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ARS Home » Plains Area » Clay Center, Nebraska » U.S. Meat Animal Research Center » Genetics and Animal Breeding » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #249976
Title: Identification of Genetic Regions Associated with Bovine Viral Diarrhea-Persistently Infected Cattle

Author
item ZANELLA, RICARDO - Washington State University
item WENZ, JOHN - Washington State University
item Casas, Eduardo
item NEIBERGS, JOSEPH - Washington State University
item MOORE, DALE - Washington State University
item NEIBERGS, HOLLY - Washington State University

Submitted to: American Society of Animal Science Annual Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/7/2010
Publication Date: 7/1/2010
Citation: Zanella, R., Wenz, J., Casas, E., Neibergs, J.S., Moore, D., Neibergs, H.L. 2010. Identification of Genetic Regions Associated with Bovine Viral Diarrhea-Persistently Infected Cattle [abstract]. Journal of Animal Science. 88(E-Supplement 2):739. (Abstract #772).

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) is one of the etiologies involved in bovine respiratory disease (BRD). BVDV infection can also cause reproductive disorders and acute fatal hemorrhagic disease resulting in poor performance and economic losses to the cattle industry. Infection with BVDV can be transient or persistent. Transient infections are temporary and last until the animal builds immunity to the virus. Persistent infections (BVD-PI) occur when a cow and her fetus are infected with BVDV at approximately 40 to 140 days of gestation. BVD-PI animals shed the virus throughout their lives. Previous studies have found bovine chromosomes (BTA) 2 and 26 to be linked to BRD. The objective of this research was to determine if these regions were associated with BVDV-PI infection. Ear notches of 8,624 commercial beef calves were tested by qtRT-PCR for the presence of BVDV. Calves positive for BVDV were confirmed to be BVD-PI by ELISA at the Washington Animal Disease Laboratory. Sixty-five BVD-PI calves, their dams, and 60 contemporary calves (controls) from the same herd were genotyped for 6 microsatellites on BTA 2 and 7 microsatellites on BTA 26. Allele frequencies were compared between BVD-PI calves and controls, dams of BVD-PI calves and controls with a Fisher’s exact test. BTA 26 was associated with persistent infection when BVD-PI calves (P=0.01) and dams of BVD-PI calves (P=2.8x10**-6) were compared to controls. Strong evidence for an association with BTA 2 and persistent infection was demonstrated for BVD-PI calves (P=1x10**-10) and the dams of BVD-PI calves (P=1x10**-13). These results are congruent with the BRD linkage results and suggest that BTA 2 and BTA 26 harbor loci that influence both BRD and BVD-PI.