least absorption of the radionuclide was revealed for the normative consumption of all the microelements, and the highest – for the increased consumption of cobalt only. Conclusions. The vegeta- tive feedstuffs of dairy cattle in Polissia provides the requirement of cobalt for 30–35 %, iodine – for 25–30 %, copper – for 70 % in winter, and during the grazing period in summer – for 25, 35, and 60 % respectively. The fortifi cation of the diet of cows with microelements promotes the decrease in the absorption of 137 Сs in the gastrointestinal tract and its reduced transfer into cow milk.

Hyun Kim, Young Moo Cho, Yeoung-Gyu Ko et al.

Investigations for hematologic values and the differential count of WBC for Korean indigenous cattle (KIC) and Stripped Cattle (SC) are rarely performed. Therefore, when the index of complete blood counts (CBC) analysis of KIC and SC were requested, it had many difficulties to make the results for blood condition since the standard hematologic values of KIC and SC are lacking. The objective of this study was to investigated the hematologic values and the differential count of WBC for blood of total 19 striped cattle (SC) and 187 KIC as a control by estimation analysis of hematologic characteristics. As a result, the mean values of RBC and platelet of KIC were significantly decreased by age (p<0.05). The mean values of RBC, HCT, MCV and MCHC between KIC and SC of the same age (2~3 years) showed the statistical significance (p<0.05). Also, in the WBC of KIC, the mean values were decreased according to the age from 13.8 × 103/μl under 1 year to 9.5 × 103/μl over 5 years. In the differential count of WBC of KIC, it showed generally the rates of 46.2% lymphocyte and 36% segmented neutrophil. Additionally, in comparative analysis between pregnant and non-pregnant group of KIC, the mean values of Hg and HCT in pregnant group were significantly decreased(p<0.05). In conclusion, data obtained from this study may be valuable as a standard for interpretation of the results in hematologic analysis of KIC. Result of this study will be used for establishing reference range for hematologic analysis in SC.

Selene Marozzi, Paola Scaramozzino, Renato Colafrancesco

In recent years, beef meat chain has undergone major transformations due to Community legislation and market changes. The purpose of this work is to analyse the information recorded in Banca Dati Nazionale (BDN; Italian computerised database for the identification and registration of bovine animals) on cattle and buffaloes slaughtered between 2000 and 2012 and related to Lazio Region as a result of breeding and/or slaughtering place. The analysis of the data showed a negative trend (-20.7%) for cattle slaughtered from 2000 to 2012. Most of this animals had been raised in Lazio Region (86%) and in particular in the province of Frosinone. The average age at slaughter for female is about 4 years (1417 days) and for males of 547 days. The buffaloes, however, are intended for slaughter at an average age of about 8 years, if female, and about one year if male.

S. Shekhar, A. K. Sahoo, N. Dalai et al.

Aim: The aim was to study the chromosome analysis of arsenic affected cattle. Materials and Methods: 27 female cattle (21 arsenic affected and 6 normal) were selected for cytogenetical study. The blood samples were collected, incubated, and cultured using appropriate media and specific methods. The samples were analyzed for chromosome number and morphology, relative length of the chromosome, arm ratio, and centromere index of X chromosome and chromosomal abnormalities in arsenic affected cattle to that of normal ones. Results: The diploid number of metaphase chromosomes in arsenic affected cattle as well as in normal cattle were all 2n=60, 58 being autosomes and 2 being sex chromosomes. From the centromeric position, karyotyping studies revealed that all the 29 pair of autosomes was found to be acrocentric or telocentric, and the sex chromosomes (XX) were submetacentric in both normal and arsenic affected cattle. The relative length of all the autosome pairs and sex chrosomosome pair was found to be higher in normal than that of arsenic affected cattle. The mean arm ratio of X-chromosome was higher in normal than that of arsenic affected cattle, but it is reverse in case of centromere index value of X-chromosome. There was no significant difference of arm ratio and centromere index of X-chromosomes between arsenic affected and normal cattle. No chromosomal abnormalities were found in arsenic affected cattle. Conclusion: The chromosome analysis of arsenic affected cattle in West Bengal reported for the first time in this present study which may serve as a guideline for future studies in other species. These reference values will also help in comparison of cytological studies of arsenic affected cattle to that of various toxicants.

G.E. Pollott, A. Charlesworth, D.C. Wathes

The use of molecular genetic information in the evaluation of livestock has become more common. This study looks at the efficacy of using such information to improve the genetic evaluation of a rare breed of dual-purpose cattle. Data were available in the form of pedigree information on the Gloucester cattle breed in the United Kingdom and recorded milk and beef performance on a small number of animals. In addition, molecular genetic information in the form of multi-marker, multiple regression results converted to a 1 to 10 score (Igenity scores) and 123 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotypes for 199 non-recorded animals were available. Appropriate mixed-animal models were explored for the recorded traits and these were used to calculate estimated breeding values (EBV), and their accuracies, for 6527 animals in the breed’s pedigree file. Various ways to improve the accuracy of these EBV were explored. This involved using multivariate BLUP analyses, genomic estimated breeding values (GEBV) and combining Igenity scores with recorded traits in a series of bivariate genetic analyses. Using the milk recording traits as an example, the accuracy of a number of traits could be improved using multivariate analyses by up to 14%, depending on the combination of traits used. The level of increase in accuracy largely corresponded to the absolute difference between the genetic and residual correlations between two traits, but this was not always symmetrical. The use of GEBV did not increase the accuracy of milk trait EBV owing to the low proportion of variance explained by the 101 SNPs used. Using Igenity scores in bivariate analyses with the recorded data was more successful in increasing EBV accuracy. The largest increases were found in genotyped animals with no recorded performance (e.g. a 58% increase in fat weight in milk); however, the size of the increase depended on the level of the genetic correlation between the recorded trait and the Igenity score for that trait. Lower levels of improvements in accuracy were seen in animals that were recoded but not genotyped, and ancestors which were neither genotyped nor recorded. This study demonstrated that it was possible to improve the accuracy of EBV estimation by including Igenity score information in genetic analyses but it also concluded that increasing the level of performance recording in the breed would be beneficial.

Monika Sharma, Rakesh Sehgal, Bashir Ahmad Fomda et al.

BACKGROUND: Cystic echinococcosis (CE) caused by the Echinococcus granulosus, is a major public health problem worldwide, including India. The different genotypes of E. granulosus responsible for human hydatidosis have been reported from endemic areas throughout the world. However, the genetic characterization of E. granulosus infecting the human population in India is lacking. The aim of study was to ascertain the genotype(s) of the parasite responsible for human hydatidosis in North India. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: To study the transmission patterns of E. granulosus, genotypic analysis was performed on hydatid cysts obtained from 32 cystic echinococcosis (CE) patients residing in 7 different states of North India. Mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit1 (cox1) sequencing was done for molecular identification of the isolates. Most of the CE patients (30/32) were found to be infected with hydatid cyst of either G3 (53.1%) or G1 (40.62%) genotype and one each of G5 (cattle strain) and G6 (camel strain) genotype. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: These findings demonstrate the zoonotic potential of G1 (sheep strain) and G3 (buffalo strain) genotypes of E. granulosus as these emerged as predominant genotypes infecting the humans in India. In addition to this, the present study reports the first human CE case infected with G5 genotype (cattle strain) in an Asian country and presence of G6 genotype (camel strain) in India. The results may have important implications in the planning of control strategies for human hydatidosis.

S. Grant, D. E. Suckling, H. K. Smith et al.

D. Poppi, D. Minson, J. Ternouth

A. Yang, T. Larsen, R. Tume

L. Corner, L. Melville, K. McCUBBIN et al.