U.S. flagAn official website of the United States government
                    Here's how you know **Official websites use .gov**
                            
                            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
 **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
                            
                            A **lock** (                            
                              A locked padlock                                                      
                            
                            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Menu Agricultural Research Service
						
                    U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
 close



Research
                Research Home
                            National Programs
                            Research Projects
                            Scientific Manuscripts
                            International Engagement
                            Scientific Software/Models
                            Databases and Datasets
                            Office of Scientific Quality Review
            Media
                News & Features
                            Multimedia
                            Briefing Room
                            Down on the Farm
                            Press Room
                            Science in Your Shopping Cart
                            Scientific Discoveries
                            Tellus
                            Under the Microscope
            About ARS
                About ARS Home
                            Staff Directory
                            Labs and Research Centers (Map)
                            Headquarter Offices
                            Organizational Chart
                            Employee Services (REE Employees Only)
                            Office of Outreach, Diversity, and Equal Opportunity
            Work With Us
                Work With Us Home
                            ARS Vacancies at USAJOBS
                            Careers at ARS Information
                            Scientific Collaborations
                            Extramural Agreements
                            1890 Faculty Research Sabbatical ProgramSearch small
                    Search
            
            ARS Home
                                About ARS
                                Contact Us




ARS Home News & Events News Articles Research News 2002





- ARS News & Events
- AgResearch Magazine
- Image Gallery
- News
- Search News & Events
- Pesticide Drift May Endanger Pollinators
- ARS Seeks a Fire Ant Fix
- Scientific Discoveries 2024
- ARS Featured Photos
- Down on the Farm
- Facebook Live Events
- Food and Nutrition Research Briefs
- News Archive
- Science in Your Shopping Cart
- Scientific Discoveries
- Social Media
- Under the Microscope
- AgResearch magazine
- ARS at Work
- ARS Memorial Lectures
- ARS Science Hall of Fame
- Citrus Disease (Huanglongbing)
- Contact Office of Communications
- Plant Hardiness Zone Map
- Mobile Apps
- Public Affairs Contacts
- Publications and Other Resources
- USDA Blog
- Videos

Archived Page
 This page has been archived and is being provided for reference purposes only. The page is no longer being updated, and therefore, links on the page may be invalid.
 Gene May Help Prevent Mastitis in Dairy Cows
By Rosalie Marion BlissAugust 6, 2002
Agricultural Research Service scientists have filed a patent application on a cloned gene that promises to treat or prevent bacterial infections that cause mastitis in dairy cows. The gene produces a protein that is naturally present in cows' milk and blood plasma, but in amounts too small to have any therapeutic effect. The recombinant protein, named CD14, binds to and neutralizes toxins made by bacteria that cause mastitis.
Each year, about 3 million U.S. dairy cows develop acute mastitis after infection with coliform bacteria that lurk in the cleanest of barns. The microbes infiltrate dairy cows' udders, putting about one-tenth of infected cows out of commission. The problem costs dairy farmers an estimated $1.4 billion annually from incapacitated cows and milk that can't be sold.
ARS' Max Paape, a dairy scientist, and Dante Zarlenga, a molecular biologist, along with cell biologist Yan Wang, now with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in Rockville, Md., cloned the gene and demonstrated the effectiveness of the protein against mastitis infections. Paape and Zarlenga are in the ARS Immunology and Disease Resistance Laboratory in Beltsville, Md.
CD14 sensitizes the lining of a cow's mammary glands to the very low levels of the bacterial toxin, called endotoxin, that are produced in the early stages of an infection. Once sensitized, these mammary cells recruit white blood cells that attack and kill infiltrating bacteria before they can establish an infection.
Scientists now are conducting tests to support the new hypothesis that cows genetically engineered to produce higher-than-normal amounts of CD14 could enjoy CD14's protection from infection as well.
ARS is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific research agency.


Return to top


Research
                            Media
                            About ARS
                            Work With Us


Connect with ARS Sign up


ARS Home
                            USDA.gov
                            Plain Writing
                            Policies & Links
                            Civil Rights Statements
                            FOIA
                            Accessibility Statement
                            Privacy Policy
                            Non-Discrimination Statement
                            Quality of Information
                            USA.gov
                            WhiteHouse.gov