Evaluation of the systematic recording of diagnostic data in the Valdostana cattle

At present, in Italy no systematic recording of diagnostic data for improving animal health and welfare at farm level is available. A first approach towards a health recording system for cattle has been attempted in the Aosta Valley, recording the diagnoses of local Valdostana cattle between 2017 and 2018. The objectives of the present study were: (1) to evaluate the strengths and the critical points of the recording system and (2) to determine the incidence of specific diseases for the year 2018 in Valdostana cows. A standardised key with 69 specific diseases was used by 21 veterinarians for registering the diagnoses in a database. Data were collected from almost 80% of the farms present in the Aosta Valley. The main recorded diseases were those affecting the udder, reproductive apparatus, locomotor system and parasitic infections. Diseases affecting the respiratory and digestive system played a minor role. Since the general data loss through data validation was limited (8.8%), the recording system might be considered as an effective tool for gaining an objective overview of the farm health status. Nevertheless, some diagnoses in the recording system have to be more specified for allowing more precise epidemiologic insights.HIGHLIGHTS A health recording system enables farmers and veterinarians to improve animal health and welfare on farm level. Valdostana cattle show lower incidences for some health disorders when compared with literature data from other dairy cattle breeds. More specific diagnoses for parasitoses and claw disorders could be useful for breeding purpose

Assessing major genes allele frequencies and the genetic diversity of the native Aosta cattle female population

The Aosta cattle breeds have a key role in the economy of the Aosta Valley. In addition to the meat and milk production these autochthonous breeds are important for their cultural value, and for their role in the maintenance of the mountain environment. The knowledge of their genetic makeup represents a fundamental asset to managing the reproduction of the population in order to maintain the existing genetic diversity and, as a possible input, to apply genomic selection in a small population. A total of 3195 Aosta cows were genotyped with the GeneSeek Genomic Profiler® (GGP) Bovine 100K by Neogen in the framework of the DUALBREEDING-2 project. The Aosta Black-Chestnut and Chestnut-Herèn resulted to be a unique population. The Aosta female population had shorter ROH than bulls and shared ROH_islands that harbour adaptative and functional genes. Allele frequencies of major genes highlight the possibility for selection for both milk and meat quality variants and that the Aosta cattle population is free from the known Mendelian inheritance diseases found in cosmopolitan breeds (e.g. BLAD, CVM, HCD)

Is the Introduction into a New Environment Stressful for Young Bulls?

Several events in an animal’s life are considered stressful. Among them, the most studied and significant are transportation, weaning, and adaptation to climate change. Moreover, other events, such as the separation from the dam, moving from the original farm to another, management practices, such as regrouping with other animals, and new hierarchical conditions, represent routine conditions in the bovine’s life, which can influence the animal’s homeostasis. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the changes in blood parameters of 45 calves introduced into a new environment from their original farms. Blood samples were collected upon arrival at a genetic center (T1), 7 (T2), 30 (T3), and 120 (T4) days after arrival. Blood count, protein electrophoresis, clinical chemistry, and innate immunity parameters were performed on the samples. Significant alterations in some clinical chemistry parameters were related to liver function in the serum protein and the values of IL-6 and TNF-α; the main cytokines mediating the stress response emerged from the results. The evidence indicates the mild response to adaptation stress by calves raised in close association with people after their introduction into a new environment

Assessing major genes allele frequencies and the genetic diversity of the native Aosta cattle female population

The Aosta cattle breeds have a key role in the economy of the Aosta Valley. In addition to the meat and milk production these autochthonous breeds are important for their cultural value, and for their role in the maintenance of the mountain environment. The knowledge of their genetic makeup represents a fundamental asset to managing the reproduction of the population in order to maintain the existing genetic diversity and, as a possible input, to apply genomic selection in a small population. A total of 3195 Aosta cows were genotyped with the GeneSeek Genomic Profiler® (GGP) Bovine 100K by Neogen in the framework of the DUALBREEDING-2 project. The Aosta Black-Chestnut and Chestnut-Herèn resulted to be a unique population. The Aosta female population had shorter ROH than bulls and shared ROH_islands that harbour adaptative and functional genes. Allele frequencies of major genes highlight the possibility for selection for both milk and meat quality variants and that the Aosta cattle population is free from the known Mendelian inheritance diseases found in cosmopolitan breeds (e.g. BLAD, CVM, HCD). The autochthonous Aosta cattle breeds are free from the Mendelian inheritance disease variants found in cosmopolitan cattle.Allele frequencies revealed the effort in selection for variants related to cheese yield and a viable selection for variants related to meat quality.The use of genomic information in Aosta cattle can help maintain the biodiversity of these local breeds and their peculiarities. The autochthonous Aosta cattle breeds are free from the Mendelian inheritance disease variants found in cosmopolitan cattle. Allele frequencies revealed the effort in selection for variants related to cheese yield and a viable selection for variants related to meat quality. The use of genomic information in Aosta cattle can help maintain the biodiversity of these local breeds and their peculiarities.</p

Genomic regions underlying positive selection in local, Alpine cattle breeds

We used genome-wide SNP data from 18 local cattle breeds from six countries of the Alpine region to characterize population structure and identify genomic regions underlying positive selection. The geographically close breeds Evolèner, Eringer, Valdostana Pezzata Nera, and Valdostana Castana were found to differ from all other Alpine breeds. In addition, three breeds, Simmental, and Original Braunvieh from Switzerland and Pinzgauer from Austria built three separate clusters. Of the 18 breeds studied, the intra-alpine Swiss breed Evolèner had the highest average inbreeding based on runs of homozygosity (FROH) and the highest average genomic relationship within the breed. In contrast, Slovenian Cika cattle had the lowest average genomic inbreeding and the lowest average genomic relationship within the breed. We found selection signatures on chromosome 6 near known genes such as KIT and LCORL explaining variation in coat color and body size in cattle. The most prominent selection signatures were similar regardless of marker density and the breeds in the data set. In addition, using available high-density SNP data from 14 of the breeds we identified 47 genome regions as ROH islands. The proportion of homozygous animals was higher in all studied animals of local breeds than in Holstein and Brown Swiss cattle, the two most important commercial breeds in the Alpine region. We report ROH islands near genes related to thermoregulation, coat color, production, and stature. The results of this study serve as a basis for the search for causal variants underlying adaptation to the alpine environment and other specific characteristics selected during the evolution of local Alpine cattle breeds