Cattle Strains Research Articles

Genomic Relatedness, Antibiotic Resistance and Virulence Traits of Campylobacter jejuni HS19 Isolates From Cattle in China Indicate Pathogenic Potential.

Although campylobacteriosis is a zoonotic foodborne illness, high-risk isolates from animal sources are rarely characterized, and the pathogenic potential of zoonotic strains remains an obstacle to effective intervention against human infection. HS19 has been acknowledged as a maker serotype represented by Campylobacter jejuni (C. jejuni) isolates from patients with post-infection Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), which is circulation in developed countries. However, a previous serotype epidemiological study of C. jejuni isolates in an animal population revealed that HS19 was also prevalent in isolates from cattle in China. In this study, to investigate the hazardous potential of zoonotic strains, 14 HS19 isolates from cattle were systematically characterized both by genotype and phenotype. The results showed that all of these cattle isolates belonged to the ST-22 complex, a high-risk lineage represented by 77.2% HS19 clinical isolates from patients worldwide in the PubMLST database, indicating that the ST-22 complex is the prominent clonal complex of HS19 isolates, as well as the possibility of clonal spread of HS19 isolates across different regions and hosts. Nevertheless, these cattle strains clustered closely with the HS19 isolates from patients, suggesting a remarkable phylogenetic relatedness and genomic similarity. Importantly, both tetracycline genes tet(O) and gyrA (T86I) reached a higher proportional representation among the cattle isolates than among the human clinical isolates. A worrying level of multidrug resistance (MDR) was observed in all the cattle isolates, and two MDR profiles of the cattle isolates also existed in human clinical isolates. Notably, although shared with the same serotype HS19 and sequence type ST-22, 35.7% of cattle isolates induced severe gastrointestinal pathology in the IL-10–/– C57BL/6 mice model, indicating that some bacteria could change due to host adaptation to induce a disease epidemic, thus the associated genetic elements deserve further investigation. In this study, HS19 isolates from cattle were first characterized by a systematic evaluation of bacterial genomics and in vitro virulence, which improved our understanding of the potential zoonotic hazard from food animal isolates with high-risk serotypes, and provided critical information for the development of targeted C. jejuni mitigation strategies.

Differences in proteomic profiles between yak and three cattle strains provide insights into molecular mechanisms underlying high-altitude adaptation.

Yaks display unique properties of the lung and heart, enabling their adaptation to high-altitude environments, but the underlying molecular mechanisms are still largely unknown. In the present study, the proteome differences in lung and heart tissues were compared between yak (Bos grunniens) and three cattle strains (Bos taurus, Holstein, Sanjiang and Tibetan cattle) using the sequential window acquisition of all theoretical mass spectra/data-independent acquisition (SWATH/DIA) proteomic method. In total, 51,755 peptides and 7215 proteins were identified. In the lung tissue, there were 162, 310 and 118 differential abundance proteins (DAPs) in Tibetan, Holstein and Sanjiang cattle compared to yak respectively. In the heart tissue, there were 71, 57 and 78 DAPs in Tibetan, Holstein and Sanjiang cattle compared to yak respectively. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis revealed that the DAPs were enriched for the retinol metabolism and toll-like receptor categories in lung tissue. The changes in these two pathways may regulate hypoxia-induced factor and immune function in yaks. Moreover, DAPs in heart tissues were enriched for cardiac muscle contraction, Huntington's disease, chemical carcinogenesis and drug metabolism-cytochrome P450. Further exploration indicated that yaks may alter cardiac function through regulation of type 2 ryanodine receptor (RyR2) and Ca2+ -release channels. The present results are useful to further develop an understanding of the mechanisms underlying adaptation of animals to high-altitude conditions.

The extracellular region of bovine milk butyrophilin exhibits closer structural similarity to human myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein than to immunological BTN family receptors.

Bovine butyrophilin (BTN1A1) is an abundant type I transmembrane glycoprotein exposed on the surface of milk fat globules. We have solved the crystal structure of its extracellular region via multiple wavelength anomalous dispersion after incorporation of selenomethionine into the bacterially produced protein. The butyrophilin ectodomain exhibits two subdomains with immunoglobulin fold, each comprising a β-sandwich with a central disulfide bridge as well as one N-linked glycosylation. The fifth Cys residue at position 193 is unpaired and prone to forming disulfide crosslinks. The apparent lack of a ligand-binding site or receptor activity suggests a function predominantly as hydrophilic coat protein to prevent coagulation of the milk fat droplets. While there is less structural resemblance to members of the human butyrophilin family such as BTN3A, which play a role as immune receptors, the N-terminal bovine butyrophilin subdomain shows surprising similarity to the human myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein, a protein exposed on the surface of myelin sheaths. Thus, our study lends structural support to earlier hypotheses of a correlation between the consumption of cow milk and prevalence of neurological autoimmune diseases and may offer guidance for the breeding of cattle strains that express modified butyrophilin showing less immunological cross-reactivity.

Cross-sectional study and genotyping of rotavirus-A infections in ruminants in Kuwait

BackgroundGroup A rotaviruses (RVA) are zoonotic pathogens responsible for acute enteritis in human and neonatal ruminants. This research aimed to determine the prevalence of RVA in ruminants (cattle, sheep, and goats) and investigate the circulating RVA genotypes in these animals in Kuwait. We conducted a cross-sectional study to detect RVA in ruminants, using an immunochromatography test (IC), direct sandwich ELISA test, and real-time RT-PCR (RT-qPCR) assay using fecal samples.ResultsA total of 400 cattle, 334 sheep, and 222 goats were examined. The prevalence of RVA was 5.3, 1.2, and 2.3%, respectively, using IC. The ELISA test detected RVA from 4.3% of cattle, 0.9% of sheep, and 1.8% of goats. There was a significant association between the occurrence of diarrhea and the presence of RVA in bovine fecal samples (p-value = 0.0022), while no statistical association between diarrhea and the presence of RVA in fecal samples of sheep and goats was observed (p-value = 0.7250; p-value = 0.4499, respectively). Twenty-three of the IC-positive samples (17 from cattle, two from sheep, and four from goats) were tested using a RT-qPCR RVA detection assay targeting the NSP3 gene. The results showed that 21 of 23 IC-positive samples tested positive by RT-qPCR. Detection of RVA genotypes revealed that G10P[11] was the predominant strain in cattle (58.8%), followed by G8P[1] (11.7%). One sheep sample was genotyped as G8P[1]. In addition, G6P[1] and G6P[14] were detected in goat samples.ConclusionThe present study revealed that the IC was more sensitive in detecting RVA antigen in fecal samples than the ELISA test. A higher occurrence of RVA infection was observed in cattle than in sheep and goats. This study suggests that RVA might be a risk factor of diarrhea in bovine calves less than 2 weeks old. This research also demonstrates the circulation of RVA in sheep and goat populations in Kuwait. Finally, the G10P[11] RVA genotype was the most prevalent genotype identified from cattle samples.

Employing NADH Dehydrogenase Subunit 1 in the Determination of Echinococcus granulosus Strain in Sheep, Cattle and Human in Thi-Qar Province, Iraq

Echinococcosis is a zoonotic disease caused by the larval stage of the tapeworm Echinococcus granulosus. This disease is an important public health and a significant economic issue in Iraq, where the lungs and livers are the popular places of infection. The aim of the current study focused on using the molecular techniques in the detection of an E. granulosus strain that causes cystic echinococcosis to human, sheep and cattle in Thi-Qar province, Iraq. In the current study, thirty isolates of E. granulosus were collected from 10 human hydatid cysts through surgery done at Al-Hussein Imam Teaching Hospital in Thi-Qar province and 10 sheep with 10 cattle hydatid cysts were obtained from the slaughterhouse in Thi-Qar province, Southern of Iraq to identify strains of E. granulosus which infect human and other intermediate hosts (sheep and cattle). The molecular study was carried out on the isolates and a specific primer set for the mitochondrial dehydrogenase NADH subunit 1 (NAD1) gene was used. This primer set was amplified 400 bp of the NAD1 gene in all selected isolates. The PCR products for the twelve selected isolates of E. granulosus (4 isolates per intermediate host) were sequenced and the results for these twelve isolates showed that all sequenced isolates, except one isolate Eg_5, belonged to the sheep strain G1 and a slight genetic diversity was observed with the reference sequences of the strain G1. The exception was in the isolate Eg_5 isolated from a cattle liver, which was similar to the buffalo strain G3. This study concludes that the common E. granulosus strain in Thi-Qar province is G1.

Admixture study of Ongole grade cattle based on genome-wide SNP data

We present population structure analysis of two differed Ongole grade cattle strains in Indonesia i.e., common Ongole grade (PO) and Kebumen Ongole grade (PO Kebumen). The aim of this study was to identify the genomic characteristic of both PO and PO Kebumen cattle strains. In this study, genotyping method of 15 PO and 25 PO Kebumen was carried out using an Illumina BovineSNP50 Bead Chip. In order to deeper analyses, we used additional 50K SNP data of 20 PO, 20 Nellore, 20 Brahman, 20 Simmental, and 20 Limousin that freely available in the data repositories. An estimation of the genetic population study was carried out using following approaches: pairwise fixation indices, heterozygosity and Nei’s standard genetic distance, and ancestral based admixture. These analyses revealed a B. taurus influence in PO but none in PO Kebumen. Furthermore, we also identified the close admixture of PO Kebumen to Nellore. Since Nellore was originated from Ongole cattle, we presume the PO Kebumen is the maintained Pure Ongole Breed in Indonesia.

Selection of Vaccine Candidate for Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus Serotype O Using a Blocking Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay.

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a highly contagious disease and one of the most economically important diseases of livestock. Vaccination is an important measure to control FMD and selection of appropriate vaccine strains is crucial. The objective of this study was to select a vaccine candidate and to evaluate the potential of a blocking ELISA for detecting neutralizing antibodies (NA-ELISA) in vaccine strain selection. Binary ethylenimine inactivated vaccines, prepared from four representative circulating strains (FMDV O/Mya/98, SCGH/CHA/2016, O/Tibet/99, and O/XJ/CHA/2017) belonging to four lineages within three different topotypes of FMD virus (FMDV) serotype O in China, were used to vaccinate cattle (12–13 animals for each strain), sheep (12–13 animals for each strain), and pigs (10 animals for each strain). The results of immunogenicity comparison showed that O/XJ/CHA/2017 exhibited the highest immunogenicity among the four strains in pigs, cattle, and sheep both by NA-ELISA and virus neutralizing test (VNT). Cross-neutralization analysis indicated that O/XJ/CHA/2017 displayed broad antigen spectrum and was antigenically matched with other three representative strains both by NA-ELISA and VNT. In addition, A significant correlation (p < 0.0001) was observed between the NA-ELISA titers and the VNT titers for four representative strains. The results showed that O/XJ/CHA/2017 was a promising vaccine strain candidate and NA-ELISA was comparable to VNT in neutralizing antibodies detection and could be used as the reference test system for vaccine strain selection.

Role of Vitamin AD3E in Pregnancy Period and Calving of Dairy Cattle Strain Friesian

Utilization of vitamin AD3E during three periods of pregnancy for Friesian cows by injection and noninjection at the same periods was studied in different places in Shaqlawa technical institute farm and privatelocal farms. (Vitamin and energy requirements are covered in their feed for all groups of treatments) Nineof female cows divided into three group’s three cows for each the control group (C) non-pregnancy andnon-injection of vit AD3E, first group and the second group were pregnancies divided each of them in threetreatments. The first group was non-injection but the second group was injection with vit.AD3E. Each ofgroup first and second had three treatments treatment one (T1) first three months of pregnancy, treatment2(T2) last three month of pregnancy and treatment three (T3) after two weeks of parturition. The resultsshows that was a significant increase (p?0.01) and best value observed for [White blood cell(WBC)/×10 9/Lin G1T1(11.97), Red blood cell (RBC)/×10 12/L in G1T3(19.90), Packed cell volume (PCV)/Fl in G2T3(43.22), Hemoglobin (HB)/g/Dl in G1T1(77.33), Mean size cell volume RBC (MCV)/Fl in G2T3(55.96),and Mean corpuscular Hemoglobin(MCH)/pg in G1T3(16.93)]. Its concluded from this results that vitaminAD3E of a (It can be concluded from this study that vit. AD3E have useful impact on blood parametersduring pregnancy and after parturition due their high demands to these vitamins)

Amino acid and biogenic amine composition of Busha cattle milk

AbstractTo our knowledge, there is a lack of information on the nutrient composition of Busha cattle milk with special regard to its amino acid and biogenic amine contents. The Busha cattle breed is known to be highly resistant to various diseases and well-adapted to the extensive breeding conditions of the Balkan Peninsula. Busha cow milk contains an average of 13.47% dry matter, 4.34% fat, 3.72 % protein, and 4.32% lactose. Significant differences were detected (P &lt; 0.05) in the amino acid compositions of the milk of different Busha cattle strains of Kosovo. Glutamic acid, proline, leucine, aspartic acid, lysine, and valine represented 68% of the total amino acid content. Essential amino acids, branched-chain and sulphur-containing amino acids were found in substantial amounts in the milk samples. Among the biogenic amines, however, spermine (0.16 mg kg−1) and cadaverine (0.09 mg kg−1) were present in low concentrations. Due to these excellent qualities of the Busha cow milk, preservation of this cattle breed is of great importance. Developing sustainable and secured breeding and feeding programs for this endangered cattle breed of the Balkan Peninsula should also be a high priority.

SNP Association in the Leptin Gene and Beef Quality Traits in Indigenous Sudanese Baggara Cattle

The present study was conducted on 112 Sudanese Baggara bulls (Nyalawi and Mesairi strains) from two separate locations in Darfur and Kordofan, Sudan, raised under dryland farming conditions. A single nucleotide polymorphism (C/T) Arg25Cys in exon 2 of the bovine leptin gene (NC_032653.1) was studied and the association of leptin genotypes with meat quality attributes was evaluated for these two Sudanese Baggara cattle strains which comprise the mainstay of Sudan export and local beef trade. The accuracy of genotyping was checked through PCR-RFLP technique followed by DNA sequencing and analyzed using BioEdit, MEGA6 and project Hope softwares. The genotype frequencies for CC, CT and TT genotypes in Nyalawi strain were 37.5, 39.3 and 23.2%, respectively, whereas the respective genotypic frequencies for Mesairi strain were 46.4, 28.6 and 25%. Significant differences (P&lt;0.05) were found in hot carcass weight, dressing percentage, Myofibril fragmentation index (MFI), water holding capacity (WHC), cooking loss, moisture and fat between the two Baggara cattle strains. Association between the C&gt;T SNP at the leptin gene and carcass weight, dressing and fat percentages was significant (P&lt;0.05). It was concluded that Leptin gene polymorphisms contributed to the observed meat quality differences among these Sudanese cattle strains. This will allow for the use of molecular information in future selection of beef cattle in Sudan. The possible value of the leptin gene and its polymorphisms have been elucidated for the first time in Baggara cattle.

Comparative Genomics of Mycobacterium avium Subspecies Paratuberculosis Sheep Strains

Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) is the aetiological agent of Johne's disease (JD), a chronic enteritis that causes major losses to the global livestock industry. Further, it has been associated with human Crohn's disease. Several strains of MAP have been identified, the two major groups being sheep strain MAP, which includes the Type I and Type III sub-lineages, and the cattle strain or Type II MAP lineage, of which bison strains are a sub-grouping. Major genotypic, phenotypic and pathogenic variations have been identified in prior comparisons, but the research has predominately focused on cattle strains of MAP. In countries where the sheep industries are more prevalent, however, such as Australia and New Zealand, ovine JD is a substantial burden. An information gap exists regarding the genomic differences between sheep strain sub-lineages and the relevance of Type I and Type III MAP in terms of epidemiology and/or pathogenicity. We therefore investigated sheep MAP isolates from Australia and New Zealand using whole genome sequencing. For additional context, sheep MAP genome datasets were downloaded from the Sequence Read Archive and GenBank. The final dataset contained 18 Type III and 16 Type I isolates and the K10 cattle strain MAP reference genome. Using a pan-genome approach, an updated global phylogeny for sheep MAP from de novo assemblies was produced. When rooted with the K10 cattle reference strain, two distinct clades representing the lineages were apparent. The Australian and New Zealand isolates formed a distinct sub-clade within the type I lineage, while the European type I isolates formed another less closely related group. Within the type III lineage, isolates appeared more genetically diverse and were from a greater number of continents. Querying of the pan-genome and verification using BLAST analysis revealed lineage-specific variations (n = 13) including genes responsible for metabolism and stress responses. The genetic differences identified may represent important epidemiological and virulence traits specific to sheep MAP. This knowledge will potentially contribute to improved vaccine development and control measures for these strains.

Serological and Molecular Characterization of Mycobacterium avium Subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) from Sheep, Goats, Cattle and Camels in the Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia.

Simple SummaryMycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) is the causative agent of Johne’s disease, affecting small and large ruminants and causing chronic diarrhea and severe emaciation. MAP is prevalent in many countries, including Saudi Arabia. Serological and molecular characterization of MAP and determination of the prevalent strains are essential for the control strategies. The results obtained from 31 herds showed that the sheep type (S-type) was the most prevalent MAP type and the molecular characterization revealed different strain profiles distributed among the sheep, goat, cattle, and camel herds in Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia.The objectives of the present study were to characterize Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) infection using serological and molecular tools and investigate the distribution and molecular characterization of MAP strains (cattle (C) and sheep (S) types) in sheep, goat, cattle, and camel herds in Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia. Serum and fecal samples were collected from all animals aged >2 years old in 31 herds (sheep = 8, goats = 6, cattle = 8 and camels = 9) from January to December 2019. Serum samples were tested by ELISA for the detection of MAP antibodies. Fecal samples were tested by PCR for the detection of MAP IS900 gene and the identification of MAP strains. MAP antibodies were detected in 19 (61.3%) herds. At the animal level, antibodies against MAP were detected in 43 (19.5%) sheep, 21 (17.1%) goats, 13 (19.7%) cattle and 22 (9.1%) camels. The IS900 gene of MAP was detected in 23 (74.2%) herds and was directly amplified from fecal samples of 59 (26.8%) sheep, 34 (27.6%) goats, 20 (30.3%) cattle and 36 (15.0%) camels. The S-type was the most prevalent MAP type identified in 15 herds, and all were identified as type-I, while the C-type was identified in only 8 herds. The IS900 sequences revealed genetic differences among the MAP isolates recovered from sheep, goats, cattle and camels. Results from the present study show that MAP was prevalent and confirm the distribution of different MAP strains in sheep, goat, cattle and camel herds in Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia.

Whole-genome sequence analysis of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157 strains isolated from wild deer and boar in Japan.

The prevalence of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157 (STEC O157) strains in wild deer and boar in Japan was investigated. STEC O157 strains were isolated from 1.9% (9/474) of the wild deer and 0.7% (3/426) of the wild boar examined. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) analysis classified the wild deer and boar strains into five and three PFGE patterns, respectively. The PFGE pattern of one wild boar strain was similar to that of a cattle strain that had been isolated from a farm in the same area the wild boar was caught, suggesting that a STEC O157 strain may have been transmitted between wild boar and cattle. Clade analysis indicated that, although most of the strains were classified in clade 12, two strains were classified in clade 7. Whole-genome sequence (WGS) analysis indicated that all the strains carried mdfA, a drug resistance gene for macrolide antibiotics, and also pathogenicity-related genes similar to those in the Sakai strain. In conclusion, our study emphasized the importance of food hygiene in processing meat from Japanese wild animals for human consumption.

Complete Genome Sequence of Ovine Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis Strain JIII-386 (MAP-S/type III) and Its Comparison to MAP-S/type I, MAP-C, and M. avium Complex Genomes.

Mycobacterium avium (M. a.) subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) is a worldwide-distributed obligate pathogen in ruminants causing Johne’s disease. Due to a lack of complete subtype III genome sequences, there is not yet conclusive information about genetic differences between strains of cattle (MAP-C, type II) and sheep (MAP-S) type, and especially between MAP-S subtypes I, and III. Here we present the complete, circular genome of MAP-S/type III strain JIII-386 (DE) closed by Nanopore-technology and its comparison with MAP-S/type I closed genome of strain Telford (AUS), MAP-S/type III draft genome of strain S397 (U.S.), twelve closed MAP-C strains, and eight closed M.-a.-complex-strains. Structural comparative alignments revealed clearly the mosaic nature of MAP, emphasized differences between the subtypes and the higher diversity of MAP-S genomes. The comparison of various genomic elements including transposases and genomic islands provide new insights in MAP genomics. MAP type specific phenotypic features may be attributed to genes of known large sequence polymorphisms (LSPSs) regions I–IV and deletions #1 and #2, confirmed here, but could also result from identified frameshifts or interruptions of various virulence-associated genes (e.g., mbtC in MAP-S). Comprehensive core and pan genome analysis uncovered unique genes (e.g., cytochromes) and genes probably acquired by horizontal gene transfer in different MAP-types and subtypes, but also emphasized the highly conserved and close relationship, and the complex evolution of M.-a.-strains.

Isolation of brucella strains in cattle from sedentary and nomadic communities and its public health implication

Background: Brucellosis is a highly infectious disease caused by bacteria of the genus brucella affecting animals leading to high economic loss and an impediment to livestock exportation. It also infects man with serious public health consequences. The disease is one of the world's most important neglected tropical zoonoses. Brucellosis is considered endemic in Nigeria and current information on isolation in sedentary and nomadic cattle is required. We carried out an active surveillance in sedentary cattle in Kachia Grazing Reserve (KGR), Kaduna State and in nomadic communities on the Jos Plateau to isolate brucella organisms and carry out phenotypic and molecular characterization of the isolates to species level. Methods & Materials: A total of 63 vaginal swabs, 36 milk samples, and 2 hygroma fluids were collected from cattle in KGR while 70 vaginal swabs, 50 milk samples and 2 hygroma fluids were collected from cattle on the Jos Plateau using a purposive sampling technique. Only animals that had history of abortion or infertility were sampled. They were cultured on serum dextrose agar with addition of antibiotic supplement (Oxoid) and incubated at 37 °C for 3 days in 5% CO2 atmosphere. Brucella strains isolated were biotyped along with eight archived isolates according to classical Brucella biotyping method. Isolates were further subjected to Bruce-ladder multiplex PCR according to established protocol. Results: Three and four B. abortus strains were isolated from KGR and Jos Plateau respectively. Biotyping revealed that all the 15 isolates were B. abortus biotype 3. Bruce-ladder multiplex PCR showed bands consistent with B. abortus. Conclusion: The study established the endemicity of brucellosis due to B. abortus biotype 3 in the two study areas. These findings have great veterinary and public health implications as healthy animals and the farmers are at high risk of infection due to contact with infected animals, consumption of raw milk and other products. Farmers were advised to boil their milk before consumption, isolate infected animals, maintain good level of hygiene and use protective wears in handling their animals as preventive measures. The study recommends vaccination of cattle against brucellosis in the areas.

Molecular detection and phylogeny of Anaplasma spp. in cattle reveals the presence of novel strains closely related to A. phagocytophilum in Turkey

Anaplasma species are obligate intracellular rickettsial pathogens that affect the health of humans and animals. In this study, we investigated the presence and frequency of Anaplasma species by 16S rRNA PCR-RLB, RFLP, and DNA sequencing in 200 apparently healthy cattle. Anaplasma spp. overall infection rate was 38.5 % (77/200) by RLB. The frequency of single and mixed infections was 31.5 % (63/200) and 7% (14/200), respectively. The most common species was A. marginale (32.5 %), followed by A. centrale (5.5 %), Anaplasma/Ehrlichia catc-all (5.5 %) and Anaplasma sp. Omatjenne (2.5 %). No A. phagocytophilum and A. bovis were detected in the tested animals. Eleven of 77 PCR-positive amplicons gave positive reactions to the catch-all probes but did not show any signals to the species-specific probes, but PCR-RFLP results showed that these amplicons were A. phagocytophilum-like 1 and A. phagocytophilum-like 2 strains. Sequencing and phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene validated RFLP findings and provided evidence for the circulation of A. phagocytophilum-like-1 and 2 strains in Turkish cattle. This is the first report of the presence of A. phagocytophilum-like strains in the country. These findings indicate that A. phagocytophilum-like 1 and 2 strains should be taken into account in the differential diagnosis with bovine anaplasmosis.

Bayesian inference for multistrain epidemics with application to ESCHERICHIA COLI O157:H7 in feedlot cattle

For most pathogens, testing procedures can be used to distinguish between different strains with which individuals are infected. Due to the growing availability of such data, multistrain models have increased in popularity over the past few years. Quantifying the interactions between different strains of a pathogen is crucial in order to obtain a more complete understanding of the transmission process, but statistical methods for this type of problem are still in the early stages of development. Motivated by this demand, we construct a stochastic epidemic model that incorporates additional strain information and propose a statistical algorithm for efficient inference. The model improves upon existing methods in the sense that it allows for both imperfect diagnostic test sensitivities and strain misclassification. Extensive simulation studies were conducted in order to assess the performance of our method, while the utility of the developed methodology is demonstrated on data obtained from a longitudinal study of Escherichia coli O157:H7 strains in feedlot cattle.

Transcriptome analysis identified long non-coding RNAs involved in the adaption of yak to high-altitude environments.

The mechanisms underlying yak adaptation to high-altitude environments have been investigated using various methods, but no report has focused on long non-coding RNA (lncRNA). In the present study, lncRNAs were screened from the gluteus transcriptomes of yak and their transcriptional levels were compared with those in Sanjiang cattle, Holstein cattle and Tibetan cattle. The potential target genes of the differentially expressed lncRNAs between species/strains were predicted using cis and trans models. Based on cis-regulated target genes, no KEGG pathway was significantly enriched. Based on trans-regulated target genes, 11 KEGG pathways in relation to energy metabolism and three KEGG pathways associated with muscle contraction were significantly enriched. Compared with cattle strains, transcriptional levels of acyl-CoA dehydrogenase, acyl-CoA-binding protein, 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase were relatively higher and those of glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase, phosphoglycerate mutase 1, pyruvate kinase and lactate/malate dehydrogenase were relatively lower in yak, suggesting that yaks activated fatty acid oxidation but inhibited glucose oxidation and glycolysis. Besides, NADH dehydrogenase and ATP synthase showed lower transcriptional levels in yak than in cattle, which might protect muscle tissues from deterioration caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS). Compared with cattle strains, the higher transcriptional level of glyoxalase in yak might contribute to dicarbonyl stress resistance. Voltage-dependent calcium channel/calcium release channel showed a lower level in yak than in cattle strains, which could reduce the Ca2+ influx and subsequently decrease the risk of hypertension. However, levels of EF-hand and myosin were higher in yak than in cattle strains, which might enhance the negative effects of reduced Ca2+ on muscle contraction. Overall, the present study identified lncRNAs and proposed their potential regulatory functions in yak.

Signature of high altitude adaptation in the gluteus proteome of the yak

Yak is the unique Bovidae species in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. A previous proteomic study has compared the yak muscle tissue to one cattle strain using the isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification approach. In this study, to further investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying yak adaptation, the proteomic profiles of gluteus were compared between yak and one moderate-altitude cattle strain (Tibetan cattle) and two low-altitude cattle strains (Holstein and Sanjiang cattle) using a label-free quantitative method. The comparisons identified 20, 364, 143 upregulated proteins and 4, 6, 37 downregulated proteins in yak, compared with Tibetan, Holstein, and Sanjiang cattle, respectively. Protein-protein interaction analysis indicated that these differentially expressed proteinswere mainly related to "oxidative phosphorylation" and "electron transport chain."Further analysis revealed that NADH dehydrogenase [ubiquinone] 1 alpha subcomplex subunit 11, NADH dehydrogenase [ubiquinone] 1 beta subcomplex subunit 4, cytochrome C oxidase subunit 6A2, mitochondrialand cytochrome c oxidase subunit NDUFA4were all increased in the yak, suggesting that yak might increase mitochondrial capacity to sustain metabolic rates under high altitude conditions, which might be a long-term adaptive mechanism underlying adaptation to high altitude environments. Yak increased the level of thioredoxin reductase 2to protect themselves from oxidative damages. Moreover, the increased expression levels of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase catalytic subunit alpha isoformand caveolin-1 in yak suggested that yaks promoted glucose uptake for adaptation to high altitude. These results provided more information to better understand the molecular mechanisms underlying yak adaption.

Laboratory tests of the VetMAX BVDV Screening RT-PCR test system for detecting the genome of the bovine viral diarrhea virus by ThermoFisher

Relevance. Currently, BVD is widespread in almost all countries of the world with intensive livestock farming. The special relevance of the problem lies in the large economic damage that consists of a decrease in milk yield during the disease, the death of young animals from serous pneumonia, the loss of live weight gain in young animals, the loss of productivity and reproduction of animals and, as a result, abortions and stillbirths, the birth of non-viable calves, as well as preventive, quarantine and liquidation measures. An important link in preventing the spread of viral diarrhea in cattle remains the rapid conduct of laboratory research. One of the most technologically advanced diagnostic methods is real-time polymerase chain reaction.Methods. The diagnostic significance of the VetMAX BVDV Screening (Thermo Fisher) RT-PCR test system was assessed by sensitivity, specificity, and precision in conditions of repeatability and reproducibility. To determine repeatability, 5 samples of PT-80 cell culture infected with the reference strain "Oregon 24" and 7 samples of PT-80 cell culture infected with Ressa isolate were studied in tenfold dilutions from 10-1 to 10-7, by one operator in three parallel studies on the same equipment. To determine reproducibility and sensitivity, 5 samples of PT-80 cell culture infected with the reference strain "Oregon 24" and 7 samples of PT-80 cell culture infected with «Ressa» isolate were studied in ten-fold dilutions from 10-1 to 10-7 , by three operators on different days on the same equipment.To determine the specificity, studies were conducted on 3 samples that did not contain the virus of viral diarrhea — bovine adenovirus type 1 strain Bovina — 10, rhinotracheitis virus of cattle strain "Orenburg" and parainfluenza virus 3 strain ZKSM.Results. After mathematical processing of the results of PCR formulation for the assessment of reproducibility, the following results were obtained: the coefficient of variation (CV) for the VetMAX BVDV Screening (Thermo Fisher) test system was from 1.0–4.0 %; the Coefficient of variation (CV) for the assessment of repeatability was 1–3 %. The specificity of the test systems VetMAX BVDV Screening (Thermo Fisher) was 100%. The VetMAX BVDV Screening (Thermo Fisher) test system is sensitive to detecting the genome of the bovine viral diarrhea virus. So when setting up PCR samples of the Ressa isolate in the 10-7 dilution, the CT values were determined at 38.18–39.24 cycles, and the reference VD virus "Oregon 24" in the 10–5 dilution at 37.85–39.45 amplification cycles.