Genotype and susceptibility to paratuberculosis in cattle - Silirum trial herds

Summary

The original project proposal involved collection of DNA samples from the Silirum vaccine trial being conducted by Pfizer Animal Health. This is an extraordinary resource comprising two endemically infected herds, with data collected longitudinally regarding shedding of Mptb organisms (faecal culture), clinical cases of BJD, humoral and cell-mediated immune responses and histopathology as well as production measures.To confirm the validity of the planned approaches, blood samples from cattle in the University of Sydney experimental infection trial P.PSH.0297-2 were collected, the DNA was purified and shipped to Utah State University. Sequencing and haplotype analysis of these 30 cattle were performed.
The results showed new haplotypes and associations, particularly in Australian Red x Holstein crosses. Due to the nature of the animal resource and planned Pfizer herd management, blood sampling of 1237 cattle from the Silirum trial commenced while sequencing of the University of Sydney cattle samples was still underway. Following the successful results of the pilot, the DNA processing was completed and 1000 cattle DNA samples were sent by courier to Utah. The DNA was confirmed as of high quality and sequencing was performed by Dr Chris Davies and his team. A database of the animal details and laboratory results has been received from Pfizer for subsequent analysis.  The data will be reported in P.PSH.0576.