360 Body Temperature of Hair Sheep Ewes During the Postpartum Period and Around the Time of Mating in an Accelerated Lambing System in the Tropics

The study was conducted to evaluate body temperature of hair sheep ewes at various stages of the production cycle in an accelerated lambing system in the tropics. Multiparous St. Croix White (STX: n = 7) and Dorper x STX (DRPX; n = 7) ewes lambing in October and raising single lambs weaned at 120 d were used. Synchronized breeding began at 96 d postpartum. Vaginal temperature (VT) was measured at 10-min intervals for 96 h at 38 and 66 d post-partum (PP1, PP2) and at 2 days after mating (PM) using data loggers. Daily minimum, maximum and range of VT were determined for ewes within PP1, PP2 and PB. Data were analyzed using GLM procedures of SAS with breed, day and time (PP1, PP2, PM) in the model. Mean ambient temperature, temperature-humidity index and solar radiation at PP1, PP2 and PM were 24.8 °C, 25.2 °C, 23.8 °C, and 74.7, 74.9, 73.3, and 180 W/m2, 160 W/m2 and 155 W/m2, respectively. Minimum VT was lower (P < 0.002) in STX than DRPX ewes at PP1, PP2 but not PM (38.27 ± 0.04 vs 38.44 ± 0.04 °C, 38.16 ± 0.04 vs 38.33 ± 0.04 °C, 38.47 ± 0.04 vs 38.58 ± 0.04 °C, respectively). There was no difference in maximum VT between breed or time (P > 01.0). There was no breed difference (P > 0.10) in range of VT, but the range of VT was lower (P < 0.0001) at PM compared to PP1 and PP2 (1.22 ± 0.04 vs 1.77 ± 0.04 vs 1.63 ± 0.04 °C, respectively). These results show that tropically adapted STX ewes have lower body temperatures, as shown by the lower minimal VT which indicates a degree of nighttime cooling, during the postpartum period compared to DRPX ewes in a tropical environment.

PSVI-23 Depot- specific patterns of mRNA and miRNA gene expression in adipose tissue from Texel-cross and Suffolk lambs

Excess fat deposition is costly to the producer in terms of input and final product; it also usually does not occur equally across all adipose depots. Further examination is necessary to determine a correlation between varying gene expression and fatty acid composition in different tissue depots, and further, across different breeds. Texel-Suffolk (n = 5) and Suffolk-Suffolk (n = 4) lambs were finished to 203 d of age and used to compare both mRNA and microRNA (miR) gene expression changes between breed and among tissue depots. Seven different depots were harvested and snap-frozen from all nine lambs. The liver, longissimus muscle of the rib, kidney fat, mesenteric fat, omental fat, subcutaneous fat, and intermuscular fat were all harvested. Texel-sired lambs had greater (P < 0.05) flank streaking, quality grade, and weight of fat depots compared to Suffolk. Texel-cross lambs had higher (P < 0.05) oleic-to-stearic fatty acid ratio than Suffolk lambs in this study, displaying a breed difference concerning this desaturation ratio. Tissue and breed interactions were observed for oleic-to-stearic and palmitoleic-to-palmitic ratio differences (P < 0.05) depending on tissue type. Tissue and breed interactions were trending in various tissues concerning the expression of the gene, stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1(SCD-1). SCD-1 seemed to be upregulated (P < 0.10) in a multitude of tissues while others do not appear to be differentially expressed, dependent upon breed. Data showed an association between SCD-1 and mi-199a-3p among different tissue variations. This may suggest that adipose tissue is more complex than what is currently known. Lipogenic gene expression differed between tissue and adipose depots, and could potentially broaden targets that could aid in maximizing animal efficiency.

43 Single and Multiple-breed Genomic Predictions for Conformation Traits of Canadian Dairy Goats

The use of multiple-breed models can increase the accuracy of estimated breeding values (EBV) when few phenotypes are available for a trait. However, pooling breeds is not always beneficial for genomic evaluations due to the low consistency of gametic phase between individual breeds. The objective of this study was to compare the expected gain in accuracy of single-step genomic breeding values (GEBV) for conformation traits of Canadian Alpine and Saanen goats predicted using single and multiple-breed models. The traits considered were body capacity, dairy character, feet and legs, fore udder, general appearance, rear udder, suspensory ligament, and teats, all recorded by trained classifiers, using a 1 to 9 scale. The full datasets included a total of 7,500 phenotypes for each trait (5,158 Alpine and 2,342 Saanen) and 1,707 50K genotypes (833 Alpine, 874 Saanen). Standard errors of prediction (SEP) were obtained for EBV and GEBV predicted using single-trait animal models on full or validation datasets. Breed difference was accounted for as a fixed effect in the multiple-breed models. Average theoretical accuracies were calculated from the SEP. For Saanen, with fewer records, expected accuracies of EBV and GEBV for the validation animals (selection candidates) were consistently higher for the multiple-breed models. Trait specific gains in theoretical accuracy of GEBV relative to EBV for the selection candidates ranged from 30 to 48% for Alpine and 41 to 61% for Saanen. Averaged across all traits, GEBV predicted from the full dataset were 32 to 38% more accurate than EBV for genotyped animals and the largest gains were found for does without conformation records (49 to 55%) and bucks without daughter records (56 to 82%). Overall, the implementation of genomic selection would substantially increase selection accuracy for young breeding candidates and, consequently, the rate of genetic improvement for conformation traits in Canadian dairy goats.

Influence of breed on the quality of in vivo produced embryos from Boran and Holstein Friesian cross dairy breed in Ethiopia

The variation of the dairy breed can determine the success of bovine embryo transfer by influencing the quantity and quality of in vivo embryo production. In this experiment, output and quality of in vivo produced embryos using semen of progeny tested Holstein Friesian (HF) sire in Boran and HF*Boran F1 cross cows, and semen from purebred Boran sire in HF*Boran F1 cross and Boran cows were evaluated. Boran (n=18) and HF*Boran cross (n=18) breed donor dams were superovulated using a previously optimized follicular stimulating hormone (FSH) (Pluset®) dose regimen: 650 IU for HF*Boran cross and 250 IU for Boran breeds. Each cow was flushed on Day-7 post insemination and embryos were evaluated for their developmental stages and quality. Superovulatory response rates were 88.9% and 83.3%, respectively, for Boran and HF*Boran with no significant (P>0.05) breed differences. Total recovery rates were relatively lower (56.5%) in Boran compared to in HF*Boran (67.4%). The mean (±SE) embryo flush outputs were 6.5±0.8 for Boran and 6.9±0.7 forHF*Boran with no significant breed difference. Recovery of a transferrable embryo was significantly higher (68.0%; P<0.05) in HF*Boran dam inseminated with HF sire semen. Boran cows yielded a significantly higher (P<0.05) proportion of unfertilized ovum (57.6 %) irrespective of the sire breeds. Comparatively, a higher number of degenerated embryos were produced by HF*Boran cows. This study demonstrated that the presence of breed-related differences in both the quality and quantity of in vivo produced Bovine embryos.

Lactation curves in west African Dwarf and Red Sokoto goats

Four mathematical functions (incomplete gamma, non linear regression, mixed log, and polynomial regression) were fired to 202 weekly lactations of 8 West African Dwarf and 9 Red Sokoto goats to ascertain the accuracy of prediction of individual milk production. The accuracy was assessed by the magnitude of R2 and the proportion of individual lactations well predicted. All the functions tested generally gave good fit to the observed data with slight tendency to consistently under- estimate daily milk yield. The pooled R2 estimates for all models exceeded 70%. Both breeds showed similar peak yields (P>0.05) averaging 420.65 ml during the first week of lactation. The proportion of individual lactations accurately predicted most of the models (incomplete gamma. mixed log and polynomial regression) were moderate Red Sokoto breed to high (87.5%) for West African Dwarf breed. R2 values generated from the jit of non-linear regression model however showed significant (P<0.05) breed difference with indication that more West African Dwarf goats (87.5%) had better fit (R2 = 0.863) than Red Sokoto goats (44.44%) with R: estimated at 0.693. The apparently reasonable trends in goodness of fit shown by the models. despite the limitation in number of records. points to the fact that predictive equations could be developed with increase in data size to predict future yields from incomplete lactation records.

Seroprevalence of Brucella infection in small ruminants from two institutional farms and a slaughter slab in Zaria, Nigeria

Brucellosis has continued to become a disease of major economic concern in developing countries. In a study to determine the seroprevalence of brucellosis in small ruminants in Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria, 1036 samples comprising 768 goats from institutional farms (n=384) and a slaughter slab (n=384), and 268 sheep all from institutional farms were used. The sera samples obtained from the animals were subjected to the Modified Rose Bengal Plate Test (m-RBPT) followed by Serum Agglutination Test with ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (SAT-EDTA) for Brucella antibodies detection. Milk samples were collected from lactating sheep and goats and subjected to the Milk Ring Test (MRT) for detection of Brucella antibodies. Results of the study revealed an overall seroprevalence rate of 6.37%, 8.90% and 12.96% for m-RBPT, SAT-EDTA and MRT, respectively. The seroprevalence in sheep and goats showed significant species difference (P < 0.05) for m-RBPT (10.05% vs 5.08%), but insignificant (P > 0.05) species difference for SAT-EDTA (9.33% vs 8.72%) and MRT (15.00% vs 11.76%) respectively. The seroprevalence in males and females showed insignificant sex difference (P > 0.05) for m-RBPT (6.59% vs 6.21%) and SAT-EDTA (7.76% vs 9.66%). On the other hand, the seroprevalence was higher in young (< 1 year old) than adult (> 1 year old) animals for SAT-EDTA (15.32% vs 8.11%). The seroprevalence in Red Sokoto, Sahel and West African Dwarf goats showed significant breed difference (P < 0.05) for m-RBPT (4.59% vs 5.55% vs 8.33%) and SAT-EDTA (6.80% vs 16.67% vs 12.50%). It was concluded that the seroprevalence of brucellosis was higher in sheep, Sahel goats and younger animals. To understand the pattern and dynamics of transmission of brucellosis in different groups of animals, there is the need for further studies to identify the Brucella species circulating in small ruminants. Keywords: Antibodies, Brucellosis, m-RBPT, SAT-EDTA, Small ruminants

Serum Levels of Neuropeptides in Cows with Left Abomasal Displacement

Abomasal displacement (AD) to the left is a common disease in high-yielding dairy cows after parturition. In view of the previously reported changes in tissue neuropeptide concentrations in cows with AD, the primary aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of AD and breed on serum neuropeptide concentrations. For this purpose, blood samples of 33 German Holstein (GH) cows with AD, 36 healthy controls (GH), and 32 healthy German Fleckvieh (GF) cows were collected, and concentrations of substance P (SP), vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), and interleukin1β (IL-1β) were measured via commercially available ELISA kits. To examine the effect of AD, we compared GH cows with and without AD and observed no significant effects of AD on SP, VIP, or Il-1 β concentrations. To evaluate the effect of breed, we compared healthy GH with healthy GF cows and detected markedly higher VIP serum levels in the healthy GF cows (p < 0.01). No significant differences in SP or IL-1β were detected. According to our results, there seems to be no effect of AD on the serum concentrations of SP, VIP, or IL-1 β. In contrast, there seems to be a breed difference concerning serum VIP concentrations.