Complex Vertebral Malformation in a Stillborn Holstein Calf in Japan.

Abstract

ABSTRACT. A female stillborn Holstein calf with shortened cervical and thoracic regions, protrusion of the tongue, and bilateral symmetric flexural contraction of the anterior limbs was delivered on gestation day 281. Multiple hemivertebrae, fused and misshaped vertebrae, synostosis and scoliosis of cervical, thoracic and lumbar vertebral column were found in the affected calf by radiographic and c omputed tomographic (CT) analysis. Ten pairs of ribs were present and the sternum consisted of 9 sternebrae. Multiple morphologic abnormalities including fusion, malformation, and displacement, were found in the ribs and sternum. Cardiac anomalies, including atrial septal defect and hypertrophy of right ventricle, were observed. DNA-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis demonstrated that amplified product from the liver DNA of the affected calf had identical pattern to that associated with complex vertebral malformation (CVM) of Holstein calves and that her dam was a heterozygous carrier of CVM. The affected calf was diagnosed as having CVM based on the DNA-PCR results and the characteristic findings, and was recorded as a first documentation of CVM confirmed in a Holstein calf in Japan. KEY WORDS: CVM, genetic defect, Holstein calf, malformation of vertebrae, stillborn.

A missense mutation in the bovine SLC35A3 gene, encoding a UDP-N-acetylglucosamine transporter, causes complex vertebral malformation

“…Disease symptoms have not been observed in obligate carriers of CVM. The syndrome was first discovered in the Danish Holstein population in 1999, but shortly thereafter reports documented the presence of CVM in the United States (Duncan et al 2001), the United Kingdom (Revell 2001), the Netherlands (Wouda et al 2000), and in Japan (Nagahata et al 2002). Genealogical records allowed us to trace the origin of the disease-causing allele to a common ancestral bull, Carlin-M Ivanhoe Bell, which has been used in dairy cattle breeding worldwide for two decades due to the superior lactation performance of his daughters.…”

“…For example, the frequencies of CVM carriers among top sires were 31% in Denmark in 1999 (A.H. Petersen, unpubl. ) and 32.5% in Japan in 2001 (Nagahata et al 2002). Clearly, the use of relatively few elite bulls can advance productivity in a breed; yet, this strategy also greatly augments the risk of increasing the frequency of deleterious recessive mutations.…”

Implication of complex vertebral malformation and deficiency of uridine monophosphate synthase on molecular-based testing in the Iranian Holstein bulls population

“…Against these reports, there was no carrier of DUMPS in Holstein and native cattles of Turkey (Akyuz et al, 2008), Polish Holstein breed (Kaminski et al, 2005) and Holstein Friesian (HF) and HF crossbred cattle in India (Patel et al, 2006). The complex vertebral malformation (CVM) is a hereditary lethal syndrome in Holstein calves and is characterized by misshapen vertebrae in the cervical, thoracic and lumbar regions of the vertebral column, anomaly of sternum (Nagahata et al, 2002), abnormality of ribs (Revell et al, 2001), low body weight and lateral rotation of the fetlock joints (Duncan et al, 2001). Also, consideration of the heart reveals a right-sided hypertrophy and upper interventricular septal defect (Citek et al, 2004) and many CVM fetuses are aborted at gestation day 159, while other CVM calves are pre-maturely born or usually stillborn Nielsen et al, 2003).…”

Computed tomographic findings in a calf with actinomycosis: a case report

“…CT is gradually becoming more widely available in veterinary referral practices; therefore, it is important that practitioners be aware of this imaging modality (Whatmough and Lamb, 2006). The number of reports involving diagnosis with CT in both companion and production animals have been increasing (Marshall et al, 1995;Gerros et al, 1998;Nagahata et al, 2002;El-Khodery et al, 2008;Ohba et al, 2008;Lee et al, 2009Lee et al, , 2011Schultz et al, 2009;Shimizu et al, 2009). This case report describes the clinical findings and examination, including the use of CT, and the treatment of a case of actinomycosis in a five-month-old Holstein calf.…”