Project description:The nasopharyngeal microbiota of healthy cattle vs. cattle diagnosed with BRD in a commercial feedlot setting was compared using a high-density 16S rRNA microarray (Phylochip). Nasopharyngeal samples were taken from both groups of animals (n=5) at feedlot entry (day 0) and >60 days later.
Project description:Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is the most common and costly infectious disease affecting the well-being and productivity of beef cattle in North America. BRD is a complex disease whose development is dependent on environmental factors and host genetics. Due to the polymicrobial nature of BRD, our understanding of the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying the disease is still limited. This knowledge would augment the development of better genetic/genomic selection strategies and more accurate diagnostic tools to reduce BRD prevalence. Therefore, this study utilized multi-omics data (genomics, transcriptomics, and metabolomics) analyses to study the associations between genome, transcriptome, metabolome, and BRD phenotype of feedlot crossbred cattle. The findings may be useful for the development of genomic selection strategies for BRD susceptibility, and for the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic tools.
