Transcription Factor Binding Site Polymorphism in the Motilin Gene Associated with Left-Sided Displacement of the Abomasum in German Holstein Cattle

Left-sided displacement of the abomasum (LDA) is a common disease in many dairy cattle breeds. A genome-wide screen for QTL for LDA in German Holstein (GH) cows indicated motilin (MLN) as a candidate gene on bovine chromosome 23. Genomic DNA sequence analysis of MLN revealed a total of 32 polymorphisms. All informative polymorphisms used for association analyses in a random sample of 1,136 GH cows confirmed MLN as a candidate for LDA. A single nucleotide polymorphism (FN298674:g.90T>C) located within the first non-coding exon of bovine MLN affects a NKX2-5 transcription factor binding site and showed significant associations (ORallele = 0.64; −log10Pallele = 6.8, −log10Pgenotype = 7.0) with LDA. An expression study gave evidence of a significantly decreased MLN expression in cows carrying the mutant allele (C). In individuals heterozygous or homozygous for the mutation, MLN expression was decreased by 89% relative to the wildtype. FN298674:g.90T>C may therefore play a role in bovine LDA via the motility of the abomasum. This MLN SNP appears useful to reduce the incidence of LDA in German Holstein cattle and provides a first step towards a deeper understanding of the genetics of LDA

Helcococcus ovis associated with septic arthritis and bursitis in calves – a case report

BACKGROUND: Septic arthritis often occurs in young calves when the passive transfer of maternal immunoglobulins has failed, which results in hypogammaglobulinaemia in the calf. Another important cause is suboptimal herd health management which often leads to general health impairment and, subsequently, to septic arthritis. CASE PRESENTATION: A dairy farmer consulted the Herd Health Service of the University Clinic reporting general herd health impairment, a high incidence of respiratory diseases, unsatisfactory weight gain and arthritis in calves, as well as mastitis and high milk cell counts. Clinical examinations were performed, and diagnostic measures were taken. A transtracheal lavage (TTL) was performed, and synovial swab samples were taken from the carpal joint and the subcutaneous tarsal bursae of two calves. Microbiological examinations of synovial swabs revealed co-infections of Trueperella pyogenes and Helcococcus ovis in one calf and Helcococcus ovis in pure culture in the other. The TTLs confirmed the presence of Mycoplasma spp. associated with respiratory diseases. CONCLUSIONS: Helcococcus ovis is currently regarded as a co-infective bacterial agent. However, it seems to play a significant role as the primary pathogen in this case

Fertility following uterine torsion in dairy cows: A cross-sectional study

Background and Aim: Dairy cows with uterine torsion often are susceptible to reduced fertility resulting in more costs and effort to restore the economy of those cows. The aim of our study was to examine and evaluate the possible associations between uterine torsion and consequent uterine involution disturbances, on the one hand, and between the degree and duration of uterine torsion with fertility parameters, on the other hand. Materials and Methods: Within 1.5 years, 115 dairy cows (German Browns, German Holsteins, and German Fleckvieh) that were suffering from uterine torsion were examined to evaluate the incidence of involution disturbances of the uterus and to examine the fertility after calving. Statistical analysis included correlation analyses between the degree and duration of torsion and fertility parameters (days open, days to conception, conception rate and services per conception, and intercalving interval) as well as incidence of involution disturbances. Results: The study revealed no statistically significant correlation between uterine involution and degree of uterine torsion. However, involution processes were significantly correlated to the time of the expulsion of the fetal membranes. Days to conception and intercalving intervals were significantly influenced by the presence of uterine torsion. Conclusion: Concerning fertility after uterine torsion, it was shown that reduced fertility is associated with the duration of uterine torsion (p=0.02) and time to drop of fetal membranes (p=0.02) but not with the degree of torsion (p=0.27)

Serum Levels of Neuropeptides in Cows with Left Abomasal Displacement

Abomasal displacement (AD) to the left is a common disease in high-yielding dairy cows after parturition. In view of the previously reported changes in tissue neuropeptide concentrations in cows with AD, the primary aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of AD and breed on serum neuropeptide concentrations. For this purpose, blood samples of 33 German Holstein (GH) cows with AD, 36 healthy controls (GH), and 32 healthy German Fleckvieh (GF) cows were collected, and concentrations of substance P (SP), vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), and interleukin1β (IL-1β) were measured via commercially available ELISA kits. To examine the effect of AD, we compared GH cows with and without AD and observed no significant effects of AD on SP, VIP, or Il-1 β concentrations. To evaluate the effect of breed, we compared healthy GH with healthy GF cows and detected markedly higher VIP serum levels in the healthy GF cows (p < 0.01). No significant differences in SP or IL-1β were detected. According to our results, there seems to be no effect of AD on the serum concentrations of SP, VIP, or IL-1 β. In contrast, there seems to be a breed difference concerning serum VIP concentrations

An IL17RA frameshift variant in a Holstein cattle family with psoriasis-like skin alterations and immunodeficiency

Skin lesions and dermatoses in cattle are often associated with infections due to bacteria, fungi or environmental risk factors. Dermatoses with genetic etiology have been described in cattle. Among these rare disorders, there are primary congenital dermatoses that are associated with inherited nutritional deficiencies, such as bovine hereditary zinc deficiency or zinc deficiency-like syndrome. This study presents three cases of Holstein cattle with congenital skin lesions observed on a single farm that resemble zinc deficiency-like syndrome. Close clinical and pathological examinations took place in two cases. Pedigree analysis indicated autosomal recessive inheritance and whole-genome sequencing of both affected calves was performed. The two calves showed retarded growth and suffered from severe ulcerative dermatitis with hyperkeratosis, alopecia furunculosis and subcutaneous abscess formation. Blood analysis showed correspondent leukocytosis with neutrophilia whereas minerals, macro- and micronutrients were within the reference ranges. Variant calling and filtering against the 1000 Bull Genomes variant catalogue resulted in the detection of a single homozygous protein-changing variant exclusively present in both sequenced genomes. This single-nucleotide deletion in exon 3 of IL17RA on bovine chromosome 5 was predicted to have a deleterious impact on the encoded protein due to a frameshift leading to a truncated gene product. Genotyping of the affected cattle family confirmed recessive inheritance. A loss-of-function mutation of the IL17RA transmembrane protein could be identified as most likely pathogenic variant for the psoriasis-like skin alterations observed in the two affected Holstein calves. In man, rare recessive diseases associated with IL17RA include immunodeficiency 51 and chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis. This supports the observed immunodeficiency of the presented cases. This study reports the first naturally occurring IL17RA-associated animal model

Association of bovine uterine involution disturbances with serum neuropeptide concentrations

Background and Aim: Puerperal diseases influence fertility and should be diagnosed as soon as possible. This study aimed to evaluate the applicability of serum concentrations of substance P (SP), vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), and interleukin (IL)1β in the early diagnosis of uterine involution disturbances. Materials and Methods: Blood serum samples of 86 dairy cows from six different farms were harvested within the first 20 days after calving from cows with uterine involution disturbances and healthy controls, respectively. Serum concentrations for SP, VIP, and IL-1β were determined using commercially available ELISA test kits. Statistical analyses included timely changes in blood serum levels and group comparisons of healthy cows and cows with uterine disease. Results: SP concentrations increased significantly within 20 days after calving (p<0.04) with no significant difference observed between the groups. Moreover, no significant differences were found between VIP and log IL-1β. Conclusion: Results showed that none of the examined serum parameters seems suitable as indicator of uterine involution disorders. Due to the timely changes in serum concentrations of SP after calving, a correlation to diseases might not be precluded. Further research is needed as regards the establishment of normative values concerning this parameter

Association study for LDA using SNPs within <i>motilin</i> for 1,136 German Holstein cows.

<p>For each SNP, minor allele frequencies (MAF), the MAF allele, odds ratios (OR) with their 95% confidence intervals (CI), polymorphism information content (PIC), and heterozygosity (HET) are given. Furthermore, −log₁₀P-values (P) are given for genotype (gt), allele, among homozygotes (hom) and for genotype after correcting the data for stratification (strat).</p

Least-squares means (LSM) with their corresponding standard errors (SE) of the frequency of LDA on the underlying logit scale for the genotypes of the SNPs FN298674:g.90T>C and FN298674:g.1891insG and the contrasts among the LSMs with their test statistics and P-values.

<p>Genotypic means for the frequency of LDA were estimated through LSMs in a mixed logit model correcting for data stratification.</p

All identified polymorphisms with their location within <i>motilin</i> (<i>MLN</i>).

*<p>IRD labeled.</p><p>Informative (I) polymorphisms are indicated by a plus sign. The primer pairs used are given with their annealing temperatures (AT) and product sizes (PS).</p