Test-day milk yield as a selection criterion for dairy buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis Artiodactyla, Bovidae)

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Genetic parameters for buffalo milk yield and milk quality traits using Bayesian inference

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Genetic parameters of total milk yield and factors describing the shape of lactation curve in dairy buffaloes

The objective of this study was to apply factor analysis to describe lactation curves in dairy buffaloes in order to estimate the phenotypic and genetic association between common latent factors and cumulative milk yield. A total of 31 257 monthly test-day milk yield records from buffaloes belonging to herds located in the state of São Paulo were used to estimate two common latent factors, which were then analysed in a multi-trait animal model for estimating genetic parameters. Estimates of (co)variance components for the two common latent factors and cumulated 270-d milk yield were obtained by Bayesian inference using a multiple trait animal model. Contemporary group, number of milkings per day (two levels) and age of buffalo cow at calving (linear and quadratic) as covariate were included in the model as fixed effects. The additive genetic, permanent environmental and residual effects were included as random effects. The first common latent factor (F1) was associated with persistency of lactation and the second common latent factor (F2) with the level of production in early lactation. Heritability estimates for Fl and F2 were 0.12 and 0.07, respectively. Genetic correlation estimates between El and F2 with cumulative milk yield were positive and moderate (0.63 and 0.52). Multivariate statistics employing factor analysis allowed the extraction of two variables (latent factors) that described the shape of the lactation curve. It is expected that the response to selection to increase lactation persistency is higher than the response obtained from selecting animals to increase lactation peak. Selection for higher total milk yield would result in a favourable correlated response to increase the level of production in early lactation and the lactation persistency.

Detection of nontuberculous mycobacteria from water buffalo raw milk in Brazil

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Buffalo milk production in brazil and colombia: Genotype by environment interaction

The objective of this study was to determine whether there is a genotype by environment interaction (GxE) for dairy buffaloes in Brazil and Colombia. The (co)variance components were estimated by using a bi-trait repeatability animal model with the REML method. Each trait consisted in the milk yield obtained in both countries. Contemporary group (herd, year and season of parity) and age at parity (linear and quadratic covariate) fixed effects, along with the additive genetic, permanent environment, and the residual random effects were included in the model. Genetic, permanent environmental and residual variance and heritabilities were different for both countries. The genetic correlations for milk yield between Brazil and Colombia were low (between 0.10 and 0.13), indicating a GxE interaction between both countries. Knowing that this interaction influences the genetic progress of buffalo populations in Brazil and Colombia, we recommend choosing sires tested in the country they will be used, along with conducting joint genetic evaluations that consider GxE interaction effects.

Test-day model for milk yield of dairy buffaloes in colombia

The test-day model is the preferred method for genetic evaluations in dairy cattle. For this study, 28372 test-day records of 1220 lactations from 1997 to 2009 were used. The (co)variance components for milk in test-day were estimated using a Uni and multiple-traits repeated animal model with the Restricted Maximum Likelihood method (REML). The Contemporary Group (herd, year, and season of parity) and the age of parity (linear and quadratic) fixed effects, and the additive genetic, permanent environmental, and residual random effects were included in the model. The heritabilities ranged between 0.06 and 0.45 during lactation. The genetic correlations were greater than 0.93. In conclusion, the test-day model is appropriate for the genetic evaluation of dairy buffaloes in Colombia.

Effects of a single nucleotide polymorphism in the leptin gene on the productive traits of dairy buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis)

The gene responsible for coding the leptin hormone has been associated with productive and reproductive traits in cattle. In dairy cattle, different polymorphisms found in the leptin gene have been associated with several traits of economic interest, such as energy balance, milk yield and composition, live weight, fertility and dry matter consumption. The aim of this study was to detect genetic variability in the leptin gene of buffaloes and to test possible associations with milk yield, fat and protein percentages, age at first calving and first calving interval. Three genotypes (AA, AG and GG) were identified by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism, which presented genotypic frequencies of 0.30, 0.54 and 0.16, respectively. The allele frequencies were 0.57 for the A allele and 0.43 for the G allele. No significant effects were found in the present study, but there is an indicative that leptin gene affects lipid metabolism. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.

Probiotic properties of lactic acid bacteria isolated from water-buffalo mozzarella cheese

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Diversity of Lactic Acid Bacteria Isolated from Brazilian Water Buffalo Mozzarella Cheese

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Polymorphisms in Oxytocin and alpha(1a) Adrenergic Receptor Genes and Their Effects on Production Traits in Dairy Buffaloes

The use of molecular markers may auxiliary the buffalo breeding. The oxytocin (OXT) and the adrenergic receptor alpha(1A) (ADRA1A) may be involved in milk ejection in ruminants. The aim of this study was to verify the existence of polymorphisms in the OXT and ADRA1A genes and their associations with milk production traits. A total of 220 buffaloes were genotyped using PCR-RFLP for both genes. The SNP identified in the ADRA1A gene was associated with protein percentage in dairy buffaloes. This is the first report of such association in the literature, which has not been studied in other species.

Communal suckling in water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis)

Communal nursing (an adult female allowing the offspring of another conspecific female to suckle) is a relatively frequent behavior in water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis). Fourteen lactating water buffalo cows and their nursing calves were observed at a Brazilian dairy after the cows had been milked. The two variables of greatest interest were solicitations of their own mothers and other cows by the calves, and acceptances of their own offspring and non-filial calves by the cows. Correlational analyses suggested three easily discriminable clusters of variables. Calves solicited and succeeded in suckling from their own mothers more often than they did from any other individual cow, but they solicited all other cows slightly more often than they did their own mothers. They were more likely to try to suckle other cows if they were rejected by their own mothers. Cows that had a high probability of accepting their own offspring tended to accept non-filial calves as well. Calves tended to maximize the total number rather than the probability of successful solicitations. Communal suckling was not reciprocal. Communal and filial suckling results from encounters between cows and calves performing under different motivational states. © 1991.

Prospecting major genes in dairy buffaloes

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Allonursing in river buffalo, Bubalus bubalis: Nepotism, incompetence, or thievery?

Allonursing was investigated in a dairy herd of 30 river buffalo cows and their calves. The primary behavioural variables were solicitations of allonursing by calves and acceptances of calves by cows. The sample of cows included a group of nine half-sisters, two additional pairs of half-sisters, and a pair of full-sisters. All of the calves were half-siblings owing to putative common paternity. Ancillary variables were age, milk-yield and docility of cows, as well as age, sex, weight and growth rate of calves. Three hundred and fifty-one instances of allonursing and 341 of filial nursing were recorded. There were large individual differences in the cows' tendencies to accept their own offspring and non-filial calves, and for the calves to successfully solicit milk from their mothers and other cows. Thirteen of the 30 cows accounted for 97% of the allonursing. Frequent allonursing was correlated with decreased growth rate in the donors' calves. Allonursing was unrelated to kinship or reciprocal relationships among the cows, and was associated with a lack of maternal experience in young cows and apparent milk theft by hungry calves whose mothers were not providing them with sufficient milk. © 1995 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.

Fluorescent amplified fragment length polymorphism genotyping of human and animal Staphylococcus aureus isolates from dairy farms with manual milking

Fluorescence amplified fragment length polymorphism (fAFLP) was used to assess the genetic relatedness of 40 Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from human and animal skin samples in seven dairy farms with manual milking. S. aureus was isolated from 11 out of 30 (36%) human skin samples and from 29 out of 100 (29%) teat skin samples from apparently healthy cows. Genomic DNA from each isolate was double-digested with EcoRI and MseI and complementary oligonucleotide adaptors were ligated to the restriction fragments. Pre-selective and selective, amplification reactions were performed, the amplified fragments were separated by electrophoresis in an ABI377 sequencer and analysed using GeneScan 3.1 and Genotyper 2.5. Three single isolates (a-c), a predominant cluster with 35 isolates (d) and another cluster with two isolates (e) were identified. Both clusters d and e included human and animal isolates genetically related, because the profiles had 90-100% homology. Since no cluster was comprised uniquely of human or animal isolates and given the close genetic relatedness among human and animal samples in the farms, the present findings support the. hypothesis that dairy workers can spread S. aureus through manual milking. (C) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.