Mastitis is one of the most prevalent and costly diseases in the dairy industry with losses attributable to reduced milk production, discarded milk, early culling, veterinary services, and labor costs. Typically, mastitis is an inflammation of the mammary gland most often, but not limited to, bacterial infection, and is characterized by the movement of leukocytes and serum proteins from the blood to the site of infection. It contributes to compromised milk quality and the potential spread of antimicrobial resistance if antibiotic treatment is not astutely applied. Despite the implementation of management practises and genetic selection approaches, bovine mastitis control continues to be inadequate. However, some novel genetic strategies have recently been demonstrated to reduce mastitis incidence by taking advantage of a cow’s natural ability to make appropriate immune responses against invading pathogens. Specifically, dairy cattle with enhanced and balanced immune responses have a lower occurrence of disease, including mastitis, and they can be identified and selected for using the High Immune Response (HIR) technology. Enhanced immune responsiveness is also associated with improved response to vaccination, increased milk and colostrum quality. Since immunity is an important fitness trait, beneficial associations with longevity and reproduction are also often noted. This review highlights the genetic regulation of the bovine immune system and its vital contributions to disease resistance. Genetic selection approaches currently used in the dairy industry to reduce the incidence of disease are reviewed, including the HIR technology, genomics to improve disease resistance or immune response, as well as the Immunity+TM sire line. Improving the overall immune responsiveness of cattle is expected to provide superior disease resistance, increasing animal welfare and food quality while maintaining favourable production levels to feed a growing population.

Bovine Mastitis: Frontiers in Immunogenetics

This review compiles the results of 21 genomic studies of European Bos taurus breeds and thus provides a general picture of the selection signatures in taurine cattle identified by genome-wide selection-mapping scans By performing a comprehensive summary of the results reported in the literature, we compiled a list of 1,049 selection sweeps described across 37 cattle breeds (17 beef breeds, 14 dairy breeds and 6 dual-purpose breeds), and four different beef-vs-dairy comparisons, which we subsequently grouped into core selective sweep (CSS) regions, defined as consecutive signals within 1 Mb of each other We defined a total of 409 CSSs across the 29 bovine autosomes, 232 (57%) of which were associated with a single-breed (Single-breed CSSs), 134 CSSs (33%) were associated with a limited number of breeds (Two-to-four-breed CSSs) and 39 CSSs (9%) were associated with five or more breeds (Multi-breed CSSs) For each CSS, we performed a candidate gene survey that identified 291 genes within the CSS intervals (from the total list of 5,183 BioMart-extracted genes) linked to dairy and meat production, stature and coat colour traits A complementary functional enrichment analysis of the CSS positional candidates highlighted other genes related to pathways underlying behaviour, immune response and reproductive traits The Single-breed CSSs revealed an over-representation of genes related to dairy and beef production, this was further supported by over-representation of production-related pathway terms in these regions based on a functional enrichment analysis Overall, this review provides a comparative map of the selection sweeps reported in European cattle breeds and presents for the first time a characterization of the selection sweeps that are found in individual breeds Based on their uniqueness, these breed-specific signals could be considered as "divergence signals", which may be useful in characterising and protecting livestock genetic diversity

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An interpretive review of selective sweep studies in Bos taurus cattle populations: identification of unique and shared selection signals across breeds.

In parasitology, routine laboratory diagnosis involves conventional methods, such as optical microscopy, used for the morphological identification of parasites. Currently, molecular biology techniques are increasingly used to diagnose parasite structures in order to enhance the identification and characterization of parasites. The objective of the present study was to review the main current and new diagnostic techniques for confirmation of parasite infections, namely: polymerase chain reaction (PCR), real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), Luminex xMAP, random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD), amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP), and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP), in addition to microsatellites. Molecular assays have comprehensively assisted in the diagnosis, treatment and epidemiological studies of parasitic diseases that affect people worldwide, helping to control parasitic disease mortality.

http://www.scielo.br/pdf/jvatitd/v17n3/03.pdf

Molecular techniques for the study and diagnosis of parasite infection

Estimation of prevalence and incidence of subclinical mastitis in a large population of Brazilian dairy herds

Mastitis is a complex disease and is considered one of the main causes of losses to the global dairy industry. The objective of this review was to compile information for the last ten years of mastitis in ruminants in Brazil. The prevalence of subclinical mastitis was 48.64% in cattle, 30.7% in goats, 31.45% in sheep and 42.2% in the buffalo species, with especial participation of Staphylococcus spp. in the etiology. Risk factors associated with the occurrence of mastitis were related to problems in environmental sanitation and handling of animals. The largest percentage of resistance of microorganisms to antimicrobials was for penicillin, ampicillin, amoxicillin and neomycin. The use of molecular tools for diagnosis of mastitis-causing agents in the country is still scarce, making it difficult to obtain a faster, sensitive and specific diagnosis.

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Mastites em ruminantes no Brasil

http://www.scielo.br/pdf/bjm/v43n2/34.pdf

Association of TLR4 polymorphisms with subclinical mastitis in Brazilian holsteins

This study was conducted to evaluate a protocoland to select novel primers for the species-specific identificationof Taenia saginata and Taenia solium by PCR and duplex-PCR assays. Sequences of the LSU rRNA gene of taenids wereobtained from the GenBank ( T. saginata access n ° AB020399and T. solium access n ° AB020395). The sequences were alignedand then used for primer design. The generic primer TBR3 (5’-ggcttgtttgaatggtttgacg- 3’) was selected from a conservedregion. The T. saginata specific primer TBR-4 (5’-cgactcatgaagataaacaaggt-3’) as well as T. solium specificprimers TBR-5 (5’-cggtcgaacagaccataaatct-3’) and TBR-6 (5’-gctactacacctaaattctaacc- 3’) were selected from different semi-conserved regions. The selected sequences were examined infor similarities with other organisms through the GenBank Blastprocedure and experimentally by PCR using total DNA (tDNA) 1 Programa de Pos-graduacao da Escola de Veterinaria da Universidade Federal de Goias Universidade Federal de Goias (UFG),Goiania, GO, Brasil.

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Diferenciação específica entre Taenia saginata e Taenia solium por ensaio de PCR e duplex-PCR

Real-time PCR detection of Brucella spp. DNA in lesions and viscera of bovine carcasses.

The subclinical mastitis is a major problem affecting the dairy industry, in view of the severe impairments caused by reduced production and/or affected by the lossof roofs and increased somatic cell count (CCS). The objective of this study to identify the main bacteria that cause bovine subclinical mastitis pathogens identified and relate to the variation of somatic cell count (CCS). We analyzed 5758 samples of milk from individual cows of seven properties located in the State of Goiás, during the period June 2010 to June 2014, for verification of CCS and of these 332 samples were subjected to PRC in real time. It was concluded that in the analyzed samples, a higher occurrence Streptococcus agalactiae, Streptococcus uberis and Staphylococcus sp were the agents most frequently identified and determined higher mean values of CCS. The average CCS of cows with subclinical mastitis was approximately 743 x 10 3 cel/mL. Key-words: bacteria, milk, ccs. ____________________________ Autor para correspondência. E. Mail: Julianadias.vet@gmail.com Recebido em 9.4.2016. Aceito em 22.8.2016 http://dx.doi.org/10.5935/1981-2965.20160031 Revista Brasileira de Higiene e Sanidade Animal Brazilian Journal of Hygiene and Animal Sanity ISSN: 1981-2965

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Subclinical mastitis in dairy cattle rural properties Goiás.

A mastite subclinica e um dos principais problemas que afetam a pecuaria leiteira, tendo em vista os graves prejuizos acarretados pela diminuicao da producao e/ou pela perda dos tetos afetados e aumento da contagem de celulas somaticas (CCS). Objetivou-se com este estudo identificar as principais bacterias causadoras de mastite subclinica bovina e relacionar os patogenos identificados com a variacao da contagem de celulas somaticas (CCS). Foram analisadas 5.758 amostras de leite de vacas individuais de 7 propriedades localizadas no Estado de Goias, durante o periodo de junho de 2010 a junho de 2014, para verificacao da CCS e destas 332 amostras foram submetidas a tecnica de PCR em tempo real. Concluiu-se que, nas amostras analisadas, houve maior ocorrencia de Streptococcus agalactiae, Streptococcus uberis e Staphylococcus sp e que determinaram maiores valores medios de CCS. A CCS media dos rebanhos com mastite subclinica foi de aproximadamente 743 x 10 3 cel/mL.

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Eurione Antônio Garcia da Veiga Jardim

Papers

Association of TLR4 polymorphisms with subclinical mastitis in Brazilian holsteins

Diferenciação específica entre Taenia saginata e Taenia solium por ensaio de PCR e duplex-PCR

Real-time PCR detection of Brucella spp. DNA in lesions and viscera of bovine carcasses.

Subclinical mastitis in dairy cattle rural properties Goiás.

Mastite subclínica em rebanhos leiteiros de propriedades rurais de Goiás