bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
1 Physiological and performance recovery after fourteen hours of feed restriction or transportation in Holstein bulls fed high concentrate diets
Authors: Marti Sonia , Garcia Elena , Gerard Christine , Grau Joan , Cirier Nicolas , Gómez Maria Soledad , Pisoni Lucía , Devant Maria
Published: November 2020

One hundred and eight Holstein calves (225 ± 1.1 kg and 187 ± 5.2 d) were used to evaluate the physiological and performance recovery after 14 h transportation or feed restriction. Calves were distributed into 6 pens (2 pens/treatment) according to control (CTR, n = 36) calves with ad libitum access to concentrate, straw and water; restricted (RES, n = 36) calves with concentrate restriction but with access to water and straw for 14 h; and transported (TRA, n = 36) calves that were loaded into a trailer and transported without feed or water for 14 h. On days 0, 7, 21, and 35 BW was recorded. Concentrate intake were recorded daily. Blood samples for non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHBA), and serum amyloid-A (SAA) were collected at -24, -14, 0 h, and 6, 24, and 168 h post-treatment. Data were analyzed using mixed models with repeated measures. At 24 h, RES and TRA had greater (P < 0.05) concentrate intake compared with CTR. However, from d 7 to 35 after treatments, only TRA had similar concentrate intake than CTR, while RES had lesser (P < 0.05) concentrate intake than CTR and TRA. RES at 6 h had greater (P < 0.05) NEFA concentrations than TRA, and NEFA concentrations were still higher for the RES and TRA groups than those for the CTR after 24 h. After 24 h concentrations of serum BHBA for TRA and RES were significantly greater (P < 0.05) when compared with those for the CTR. Serum concentration of SAA for TRA and RES was greater (P < 0.05) than CTR until 168 h. Results showed similar effects of 14 h of feed restriction and transportation of calves on serum anorexia and inflammation parameters; however, feed intake was recovered after d 35 in transported calves but not in feed restricted calves without transportation.
13 Genetic selection using pooled semen
Authors: de Sousa Ithalo Coelho , Fernando Rohan , Dekkers Jack C , Nascimento Moysés , Leach Richard J , Serão Nick V
Published: November 2020

The use of pooled semen (PS), standard procedure at the commercial level of the swine industry, limits genetic progress, since the offspring parentage is unknown. Literature suggests that some boars have a greater number of progeny than others in the same litter when PS is used. The objective of this study was to evaluate different pedigree-relationship matrices for selection purposes when PS is used. Data on a trait with heritability of 0.4 were simulated 1,000 times for 12 scenarios: combination of sires per pool (2 or 3), number of phenotyped progeny (1 or 12), and three boar dominance levels: no dominance (equal probability of parentage), medium dominance, and complete dominance (all progeny from one boar). Ten pools were created for each scenario based on 5 sires and used for 5 dams each. Breeding values (BV) of the progeny were estimated (EBV) using three relationship matrices: known parents (A), using equal probabilities of parentage (E), and probabilities based on known boar dominance (D). Results for each relationship matrix were compared using the average of the true BV (TBV) of the 10% best animals selected based on EBV. Results are presented as percentage TBV of the selected animals compared to using A (Table). In general, D resulted in better results than E as boar dominance increased. Similar results between E and D were obtained when 12 progenies were phenotyped. When one was phenotyped, D was superior than E in the presence of boar dominance. Knowing the probability of each sire contributing to the progeny increases response to selection when pooled semen is used.
39 Impact of inclusion rates of crossbred phenotypes and genotypes in nucleus selection programs
Authors: See Garrett , Mote Benny E , Spangler Matthew L
Published: November 2020

The aim of this study was to investigate different inclusion rates of purebred (PB) and CB phenotypes and genotypes in genetic evaluations. Assuming PB and CB traits with moderate heritabilities (h2 = 0.4), a three-way swine crossbreeding scheme was simulated, and selection was practiced for 6 generations. The goal was to increase the CB phenotype. Phenotypes, genotypes and pedigrees for three purebred breeds (each consisting of 25 males and 175 females), F1 crosses (400 females) and terminal cross progeny (2500) were simulated using AlphaSimR. The genome consisted of 18 chromosomes with 1,800 QTL and 59.4k SNP markers. Selection was performed using EBV produced by the BLUPf90 suite of programs for each phenotyping/genotyping strategy. Strategies investigated were 1) increasing the proportion of CB with genotypes, phenotypes and sire pedigree information, 2) decreasing the proportion of PB phenotypes and genotypes, and 3) altering the genetic correlation between PB and CB traits (rpc). Each strategy was replicated 15 times. Results showed that including CB performance improved the CB phenotype regardless of rpc or phenotyping/genotyping strategy. Compared to using only PB information, including 10% of possible CB animals per generation with sire pedigrees and phenotypes increased the response in CB phenotype when rpc was 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, and 0.9 by 192, 64, 41, 25 and 21%, respectively. Including CB genotypes dramatically improved the previously mentioned increases in response. Minimal change was observed in the CB phenotype when PB phenotypes were included or removed, if CB phenotypes, genotypes and sire pedigrees were included. PB genotypes were more informative than phenotypes in enabling prediction for CB traits. In practice, the inclusion rates of CB and PB data depends upon the degree of connectedness between CB animals and PB selection candidates and the cost-benefit ratio of increased CB performance and genotyping/phenotyping costs.
14 Genome-wide association study of frozen sperm quality in cocks
Authors: Dementieva Natalia , Kudinov Andrey , Pozovnikova Marina , Nikitkina Elena , Pleshanov Nikolay , Silyukova Julia , Krutikova Anna , Plemyashov Kirill
Published: November 2020

Preservation of the genetic material of unique breeds of hens involves the use of semen cryobanks. The aim of the study was to search for genomic associations with rooster sperm quality after freezing. We took into account the decrease in sperm motility after thawing. Genotyping of 96 individuals (roosters) using the Affymetrix Axiom®600k Array chip was performed. Genomic data were obtained using the Plink 1.9 software. DNA samples were taken with genotyping quality at SNP loci more than 95%, SNP with MAF > 0.01. GWAS was performed using EMMAX. SNP information in the corresponding genes was determined using the genomic browsers NCBI and Ensembl. Assessment of rooster sperm quality showed high individual variability in total motility before freezing (20–95%), and after freezing (5–70%). Significant SNPs were detected on the chromosomes GGA1 (rs315598192, rs316943858), GGA2 (rs312981435), GGA3 (rs13694743), GGA11 (rs314024471), GGA19 (rs316346648), GGA22 (rs31797024248, rga31780824824, gga22 (rs3178082424). Candidate genes ZC3HC1, CACNA2D1, BCKDHB, AMFR, and GOSR1 were identified. The annotated genes were associated with cell cycle regulation, the formation of calcium cytoskeleton, and the formation of a multienzyme complex associated with the inner membrane of mitochondria, glycosylated transmembrane receptor. The experimental data and results can be used to study the localization of regions and genes associated with phenotypic traits of frozen sperm quality. Authors acknowledge financial support from Russian Science Foundation № 18-16-00071.
30 Inbreeding in American Angus cattle before and after the implementation of genomic selection
Authors: Lozada-Soto Emmanuel A , Tiezzi Francesco , Lu Duc , Miller Stephen P , Cole John B , Maltecca Christian
Published: November 2020

The aim of this study was to characterize the American Angus cattle population in terms of changes to the inbreeding rate (ΔF) and effective population size (Ne) before and after the implementation of genomic selection (GS). Genomic information (89,206 SNPs) was obtained for 25,960 bulls and 134,962 cows born between the years 2000 and 2017. Bulls and cows were independently grouped into two groups based on year of birth, pre-GS (2000–2009), and post-GS (2010–2017). Genomic inbreeding (FGRM) was calculated assuming fixed allele frequencies (0.5). Inbreeding based on runs of homozygosity (FROH) was calculated using software SNP1101 (Sargolzaei, 2014). The yearly ΔF for each group was estimated by regressing the inbreeding coefficients on year of birth. The generation intervals (L) were calculated for each of the four pathways of selection at both time periods (pre-GS and post-GS), where the mean of the sires of sires and dams of sires pathways was taken to be the generation interval for the bulls and the mean of the sires of dams and dams of dams pathways was taken to be the generation interval for the cows. The L and ΔF of the three inbreeding coefficients were used to estimate the Ne. Estimates of ΔF and Ne for both sexes at the two time periods can be found in table 1. In both sexes, ΔFROH decreased and NeROH increased from pre-GS to post-GS. For bulls, ΔFGRM and NeGRM did not change, and for cows, ΔFGRM decreased and NeGRM increased from pre-GS to post-GS. These results suggest that the implementation of genomic selection in Angus cattle has not caused the increased inbreeding rates and reduced effective population sizes seen in other species, but instead has been beneficial for the preservation of genetic diversity.
17 Investigating pig survival in different productive stages using genomic models
Authors: Leite Natalia , Lourenco Daniela , Knol Egbert , Lopes Marcos , Silva Fabyano
Published: November 2020

Pig survival is an economically important trait with animal welfare implications. Although survival is highly affected by the environment, previous studies reported genetic variability of this trait, indicating the opportunity for improvement through selection. Genomic information is currently included in the major commercial pig breeding programs, which can be incorporated by single-step genomic BLUP (ssGBLUP). The objectives of this study were to: 1) estimate (co)variance components for farrowing, lactation, nursery, and finishing survival; and 2) compare the individual breeding value accuracies obtained using traditional pedigree-based BLUP (BLUP) and ssGBLUP methods. Individual survival records were collected for a crossbred pig population, and two-trait threshold models, which included maternal effects, were used for (co)variance components estimation. Direct and maternal breeding values were estimated using BLUP and ssGBLUP methods, and individual accuracies were obtained based on posterior standard deviation. Heritabilities for the four survival phases were low, ranging from 0.04 to 0.12. Pre-weaning survival was controlled by dam and piglet additive gene effects. The additive direct and maternal components were equally important at farrowing, whereas the piglet’s own genetic merit was the most expressive during lactation. Common environment estimates were higher than maternal genetic effects, indicating early life experiences related to the sow, but independent of the maternal genetic component. Nursery and finishing survival showed the same or higher heritabilities compared to pre-weaning stages. The genetic correlation between the pre-weaning phases was high (0.68), whereas the correlation between the post-weaning measurements was moderate (0.42). The incorporation of genomic information through ssGBLUP increased the individual accuracy, on average, from 0.36 to 0.41 for direct and from 0.29 to 0.37 for maternal effects compared to BLUP. Although the heritabilities for survival in different productive stages are low, genetic gains can be obtained, given that breeding values benefit from the inclusion of genomic information.
42 Genetic differentiation of Russian goats and wild relatives based on microsatellite loci
Authors: Selionova Marina I , Aibazov Magomet M , Mamontova Tatyana V , Petrov Sergey N , Kharzinova Veronica R , Arsen Dotsev V , Zinovieva Natalia A
Published: November 2020

Goat breeding is a traditional livestock industry for many regions of Russia. Due to unpretentiousness and high adaptive qualities, the Karachai, Dagestan wool and Dagestan down breeds are widespread in the North Caucasus. Moreover, their uniqueness is determined by sharing a common habitat with their wild relatives, West Caucasian and Dagestani turs, thus forming hybrid zones. The aim of the research was to study allele pool and interbreed differentiation of domestic goat breeds and wild relatives by microsatellites. Research was performed based on 16 loci on the ABI 3130xl analyzer. Population genetic characteristics were calculated in GenAlEx 6.5, and the phylogenetic tree was constructed in Populations 1.2.30 and SplitsTree 4.14.5. The sample collection included goat breeds (n = 226): Karachai (KRCH), Dagestan down (DAGD), Dagestan wool (DAGW) (North Caucasus), Soviet wool (SOVW) (Siberia), Orenburg (OREN) (South Ural), and wild goats (n = 72). Wild goats comprised mountain goats: Siberian goats (Capra sibirica) from the Altai, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and the Himalayas; bezoar goats (Capra aegagrus) from Turkey and Pakistan; and tur (Capra caucasica) from the West Caucasus (Kuban), Central Caucasus, and East Caucasus (Dagestan). The Karachai breed was characterized by the highest level of genetic diversity: the average number of alleles per locus (NA) and allelic richness (AR) were 9,154 and 7,713, respectively, while these indices varied from 6,538 to 7,538 and from 6,425 to 7,538 (Table 1) in other breeds, respectively. The values of genetic distances showed differentiation of Karachai, Dagestan down and Dagestan wool breeds from Orenburg and Soviet wool breeds (Table 2). The formation of three clusters was established. The first one included subspecies of the Caucasian tur, the second one comprised Siberian goats, and the third contained domestic goats. Bezoar goats were in the root of the third cluster that confirmed their participation as an ancestral form of domestic goats.
302 Phenomics and its potential impact on livestock development in low income countries: Innovative applications of emerging related digital technology
Authors: Ekine Chinyere , Mrode Raphael , Marshall Karen , Chagunda Mizeck , Muasa Bridgit , Ojango Julie , Mwai Okeyo
Published: November 2020

Infrastructure and institutional frameworks supporting sustainable phenotyping systems are lacking in most developing countries, which are characterized by subsistence agricultural systems with small, highly dispersed farms having few animals, which makes performance recording inefficient, unattractive and expensive. Nevertheless, capturing performance data in near real time using digital devices for livestock improvement is fast gaining ground in many emerging economies around the world because of technological advancements made in the use of information and communications technologies (ICT), mobile devices and a myriad of digital innovations. Several initiatives in developing countries have demonstrated that ICT models for livestock performance recording in small-holder farming systems coupled with appropriate feedback to farmers for improved management and decision making is sustainable. More work needs to be done in developing and designing simple, efficient, inexpensive, non-evasive and sturdy phenotyping devices to support the collection of a range of existing or new quantitative data relating to animal welfare, production, reproduction, product quality, feed efficiency, etc. on farms. Most suitable technologies will be those that will support routine data collection to be transmitted in real time/near real time, but can also function without the internet, and can be easily incorporated into genetic/genomic improvement programs with a community-based breeding program approach. Animal scientists will need to collaborate with an interdisciplinary team of scientists (software developers, engineers, programmers, etc.) to design these next generation of innovative technologies needed for phenotypic data collection. Efficient methods for data collection will generate a lot of data and will need trained scientists to transform this data into information needed for improving animal production systems. Application of these technologies will be critical in attracting youth into agriculture and thus ensure sustainable systems for phenomics in developing countries.
293 ASAS-EAAP Talk: #Phenotypeisking
Authors: Coffey Mike
Published: November 2020

The objective of this text is to describe the changing face of phenotypes collection for use in national genetic and genomic evaluations of dairy cattle and to offer possible new scenarios that may exist. Dairy cattle have been chosen as an exemplar, but some of the principles could be applied to other livestock species. National evaluations in many established countries have evolved over many decades into sophisticated layers of management, ownership and funding streams, but all have created large gains for farmers, dairy cows and consumers. Usually, milk recording data has been gathered for management purposes and passed the national evaluation centers freely in return for genetic evaluations that added value to the recording service. Conformation and functional phenotypes were often recorded by breed societies and sometimes evaluated by them. These long standing and established processes are becoming disrupted by the advent of genomic evaluation whereby limited and high-quality phenotypes can be used to train a SNP key that can subsequently be used to make genomic predictions for the rest of the industry. Larry Schaefer suggested that breeding company costs would greatly reduce, but did not suggest that the cost and effort of gathering phenotypes would increase. In the age of the low-cost genotype, where will the increasingly sophisticated and high-cost phenotypes come from? This is causing disruption in the industry, challenging existing structures, creating opportunities for new entrants with new technology, making phenotypes very valuable, altering the balance of power between industry players and farmers and offering genomic evaluations for traits previously thought too difficult or expensive to records. The problems with such disruption is that it can result in “cherry picking” by new entrants, thereby reducing the sustainability of the remaining services valued by farmers. The future is not what it used to be.
301 Methods of genome-wide association studies and their applications in dairy cattle
Authors: Ma Li
Published: November 2020

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) has been widely used to map quantitative trait loci (QTL) of complex traits and diseases since 2007. To date, the human GWAS catalog has accumulated 4,410 publications and 172,351 associations, and the animal QTLdb has curated 983 publications and 130,407 QTLs for cattle, largest in livestock species. During the past 13 years of development, GWAS methods has evolved from simple linear regression, using principal components to address sample relatedness, mixed models, to Bayesian full model approaches. These methods have their advantages and limitations, so it is important to choose an appropriate method, especially for studies in livestock where sample size is often limited. Note that the most popular GWAS approach, the mixed model method, originated from animal breeding and genetics research. Leveraging the national cattle genomic database at the Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding (CDCB), we have conducted GWAS analyses of various dairy traits to identify QTLs and SNP markers of importance. Combining with sequence and functional annotation data, we seek to understand the genetic basis of complex traits and to reveal useful knowledge that can be incorporated into more accurate genomic predictions in the future.
59 Neutrophils and respiratory health of feedlot cattle supplemented with autolized yeast
Authors: Garbosa Gabriela , Bertagnon Heloísa , Bonato Melina A , Borges Liliana L
Published: November 2020

The objective of this study was to evaluate whether autolyzed yeast (AY) in the diet interferes with the innate immunity and healthy of feedlot finished steer. At 0, 14, 42, 70, and 105 days of feedlot, the following were measured: neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (N/L), neutrophilic oxidative metabolism, and respiratory disease indicators (frequency of animal with mucopurulent nasal secretion and orbital temperature) and frequency of pneumonia (histopathological analyses at slaughter day). For this, 36 ½ Angus steers (average BW 330kg and 11 months of age), were distributed in three treatments, with 12 animals each: Control; YA 4g (4g/animal/day, RumenYeast®); and AY 7g (7g/animal/day, RumenYeast®) for 105d. For all results, significant data were considered that show significance level P ≤ 0.05 and statistical trend, 0.05 > P < 0.1. On days 42 and 70, the AY 4g increased neutrophil oxidative metabolism (P = 0.06 and 0.01) and reduced N:L ratio (P = 0.08 and 0.01) comparing to the control group. This neutrophil oxidative metabolism increase was punctual for AY 7g, at 70d (P = 0.01), but the reduction of the N:L ratio occurs at 42 and 70d (P = 0.08 and 0.01). These immune increments promoted fewer respiratory diseases indicators, especially in the AY 4g, observed by a higher frequency of animals without nasal secretion at 42, 70 e 105d comparing to the control group (P = 0.03, 0.001 and 0.001), a lower orbital temperature at 105d (P = 0.02), and a lower frequency of pneumonia (P = 0.06). The AY 7 showed a higher frequency of animals with nasal secretion 14d (P = 0.04) and a lower frequency of animals without mucopurulent nasal secretion at 42 and 70d (P = 0.03 and 0.001), without significant difference for orbital temperature or pneumonia comparing to the other groups. We conclude the autolyzed yeast included in the diet improved the neutrophils functions of the animal and the health of the respiratory tract of feedlot cattle, especially when used at 4g/animal/day.
56 Effects of mycotoxins and selected feed additives on viability and tight junction integrity of IPEC-J2 cells
Authors: Lu Hang , Horn Nathan , Ajuwon Kola
Published: November 2020

Mycotoxins are deleterious feed contaminants routinely found in cereal gains used in livestock feed. Development of strategies to eliminate mycotoxins and mitigate their harmful effects on the animal is of major importance to the livestock industry. The objective of the current study was to determine the effects of deoxynivalenol (DON), aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and fumonisin B1(FB1), and selected prebiotic, probiotic, and essential oil blended feed additives, on viability and integrity in porcine intestinal epithelial cell line (IPEC-J2). IPEC-J2 cells were treated with each individual mycotoxin (DON, AFB1 and FB1) with or without additives (Microsecure (MS), Biolex (BL) and Encinnate (EN), Biomatrix Inc., U.S.A). Mycotoxins significantly decreased the trans-epithelial electrical resistance (TEER) of IPEC-J2 cells compared to control with no negative effects on cell viability at 72h. Biolex and EN increased TEER under a DON challenge. The decrease in TEER by AFB1 was minimized in the presence of MS (9.8%), BL (17.1%) and EN (22.8%) relative to AFB1 (P < 0.0001). The protein abundance of claudin 3 was decreased with mycotoxins (P < 0.0001) and this was partially reversed by the additives relative to control cells with additives. In addition, BL and EN significantly increased claudin 4 protein abundance (P = 0.02) when challenged with AFB1. Encinnate significantly increased TLR2 gene expression when challenged with DON (P < 0.05) with MS and BL had a numerical TLR2 gene expression. A numerical increasing of TLR2 gene expression was also observed with feed additives when cells were challenged with AFB1 and FB1. In summary, mycotoxins led to impaired epithelial tight junction integrity and this was in-part rescued by the additives tested through restoration of cellular integrity and TLR-2 dependent immune modulation.
53 Risk factors for facial lesions in piglets and teat injuries in sows – a review
Authors: Chou Jen-Yun , Ison Sarah H , Marchant-Forde Jeremy , Nalon Elena , Thuy Huynh T T , Harsh Cameron , van de Weerd Heleen , Boyle Laura A , Blaszak Kate
Published: November 2020

Painful procedures performed on piglets are one of the most important welfare concerns of intensive pig production. For example, teeth resection is a common practice whereby the canine (needle) teeth are clipped or ground to prevent piglet facial and sow teat lesions. Based on a global consumer survey in 2018, 60% of respondents will potentially stop purchasing pork from pigs experiencing painful procedures. In contrast to tail docking and surgical castration, little is known about the risk factors for piglet facial and sow teat lesions and therefore the need for teeth resection. We reviewed the literature to better understand these risk factors and conducted a survey to identify preventative strategies in practice that have enabled producers to avoid teeth resection. For the literature review, we used Web of Science and Google Scholar to include peer-reviewed publications and gray literature. The questionnaire was distributed with convenience sampling to relevant stakeholders. In the questionnaire, information on current on-farm practices regarding teeth resection was collected, including the method, frequency, and reason for conducting teeth resection, and preventative measures used. Preliminary findings of the literature review showed that most studies only focused on teeth resection and its effect on piglet facial and sow teat lesions. Other risk factors identified are litter size, farrowing system and flooring, milk production, management of fostering, flooring, and enrichment. The survey is ongoing and the complete results will be presented during the conference. Our review suggests many risk factors are related to piglet facial and sow teat lesions other than whether or not teeth resection is carried out. There is still a knowledge gap in the understanding of how alleviating these risk factors can prevent said lesions, and further research and dissemination of best practice is needed to explore different solutions instead of solely relying on teeth resection.
62 Evaluating detoxification efficacy of deoxynivalenol by encapsulated sodium metabisulfite (SMBS) using an in vitro intestinal epithelial cell IPEC-J2 model
Authors: Lu Peng , Yu Changning , Liu Shangxi , Gong Joshua , Liu Song , Yang Chengbo
Published: November 2020

Deoxynivalenol (DON) contamination occurs on feed ingredients and causes a reduction in growth performance, damage to the intestinal epithelial cells, and increased susceptibility to enteric pathogen challenge. Sodium metabisulfite (SMBS) has been successfully used to destroy DON in processed grains or feeds. However, SMBS degrades quickly under aqueous acid conditions, such as pig stomachs, and when SMBS is added to diet, little will remain intact in the small intestine where an optimal pH environment exists for detoxification by SMBS. Thus, this study was to encapsulate SMBS into microparticles to deliver intact SMBS to the small intestine and evaluate its efficacy of DON detoxification in the simulated intestine fluid (SIF) using an in vitro intestinal epithelial cell (IPEC-J2) model. The results showed that around 40% of the SMBS loading capacity was achieved in the microparticles. In vitro release studies showed that 1.61% of encapsulated SMBS was released in the simulated gastric fluid (SGF), and the majority of encapsulated SMBS (75.52%) was progressively released in the SIF within 6 h at 37 °C. In vitro cell experiments showed that DON treated with the SIF containing 0.5% SMBS for 2 h completely attenuated the DON-induced cytotoxicity. When DON was treated with the SGF containing 0.5% encapsulated SMBS for 2 h and then the mixture was mixed with the SIF (1:1) and incubated for 2 h, it also completely attenuated the DON-induced cytotoxicity. Moreover, DON treated with the simulated fluid containing 0.5% encapsulated SMBS completely attenuated the gene expression inflammatory cytokines upregulated by DON and restored trans-epithelial electrical resistance (TEER) and tight junction and cytoskeleton. In summary, the encapsulation of SMBS was stable in SGF and allowed a progressive release of SMBS in the SIF. Moreover, the released SMBS in the SIF effectively attenuated the adverse effects induced by DON in the intestinal epithelial cells.
307 A systems approach to understanding biosecurity decision-making
Authors: Merrill Scott C , Koliba Christopher , Bucini Gabriela , Clark Eric , Trinity Luke , Zia Asim , Cheney Nicholas , Langle Ollin , Shrum Trisha , Sellnow Timothy , Sellnow Deanna , Smith Julia M
Published: November 2020

Disease and its consequences result in social and economic impacts to the US animal livestock industry, ranging from losses in human capital to economic costs in excess of a billion dollars annually. Impacts would dramatically escalate if a devastating disease like Foot and Mouth Disease or African Swine Fever virus were to emerge in the United States. Investing in preventative biosecurity can reduce the likelihood of disease incursions and their negative impact on our livestock industry, yet uncertainty persists with regards to developing an effective biosecurity structure and culture. Here we show the implications of human behavior and decision making for biosecurity effectiveness, from the operational level to the owner/managerial level and finally to the systems level. For example, adjustments to risk messaging strategies could double worker compliance with biosecurity practices at the operational level. The improvement of our risk communication strategy may increase willingness to invest in biosecurity. Furthermore, the adaptation of policies could nudge behavior so that we observe a short disease outbreak followed by a quick eradication instead of a pandemic. Our research shows how the emergence of now-endemic diseases, such as Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus, cannot be adequately modeled without the use of a human behavioral component. Focusing solely on any one sector or level of the livestock system is not sufficient to predict emergent disease patterns and their social and economic impact on livestock industries. These results provide insight toward developing more effective risk mitigation strategies and ways to nudge behavior toward more disease resilient systems.
311 A brief overview, comparison and practical applications of machine learning models
Authors: Tulpan Dan
Published: November 2020

This is a hands-on workshop offered as a pre-conference training opportunity for researchers interested in applying machine learning techniques to animal science datasets with the purpose of classifying, clustering, performing linear and non-linear regressions or selecting a subset of features relevant to further studies. The objective of this workshop is to provide the audience with a way to formulate a problem such that it will be solvable by machine learning techniques and apply an exploratory analysis of various machine learning on different datasets. The workshop is structured in a hands-on format and includes a brief overview of basic notions about machine learning, a description of relevant models and evaluation metrics followed by a practical session. The practical session requires each attendee to bring their own laptop and have already installed the Waikato Environment for Knowledge Analysis (Weka) workbench for machine learning available from https://www.cs.waikato.ac.nz/ml/weka/ and all freely available machine learning models. The Weka installation of freely available machine learning models can be achieved by using the Weka Package Manager available from the Tools menu in the main application. Detailed information will be provided 2 weeks before the beginning of the workshop (week of July 5, 2020) at the following URL:http://animalbiosciences.uoguelph.ca/~dtulpan/conferences/asas2020_mlworkshop/
318 Bovine liver abscess complex: Likely causes and tested solutions
Authors: Lawrence Ty
Published: November 2020

The liver abscess (LA) complex is commonly associated with high energy, limited roughage rations. Aggressive grain processing increases starch availability, leading to increased lactic acid production and lower rumen pH, potentially causing lactic acidosis. Rumen lesions may result from repeated bouts of lactic acidosis, likely allowing penetration of bacteria into the bloodstream, and have been associated with incidence of LA. Additionally, consumption of sharp objects can cause penetration of rumen epithelium and likely promote bacterial entry into the bloodstream. Research has successfully induced LA in both cattle and sheep from intraportal infusion of Fusobacterium necrophorum. F. necrophorum is a gram-negative, non-sporeforming anaerobe commensal to the rumen that likely enters the liver via the portal vein due to a damaged rumen wall. F. necrophorum has a plethora of virulence factors that support LA formation; however, recent research has indicated that LA contain polymicrobial cultures, and some have questioned if bacteria other than F. necrophorum can cause LA. Liver abscesses are not solely limited to animals on a high-energy diet; they have also been documented in cull beef-type and dairy-type cows. Production losses from LA are associated with reduction in dry-matter intake, average daily gain, gain:feed, live weight, hot carcass weight, dressed carcass yield, and subcutaneous fat depth, concomitant with increased carcass trim. To reduce the incidence of LA, cattle feeders typically include tylosin in the diet; multiple studies have reported a 20 to 38 percentage point reduction in the incidence of LA present at slaughter. Four additional antibiotics (bacitracin, chlortetracycline, oxytetracycline, virginiamycin) are approved for the prevention of LA. Feeding antibiotics to food animals is a contemporary social issue with limited societal support. Tested alternatives to antimicrobial control for LA include vaccination with F. necrophorum leukotoxoid or bacterin, feeding essential oils, enzymatic feed treatment, and feeding yeast fermentation products.
80 Effects of miscanthus fiber on nutrient digestibility and fecal metabolites of adult dogs
Authors: Finet Shannon E , He Fei , Mangian Heather , de Godoy Maria R C
Published: November 2020

Dietary fiber is an important component of pet food that helps to promote colonocyte health by favoring saccharolytic fermentation and short-chain fatty acid production in addition to modulating gut microbiota and aiding laxation. The objective of this study was to evaluate and compare the effects of miscanthus grass fiber, prebiotic fiber blends, and traditional dietary fiber sources on apparent total tract digestibility, fecal metabolites, and gastrointestinal intolerance in adult canines. Animal procedures were approved by the University of Illinois Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. Twelve female adult beagles were randomly assigned to one of six treatments containing cellulose, beet pulp, miscanthus fiber, or a blend of miscanthus fiber and tomato pomace, miscanthus fiber and resistant starch, or miscanthus fiber and fructooligosaccharide in a replicated 6x6 Latin square design. All treatment diets were formulated to meet or exceed AAFCO nutrient profile (2018). The dogs received each treatment for 21 d, with 17 d of diet adaptation followed by 4 d of total and fresh fecal collection. No difference in fecal score was observed (P < 0.05). Dogs fed the beet pulp diet had the highest organic matter digestibility and total dietary fiber digestibility (P < 0.05) when compared to all other treatments. Crude protein digestibility was significantly higher (P < 0.05) for the cellulose, miscanthus fiber, and miscanthus and resistant starch blend than the beet pulp diet. Fecal total short-chain fatty acid concentration was greatest for beet pulp and lowest for the cellulose treatment (P < 0.05) with the miscanthus fiber and miscanthus fiber blends with resistant starch, fructooligosaccharide, and tomato pomace being intermediate. No difference was observed in fecal total branched-chain fatty acid concentration (P < 0.05). The data suggest that miscanthus fiber is an adequate and functional source of fiber in extruded canine diets, and comparable to the traditional fiber source, cellulose.
81 The impact of feeding treats containing cannabidiol (CBD) on the canine fear response to a noise-induced fear response test
Authors: Morris Elizabeth M , Kitts-Morgan Susanna E , Spangler Dawn M , McLeod Kyle R , Costa Joao , Harmon David L
Published: November 2020

Interest is increasing regarding use of Cannabidiol (CBD) in companion animals due to anecdotal evidence of beneficial behavioral and health effects. The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the influence of CBD on behavioral responses to fear-inducing stimuli in dogs. Sixteen dogs (18.1 ± 0.2 kg) were utilized in a replicated 4x4 Latin square design with treatments arranged in a 2x2 factorial, consisting of control, 25mg CBD, trazodone (100 mg for 10–20 kg BW, 200 mg for 20.1–40 kg BW), and combination of CBD and trazodone. A fireworks model of noise-induced fear was used to assess CBD effectiveness after 7 d of supplementation. Each test lasted 6 min, with no noise during the first 3 min and the fireworks track played during the second 3 min. Plasma was collected 1 h before, immediately after, and 1 h after testing for cortisol analysis. Behaviors in each 3-min block were video-recorded, and heart rate (HR) sensors were fitted for collection of HR and heart rate variability parameters. Data were tested for normality using the UNIVARIATE procedure in SAS, then differences examined using the MIXED procedure in SAS with fixed effects of treatment, period, time, and treatment x time interaction. Inactivity duration and HR increased during the first minute of the fireworks track compared with 1-min prior (P=0.0002 and 0.0112, respectively), indicating the fireworks model successfully generated a fear response. Trazodone lowered plasma cortisol compared with control (P < 0.0001), which was attenuated when administered in combination with CBD (P = 0.2379). Neither CBD nor trazodone affected the duration of inactivity (P = 0.9182 and 0.3290, respectively). Trazodone increased time spent with tail relaxed (P = 0.0013). CBD tended to increase HR (P = 0.0930) and decreased the peak of low- and high-frequency bands (LF and HF, P = 0.0107 and 0.0220, respectively). These results do not support an anxiolytic effect of CBD in dogs given CBD at 1.4 mg/kg.
326 Whey proteins for prevention and intervention in Alzheimer’s Disease
Authors: Bennett Louise E
Published: November 2020

Alzheimer’s disease, resulting from the over-expression of amyloid precursor protein (APP) and accumulation of plaques comprising the APP-derived amyloid beta (Aβ), is a diagnostic and pathological brain feature of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). For older, predisposed people, accumulation of Aβ plaque in the brain precedes symptoms of memory loss by decades. There is a growing consensus that over-expression of APP may also reflect a defense response against infection, via the antibiotic effects of Aβ, which becomes toxic when Aβ peptides cannot be cleared from the brain. These scenarios permit two possible pathways of potential intervention from whey proteins mediated by lactoferrin and hydrolyzed whey proteins. In particular, the interference of fibril assembly whey-derived peptides can promote opportunity for clearance of aggregating forms of Aβ, while the anti-microbial activity of whey proteins such as lactoferrin have potential to suppress the activity of microbes (and viruses) and collectively manage the progress of AD. This presentation will explain the individual potential benefits of whey peptides and lactoferrin, based on available evidence. More research is required to determine if a synergistic effect might be possible from this therapeutic combination.
335 The Gut-Lung Axis: The Human Perspective
Authors: Surette Michael
Published: November 2020

The human gastrointestinal tract is the largest immune organ in the body and consequently influences the overall immune state of all body sites. The gut also harbors the largest proportion of the microbiome. In early life, the maturation of the microbiome and immune system are closely entangled, forming a homeostatic system that imparts individuality and stability to the host microbiome. It is now well established that factors that affect early life gut microbiota modulate susceptibility to chronic inflammatory diseases, including airway diseases such as asthma and allergy. Despite this global influence of the gut on immune response in the lungs, local microbiome-immune interactions also shape the response and susceptibility to disease in the airways. The upper respiratory tract and lung microbiomes also contribute to acute and chronic airway diseases. Modulating the gut-lung axis as well as respiratory tract through microbiome-targeted interventions to promote health and reduce susceptibility to infection and chronic inflammatory disease may represent an effective strategy, particularly in early and late life.
342 Progress Report - AgGuide 2020
Authors: MacNeil Michael D
Published: November 2020

The Guide for the Care and Use of Agricultural Animals in Research and Teaching, commonly known as the Ag Guide, is published jointly by the American Dairy Science Association®, the American Society of Animal Science, and the Poultry Science Association under an open access creative commons license. At present, its 4th edition is under development and out for public comment. When finalized, this edition is intended to replace previous editions from 1988, 1999, and 2010. The first five chapters of the Ag Guide cover subjects that are relevant across species. These are followed by species-specific chapters, which are under the purview of the respective associations dedicated to the species. Authors of the individual chapters, recruited by the associations, were scientists, veterinarians, or engineers with expertise in the species or subjects covered in the respective chapters. All chapters are grounded in the scientific literature. The board of directors of each association approved final drafts of the general chapters and their respective species chapters. The content is intentionally broad so as to cover the diverse research and teaching institutions that use agricultural animals, yet be clear enough to give unambiguous guidance to institutional animal care and use committees (IACUCs) responsible for the care and use of animals in their respective institutions. It is viewed as essential that IACUCs and others who oversee animal care practices use sound professional judgment to achieve appropriate animal welfare outcomes, recognizing that too prescriptive an approach to animal care and use can stifle research and teaching opportunities. The 4th edition of the Ag Guide constitutes a timely and robust updating of guidance pertinent to animal care and use that will be released in 2020.
352 Awardee Talk: Identification of novel haplotypes with recessive and allelic inheritance patterns affecting embryonic development processes, gestation losses and post-natal lethality in cattle
Authors: Canovas Angela , Lahoucine Samir Id , Suarez-Vega Aroa , Fonseca Pablo Augusto S , Schenkel Flavio , Sargolzaei Mehdi , Casellas Joaquim
Published: November 2020

Genomic data allows the screening of homozygous haplotypes and recessive lethal alleles, which could affect reproductive performance in cattle and other species. Here, we propose an approach based on tracing the inheritance of alleles from heterozygous parents to offspring to identify significant departure from the expected Mendelian inheritance (Transmission Ratio Distortion – TRD). TRDscan software was used to identify genomic regions with TRD using 436,651 trios (sire-dam-offspring) of genotypes from Holstein dairy cattle. SNP-by-SNP analysis was performed using 132,990 SNPs. TRD haplotypes were identified using sliding windows of 2-,4-,7-,10- and 20-SNPs. In total, 109 SNPs and 495 haplotypes were identified with significant TRD (Bayes factor≥100). Interestingly, some of the identified TRD regions overlap with previously known regions with recessive lethal alleles (e.g., HH0, HH1, HH3, HH5). Novel genomic regions with significant TRD were also identified with annotated genes functionally clustered into specific phenotypes related to male and female infertility and postnatal lethality. Approximately 18% of previously identified quantitative trait loci mapped around the TRD regions were related with fertility traits (calving ease, scrotal circumference, fertility index, and non-return rate). Validation of the results was performed using ~13,000 of Holstein embryo genotypes, in trios. The results will be integrated with the TRD regions identified to fine mapping the contribution of the TRD for each embryonic stage and they may be helpful to precisely target genomic regions associated with fertility, embryonic development processes, gestation losses and post-natal lethality in cattle.
113 Effects of aquatic conditioning in young horses. I. Markers of inflammation and cartilage metabolism
Authors: Silvers Brittany L , Leatherwood Jessica L , Nielsen Brian D , Arnold Carolyn E , Dominguez Brandon , Glass Kati , Huseman Chelsie , Bradbery Amanda N , Much Mattea L , Martinez Rafael E
Published: November 2020

Aquatic treadmills improve range of motion and increase muscular strength in mature horses; however, effects of buoyancy on inflammation and cartilage metabolism in young horses are not well investigated. Therefore, thirty Quarter Horse yearlings of similar breeding were stratified by age, BW, and sex and randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups during a 140-d trial to evaluate the influence of aquatic vs. dry exercise on joint inflammation and cartilage metabolism in young horses transitioning to an advanced workload. Treatment groups included non-exercise control (CON; n = 10), dry treadmill exercise (DRY; n = 10), or aquatic treadmill exercise (H2O; n = 10; water at 60% wither height). Animals were housed in individual stalls and allowed turnout for a minimum of 10 h/d. During Phase I, DRY and H2O walked on treadmills 30 min/d, 5 d/wk from d 0 to d 112. Phase II represented transition to an advanced workload 5d/wk for 28 d (Table 1). Every 28 d following exercise, synovial fluid samples were collected and analyzed for prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), collagenase cleavage neopeptide (C2C), collagenase of type I and type II collagen (C1,2C), and carboxypeptide of type II collagen (CPII) using commercial ELISA kits. All data were analyzed using PROC MIXED of SAS, including random effect of horse within treatment, and repeated effect of day. Baseline treatment differences were accounted for using a covariate structure. There were no treatment ′ day interactions of synovial inflammation or markers of cartilage metabolism; however, there was an effect of day for each selected marker (P < 0.03). Changes in biomarkers of cartilage turnover in horses exercised at the walk, whether dry or aquatic, could not be distinguished from horses with access to turnout alone. This indicates that there are no negative effects of buoyancy on cartilage metabolism in yearlings transitioned from aquatic exercise to 28-d advanced workload.