Tag-SNP selection using Bayesian genomewide association study for growth traits in Hereford and Braford cattle

The aim of this study was to perform a Bayesian genomewide association study (GWAS) to identify genomic regions associated with growth traits in Hereford and Braford cattle, and to select Tag-SNPs to represent these regions in low-density panels useful for genomic predictions. In addition, we propose candidate genes through functional enrichment analysis associated with growth traits using Medical Subject Headings (MeSH). Phenotypic data from 126,290 animals and genotypes for 131 sires and 3,545 animals were used. The Tag-SNPs were selected with BayesB (π = 0.995) method to compose low-density panels. The number of Tag-single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) ranged between 79 and 103 SNP for the growth traits at weaning and between 78 and 100 SNP for the yearling growth traits. The average proportion of variance explained by Tag-SNP with BayesA was 0.29, 0.23, 0.32 and 0.19 for birthweight (BW), weaning weight (WW205), yearling weight (YW550) and postweaning gain (PWG345), respectively. For Tag-SNP with BayesA method accuracy values ranged from 0.13 to 0.30 for k-means and from 0.30 to 0.65 for random clustering of animals to compose reference and validation groups. Although genomic prediction accuracies were higher with the full marker panel, predictions with low-density panels retained on average 76% of the accuracy obtained with BayesB with full markers for growth traits. The MeSH analysis was able to translate genomic information providing biological meanings of more specific gene products related to the growth traits. The proposed Tag-SNP panels may be useful for future fine mapping studies and for lower-cost commercial genomic prediction applications.     

Ultrasonographic cervical evaluation: A tool to select ewes for non-surgical embryo recovery

This study assessed the cervical ultrasonography mapping as a tool to select donor ewes for non-surgical embryo recovery (NSER). Lacaune ewes had their cervix evaluated by ultrasonography 12 hr after induced oestrus onset (Trial 1, n = 24) or 30 min before NSER (Trial 2, n = 17). Cervical rings were longitudinally evaluated and classified by their degree of misalignment on ultrasonography (DMUS) into: DMUS-1—cervix rectilinear, DMUS-2—intermediate and DMUS-3—highly asymmetrical. For predicting cervical transposing, only DMUS-1 and DMUS-2 were considered suitable. Similar ranking was attributed to degree of misalignment on the cervical map (DMCM 1–3), established immediately before NSER, which was performed at days 6 to 7 after oestrus. In Trial 1, cervical retraction for NSER was not possible only in three ewes classified as DMUS-3 (3/14, 21.4%). No difference (p > .05) was observed in the cervical transposing rates between ewes with different DMUS (ranged from 80% to 100%). In Trial 2, DMUS-1 and DMUS-2 reached 100% of transposing, and the only DMUS-3 ewe has not been transposed. In Trial 1, the prediction performance for successful cervical transposing showed low sensitivity (45%) and no specificity due to a high incidence of false negatives (52%). However, in Trial 2, sensitivity and specificity were both 100%. The DMCM and DMUS were uncorrelated, probably due to cervical stretching required to perform NSER. In conclusion, cervical ultrasound assessment immediately before NSER was more efficient to predict the cervical transposing than at induced oestrus, allowing the classification and selection of ewes eligible for NSER.     

Effects of crude protein and lactose levels in diets on growth performance,intestinal morphology,and expression of genes related to intestinal integrity and immune system in weaned piglets

To evaluate the effects of crude protein (CP) and lactose (LAC) for weaned piglets on performance, intestinal morphology, and expression of genes related to intestinal integrity and immune system, 144 piglets with initial weight 7.17 ± 0.97 kg were allotted in a randomized design, in a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement (20.0% and 24.0% CP and 8.0%, 12.0%, and 16.0% LAC) with eight replicates. Piglets fed 20.0% CP had greater weight gain and feed intake. Including 12.0% LAC in the 20.0% CP diet provided higher villous height in the duodenum than 8.0% LAC, and 12.0% or 16.0% LAC in the 24.0% CP diet resulted in higher villous height in the jejunum and ileum, and higher villi/crypt ratio in the ileum than 8.0% LAC. No effects of CP and LAC on interleukin‐1β and tumor necrosis factor‐α mRNA were observed. The 16.0% LAC diet provided higher gene expression of transforming‐β1 growth factor. Feeding 20.0% CP resulted in better performance than 24.0% CP. The 12.0% LAC diet promoted greater genetic expression of occludin and zonula occludens. Including 12.0% LAC in the diet may improve intestinal epithelial morphology and integrity, and these improvements are more evident when piglets are fed diets with 24.0% CP.     

Effects of age and season on conception rate of Mediterranean Italian Dairy Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) following oestrus synchronization and fixed-time artificial insemination

The objective of this project was to report the effects of season and age on conception rate amongst Italian Mediterranean Buffalo subjected to an Ovsynch/Resynch (O/R) reproductive management protocol. The study utilized nulliparous (heifers), primiparous buffalo cows (PBC) and multiparous buffalo cows (MBC). The primiparous and multiparous groups were subjected to the synchronization protocol throughout the entire year, but heifers were synchronized and inseminated only during the spring/summer seasons. The conception rate obtained following the OvSynch oestrus synchronization protocol, applied during spring, was 68.4% for heifers, 83.3% for PBC and 67.7% for MBC. The overall total conception rates following the complete O/R protocol were 84.27%, 94.4% and 79%. Conception rates achieved during summer were heifers 52%, PBC 47.2% and MBC 49%, whilst overall conception rates following the full O/R protocol were 72%, 69.8% and 58.2% respectively. In the autumn seasons, PBC conceived 58.9% and MBC 52.1% following initial Ovsynch, which improved to total overall conception rates of 87.5% and 78.7% following the full O/R protocol. Similarly, in the winter season, PBC experienced a conception rate of 47.5% following Ovsynch and 72.5% after a follow-up Resynch. MBC experienced 60.0% and 74.4% conception following Ovsynch and full O/R, respectively, during winter. Total conception rates during all seasons were quite acceptable following the O/R protocol. There was a significant decrease from spring to summer in conception rate for all parity groups, but heifers were not a severely affected as older buffalo cows. This finding agrees with that of other investigators indicating that heifer fertility is not as negatively impacted by long photoperiod and higher ambient temperature as that of older animals. The O/R protocol as utilized in this study is an effective means of reproductive management for dairy buffalo cows and is effective for improving fertility during out-of-season breeding.     

Genetic analysis of growth,visual scores,height, and carcass traits in Nelore cattle

Covariance components were estimated for growth traits (BW, birth weight; WW, weaning weight; YW, yearling weight), visual scores (BQ, breed quality; CS, conformation; MS, muscling; NS, navel; PS, finishing precocity), hip height (HH), and carcass traits (BF, backfat thickness; LMA, longissimus muscle area) measured at yearling. Genetic gains were obtained and validation models on direct and maternal effects for BW and WW were fitted. Genetic correlations of growth traits with CS, PS, MS, and HH ranged from 0.20 ± 0.01 to 0.94 ± 0.01 and were positive and low with NS (0.11 ± 0.01 to 0.20 ± 0.01) and favorable with BQ (0.14 ± 0.02 to 0.37 ± 0.02). Null to moderate genetic correlations were obtained between growth and carcass traits. Genetic gains were positive and significant, except for BW. An increase of 0.76 and 0.72 kg is expected for BW and WW, respectively, per unit increase in estimated breeding value (EBV) for direct effect and an additional 0.74 and 1.43, respectively, kg per unit increase in EBV for the maternal effect. Monitoring genetic gains for HH and NS is relevant to maintain an adequate body size and a navel morphological correction, if necessary. Simultaneous selection for growth, morphological, and carcass traits in line with improve maternal performance is a feasible strategy to increase herd productivity.     

Does dietary tocopherol level affect fatty acid metabolism in fish?

Fish are a rich source of the n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), particularly the highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFA) eicosapentaenoic (EPA; 20:5n-3) and docosahexaenoic (DHA; 22:6n-3) acids, which are vital constituents for cell membrane structure and function, but which are also highly susceptible to attack by oxygen and other organic radicals. Resultant damage to PUFA in membrane phospholipids can have serious consequences for cell membrane structure and function, with potential pathological effects on cells and tissues. Physiological antioxidant protection involves both endogenous components, such as free-radical-scavenging enzymes, and exogenous dietary micronutrients including tocopherols and tocotrienols, the vitamin E-type compounds widely regarded as the primary lipid-soluble antioxidants. The antioxidant activities of tocopherols are imparted by their ability to donate their phenolic hydrogen atoms to lipid (fatty acid) free radicals, resulting in the stabilization of the latter and the termination of the lipid peroxidation chain reaction. However, tocopherols can also prevent PUFA peroxidation by acting as quenchers of singlet oxygen. Recent studies on marine fish have shown correlations between dietary and tissue PUFA/tocopherol ratios and incidence of lipid peroxidation, as indicated by the levels of thiobarbituric-acid reactive substances (TBARS) and isoprostanes. These studies also showed that feeding diets containing oxidized oil significantly affected the activities of liver antioxidant defence enzymes and that dietary tocopherol partially attenuated these effects. However, there is evidence that dietary tocopherols can affect fatty acid metabolism in other ways. An increase in membrane PUFA was observed in rats deficient in vitamin E. This was suggested to be due to overproduction of PUFA arising from increased activity of the desaturation/elongation mechanisms responsible for the synthesis of PUFA. Consistent with this, increased desaturation of 18:3n-3 and 20:5n-3 in hepatocytes from salmon fed diets deficient in tocopherol and/or astaxanthin has been observed. Although the mechanism is unclear, tocopherols may influence the biosynthesis of n-3PUFA through alteration of cellular oxidation potential or peroxide tone.     

White Spot Syndrome Virus in cultured shrimp: A review

Shrimp is one of the main aquaculture species in the world. Different viruses affect them, which causes serious mortality to economically important species, such as Penaeus monodon, Litopenaeus vannamei and L. stylirostris, among others. White spot syndrome virus or WSSV is a highly lethal, stress‐dependent virus, which belongs to the family Nimaviridae, genus Whispovirus. Three WSSV virus isolates were first detected in 1992 in Thailand, Taiwan and China. Later, a fourth isolate of the virus was detected in the Americas in 1999. This virus has a large circular double‐stranded DNA genome with different sizes (292.9–307.2 kb), where the diverse isolates show differences in virulence. This virus infects a wide range of aquatic crustaceans by vertical and horizontal transmission, with different mortality results. The spread of infection between regions may be due to infected shrimp and carriers such as other crustaceans, seabirds, aquatic arthropods or other vectors. The aim of this work is to describe the current knowledge on the status, transmission, pathology, isolation, control and genomic characteristics of WSSV.     

Bartonella spp. in cats from Buenos Aires,Argentina

In Argentina, data on the presence of members of the genus Bartonella is scarce. To increase knowledge about these zoonotic pathogens in this country, the presence and variability of Bartonella spp. was investigated in cats and dogs from Buenos Aires. Bartonella spp. was detected in 17.8% of cats, while all dogs tested negative by PCR and Reverse Line Blot. B. henselae was the most frequent species, being detected in 11.9% (14/101), while B. clarridgeiae was found in only 5.9% (6/101) of the cats. Afterwards, B. henselae isolates and positive blood samples were characterized by Multiple Locus Sequence Typing (MLST) and Multiple Locus Variable Number Tandem Repeats Analysis (MLVA). As result, four different MLST sequence types (ST) and eight MLVA profiles were identified. ST 1 was the most frequent variant found in cats, followed by ST 8. Interestingly, some of the MLVA profiles that were detected in this study have been previously associated with human disease, and represents a potential risk of infection. Veterinarians and physicians should consider the presence of these emerging pathogens in their diagnostic routine.     

Autologous Platelet Concentrate as a Treatment for Horses with Refractory Fetlock Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most common musculoskeletal pathologies in horses and is a disease capable of halting their athletic career. Clinically, OA can be a difficult problem to deal with, particularly when there is no longer a positive response to corticosteroids or rest. In order to avoid further articular tissue degeneration, which could lead to the loss of the joint function, novel therapies are focusing not only on controlling inflammation and pain but also on tissue healing and repair. Autologous platelet concentrate (PC) growth factors are known to have anabolic and angiogenic properties and a positive effect on synovial epithelium, cartilage, and pain. The aim of this study was to analyze the clinical outcome of horses with OA treated with PC. Selected cases were treated only with PC, and they all belong to the same sport activity. We show here the method for PC preparation, follow-up evaluation, and outcome of 20 cases with refractory OA treated exclusively with autologous PC. After a 1-year follow-up, 80% of patients were able to resume work. According to our results and observations, PC can be used as a safe and low-cost intra-articular therapy for refractory OA in the horse.     

Segmentation of Somatic Cells in Goat Milk Using Color Space CIELAB

Somatic cell counts （SCCs） levels indicate the occurrence of infections in goat udders and are related to the productivity of goat milk, cheese and yoghurt. This work presents a segmentation method for counting somatic cells in goat milk images, intending to detect an infection known as mastiffs, which is the major cause of loss in dairy farming. The image segmentation procedure is devised by using the lab color space and the watershed transform. A large number of samples under variable preparation conditions are treated with the proposed method. A comparison between manual and the proposed technique is presented. Promising results indicates that video-microscopy systems may be employed to develop automated SCC for goat milk.