Scrapie is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy affecting sheep and goats. The prion protein-encoding gene (PRNP) plays a crucial role in determining susceptibility and resistance to scrapie. At the European level, surveillance of scrapie is essential to prevent the spread of the disease to livestock. According to the Regulation EU 2020/772 polymorphisms K222, D/S146 could function as resistance alleles in the genetic management of disease prevention. In Italy, a breeding plan for scrapie eradication has not been implemented for goats. However, surveillance plans based on the PRNP genotype have been developed as a preventive measure for scrapie. This research aimed to describe the polymorphisms at 7 positions within the PRNP gene in 956 goats of the Alpine, Saanen and mixed populations farmed in the Lombardy Region in Italy. PRNP polymorphisms were detected using single nucleotide polymorphism markers included in the Neogen GGP Goat 70 k chip. The K222 allele occurred in all populations, with frequencies ranging from 2.1 to 12.7%. No animals carried the S/D146 resistance allele. However, it has been demonstrated that polymorphisms in the other positions analysed could influence resistance or susceptibility to scrapie outbreaks in different ways. Ten potentially distinct haplotypes were found, and the most prevalent of the three populations was H2, which differed from the wild type (H1) in terms of mutation (S vs P) at codon 240. This study provided additional information on the genetic variability of the PRNP gene in these populations in the Lombardy region of Italy, contributing to the development of genetic control measures for disease prevention.

This study aimed to assess the impact of a 15-d administration of a polyphenol-rich extract from hazelnut skin (HS) on the incidence of neonatal calf diarrhea (NCD) and bronchopneumonia (BP) in Holstein heifers. Additionally, the study investigated whether the extract influenced blood derivatives of reactive oxygen metabolites (d-ROM), serum antioxidant capacity, fecal microbiota, growth rates, and severity of BP and NCD-related clinical parameters. In this randomized clinical trial, 80 healthy female dairy calves were allocated into 2 groups: a control group (CTRL, n = 40) and an HS-supplemented group (HS, n = 40), which received a milk replacer enriched with HS extract (5 g/d) from d 3 to d 18 of life. Daily clinical examinations were conducted for all calves until they reached 21 d of age. Additionally, thoracic ultrasonography (TUS) was performed at 21, 40, and 60 d of age, and weights were recorded at enrollment (d 3), 21 d, and 60 d. These repeated outcomes were analyzed using generalized estimating equations. Blood samples were collected from each calf at the beginning of the study and after HS (or control) administration for the evaluation of serum antioxidant capacity using the oxygen adsorbent test (OXY-Adsorbent) and for determining d-ROM. Additionally, rectal swabs were taken from all calves at 2, 10, 18, and 24 d of life for the analysis of fecal microbiota. The duration of diarrhea in the CTRL group was 22% higher than in HS (incidence rate ratio = 1.22; 95% CI: 1.03-1.45). Calves in the CTRL group had higher odds of elevated fecal scores (odds ratio = 1.23; 95% CI: 1.02-1.52). At 21 d of life, median OXY-Adsorbent values were 397.29 µmol (25th percentile [25°P] = 360.51; 75th percentile [75°P] = 426.30) in CTRL and 440.40 µmol (25°P: 400.97; 75°P: 479.14) in HS, with a significant difference between groups The ADG, fecal microbiota, d-ROM, BP, disease incidence, and all clinical parameters evaluated were not affected by HS administration. In conclusion, these findings suggest that the administration of HS resulted in a reduction in the duration of watery feces during NCD episodes and an improvement in serum antioxidant capacity in treated calves. However, HS supplementation did not demonstrate any effects on the overall clinical health issues associated with NCD, lung lesions identified via TUS, or weight gain. Future research on HS supplementation in calves should be conducted over a more extended administration period and include comprehensive cost-benefit analyses.

Advancements in precision livestock farming and machine learning have expanded the use of data-driven approaches for milk yield forecasting. In this study, a previously developed feedforward neural network (FFNN) model using genomic breeding values, parity, days in milk, month of calving, and age at calving as predictors was validated across one generation of Holstein cows. Specifically, the model was evaluated in first-parity daughters of the animals included in the original training population. Predictive performance was assessed on 228 lactation curves comprising 67,010 daily observations using a train–cross-validation–held-out test framework. On the test set, the model achieved a daily root mean squared error (RMSE) of 5.98 kg/day, with a Pearson correlation of 0.64. Sensitivity analyses were conducted by systematically shifting calving month and age (±1 to ±4 months) while holding other predictors constant. Simulated scenarios suggested increased predicted milk yield with later calving ages; however, these results reflect the structure of the training data rather than prescriptive management recommendations. While the FFNN provides robust milk yield predictions, its practical application for calving strategy decisions should be integrated with economic and reproductive considerations. Overall, the findings support the generational robustness of FFNN-based milk yield forecasting within the studied herd.

Until recently, due to the absence of standardized guidelines tailored for veterinary use, the evaluation of genetic variant pathogenicity for single-gene diseases was based on a personal interpretation of the presented evidence, which has led to ambiguous interpretation. With the publication of the animal variant classification guidelines (AVCG), a more objective approach became available. Variants are evaluated based on twenty-three criteria and labeled as pathogenic, likely pathogenic, variant of uncertain significance, likely benign or benign. While the accuracy was thoroughly tested in the original publication, the reproducibility of the various steps involved was only briefly checked, which is why the current study was performed. Each variant from a set of 150 published likely causal variants for single-gene diseases from three species (dog, cat, horse) was independently and blindly assessed by three different reviewers, each applying the same AVCG. An overall agreement of 93% for decisions on the scope, i.e. whether they fit the inclusion criteria to allow evaluation with AVCG, was found. More importantly, the reproducibility was 65% for the pathogenicity classification and this increased to 83% clinically relevant agreement. While a direct comparison of the reproducibility with human literature is not possible for the scope, the reproducibility on pathogenicity classification is in line with reports using the human American College for Medical Genetics and Genomics and Association for Molecular Pathology guidelines for human variants. Overall, based on the current study, the reproducibility of the guidelines in veterinary species is within current expectations.