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Tania Bobbo
Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment (DAFNAE), University of Padova, Legnaro, Italy

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Journal article
Published: 01 July 2021 in Scientific Reports
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Bovine mastitis is one of the most important economic and health issues in dairy farms. Data collection during routine recording procedures and access to large datasets have shed the light on the possibility to use trained machine learning algorithms to predict the udder health status of cows. In this study, we compared eight different machine learning methods (Linear Discriminant Analysis, Generalized Linear Model with logit link function, Naïve Bayes, Classification and Regression Trees, k-Nearest Neighbors, Support Vector Machines, Random Forest and Neural Network) to predict udder health status of cows based on somatic cell counts. Prediction accuracies of all methods were above 75%. According to different metrics, Neural Network, Random Forest and linear methods had the best performance in predicting udder health classes at a given test-day (healthy or mastitic according to somatic cell count below or above a predefined threshold of 200,000 cells/mL) based on the cow’s milk traits recorded at previous test-day. Our findings suggest machine learning algorithms as a promising tool to improve decision making for farmers. Machine learning analysis would improve the surveillance methods and help farmers to identify in advance those cows that would possibly have high somatic cell count in the subsequent test-day.

ACS Style

Tania Bobbo; Stefano Biffani; Cristian Taccioli; Mauro Penasa; Martino Cassandro. Comparison of machine learning methods to predict udder health status based on somatic cell counts in dairy cows. Scientific Reports 2021, 11, 1 -10.

AMA Style

Tania Bobbo, Stefano Biffani, Cristian Taccioli, Mauro Penasa, Martino Cassandro. Comparison of machine learning methods to predict udder health status based on somatic cell counts in dairy cows. Scientific Reports. 2021; 11 (1):1-10.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Tania Bobbo; Stefano Biffani; Cristian Taccioli; Mauro Penasa; Martino Cassandro. 2021. "Comparison of machine learning methods to predict udder health status based on somatic cell counts in dairy cows." Scientific Reports 11, no. 1: 1-10.

Case report
Published: 01 April 2021 in Animals
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Extensive summer grazing is a dairy herd management practice frequently adopted in mountainous areas. Nowadays, this activity is threatened by its high labour demand, but it is fundamental for environmental, touristic and economic implications, as well as for the preservation of social and cultural traditions. Scarce information on the effects of such low-input farming systems on cattle health is available. Therefore, the present case study aimed at investigating how grazing may affect the health status of dairy cows by using milk traits routinely available from the national milk recording scheme. The research involved a dairy herd of 52 Simmental and 19 Holstein × Simmental crossbred cows. The herd had access to the pasture according to a rotational grazing scheme from late spring up to the end of summer. A total of 616 test day records collected immediately before and during the grazing season were used. Individual milk yield was registered during the milking procedure. Milk samples were analysed for composition (fat, protein, casein and lactose contents) and health-related milk indicators (electrical conductivity, urea and β-hydroxybutyrate) using mid-infrared spectroscopy. Somatic cell count (SCC) and differential SCC were also determined. Data were analysed with a linear mixed model, which included the fixed effects of the period of sampling, cow breed, stage of lactation and parity, and the random effects of cow nested within breed and the residual. The transition from barn farming to pasture had a negative effect on milk yield, together with a small deterioration of fat and protein percentages. Health-related milk indicators showed a minor deterioration of the fat to protein ratio, differential SCC and electrical conductivity, particularly towards the end of the grazing season, whereas the somatic cell score and β-hydroxybutyrate were relatively constant. Overall, the study showed that, when properly managed, pasture grazing does not have detrimental effects on dairy cows in terms of udder health and efficiency. Therefore, the proper management of cows on pasture can be a valuable solution to preserve the economic, social and environmental sustainability of small dairy farms in the alpine regions, without impairing cows’ health.

ACS Style

Giovanni Niero; Tania Bobbo; Simone Callegaro; Giulio Visentin; Cristina Pornaro; Mauro Penasa; Giulio Cozzi; Massimo De Marchi; Martino Cassandro. Dairy Cows’ Health during Alpine Summer Grazing as Assessed by Milk Traits, Including Differential Somatic Cell Count: A Case Study from Italy. Animals 2021, 11, 981 .

AMA Style

Giovanni Niero, Tania Bobbo, Simone Callegaro, Giulio Visentin, Cristina Pornaro, Mauro Penasa, Giulio Cozzi, Massimo De Marchi, Martino Cassandro. Dairy Cows’ Health during Alpine Summer Grazing as Assessed by Milk Traits, Including Differential Somatic Cell Count: A Case Study from Italy. Animals. 2021; 11 (4):981.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Giovanni Niero; Tania Bobbo; Simone Callegaro; Giulio Visentin; Cristina Pornaro; Mauro Penasa; Giulio Cozzi; Massimo De Marchi; Martino Cassandro. 2021. "Dairy Cows’ Health during Alpine Summer Grazing as Assessed by Milk Traits, Including Differential Somatic Cell Count: A Case Study from Italy." Animals 11, no. 4: 981.

Journal article
Published: 16 December 2020 in Animals
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The growing interest of consumers for milk and dairy products of high nutritional value has pushed researchers to evaluate the feasibility of including fatty acids (FA) in selection programs to modify milk fat profile and improve its nutritional quality. Therefore, the aim of this study was to estimate genetic parameters of FA profile predicted by mid-infrared spectroscopy, milk yield, composition, and total and differential somatic cell count. Edited data included 35,331 test-day records of 25,407 Italian Holstein cows from 652 herds. Variance components and heritability were estimated using single-trait repeatability animal models, whereas bivariate repeatability animal models were used to estimate genetic and phenotypic correlations between traits, including the fixed effects of stage of lactation, parity, and herd-test-date, and the random effects of additive genetic animal, cow permanent environment and the residual. Heritabilities and genetic correlations obtained in the present study reflected both the origins of FA (extracted from the blood or synthesized de novo by the mammary gland) and their grouping according to saturation or chain length. In addition, correlations among FA groups were in line with correlation among individual FA. Moderate negative genetic correlations between FA and milk yield and moderate to strong positive correlations with fat, protein, and casein percentages suggest that actual selection programs are currently affecting all FA groups, not only the desired ones (e.g., polyunsaturated FA). The absence of association with differential somatic cell count and the weak association with somatic cell score indicate that selection on FA profile would not affect selection on resistance to mastitis and vice versa. In conclusion, our findings suggest that genetic selection on FA content is feasible, as FA are variable and moderately heritable. Nevertheless, in the light of correlations with other milk traits estimated in this study, a clear breeding goal should first be established.

ACS Style

Tania Bobbo; Mauro Penasa; Martino Cassandro. Genetic Parameters of Bovine Milk Fatty Acid Profile, Yield, Composition, Total and Differential Somatic Cell Count. Animals 2020, 10, 2406 .

AMA Style

Tania Bobbo, Mauro Penasa, Martino Cassandro. Genetic Parameters of Bovine Milk Fatty Acid Profile, Yield, Composition, Total and Differential Somatic Cell Count. Animals. 2020; 10 (12):2406.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Tania Bobbo; Mauro Penasa; Martino Cassandro. 2020. "Genetic Parameters of Bovine Milk Fatty Acid Profile, Yield, Composition, Total and Differential Somatic Cell Count." Animals 10, no. 12: 2406.

Journal article
Published: 01 October 2020 in Journal of Dairy Science
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ACS Style

T. Bobbo; M. Penasa; A. Rossoni; M. Cassandro. Short communication: Genetic aspects of milk urea nitrogen and new indicators of nitrogen efficiency in dairy cows. Journal of Dairy Science 2020, 103, 9207 -9212.

AMA Style

T. Bobbo, M. Penasa, A. Rossoni, M. Cassandro. Short communication: Genetic aspects of milk urea nitrogen and new indicators of nitrogen efficiency in dairy cows. Journal of Dairy Science. 2020; 103 (10):9207-9212.

Chicago/Turabian Style

T. Bobbo; M. Penasa; A. Rossoni; M. Cassandro. 2020. "Short communication: Genetic aspects of milk urea nitrogen and new indicators of nitrogen efficiency in dairy cows." Journal of Dairy Science 103, no. 10: 9207-9212.

Brief report
Published: 30 June 2020 in Italian Journal of Animal Science
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The combined use of somatic cell count (SCC) and differential somatic cell count (DSCC), which is the ratio of neutrophils plus lymphocytes to total milk SCC, represents a novel approach to define cow’s udder health status, as it allows to identify healthy animals (those with low SCC and DSCC), cows susceptible to mastitis (those where an immune response has begun, so that there is an increase of neutrophils, i.e. DSCC, but not yet of total SCC), animals with a mastitic event in progress (those with high SCC and DSCC) and animals with possible chronic inflammation (those with high SCC and low DSCC, as macrophages prevail). We investigated the association of cow’s udder health status with milk yield, composition and coagulation properties in four cattle breeds. Results demonstrated that milk traits vary among cows with different udder health status, especially in terms of fat percentage, lactose percentage and coagulation ability. The most pronounced worsening in milk yield and coagulation ability was observed for animals with chronic inflammation. Our findings support the new approach based on the combined use of SCC and DSCC to screen for cow’s udder health, as it would allow to identify susceptible cows that will probably undergo a mastitic event and chronic cows that would possibly reduce the herd milk production and quality.

ACS Style

Tania Bobbo; Mauro Penasa; Martino Cassandro. Combining total and differential somatic cell count to better assess the association of udder health status with milk yield, composition and coagulation properties in cattle. Italian Journal of Animal Science 2020, 19, 697 -703.

AMA Style

Tania Bobbo, Mauro Penasa, Martino Cassandro. Combining total and differential somatic cell count to better assess the association of udder health status with milk yield, composition and coagulation properties in cattle. Italian Journal of Animal Science. 2020; 19 (1):697-703.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Tania Bobbo; Mauro Penasa; Martino Cassandro. 2020. "Combining total and differential somatic cell count to better assess the association of udder health status with milk yield, composition and coagulation properties in cattle." Italian Journal of Animal Science 19, no. 1: 697-703.

Journal article
Published: 19 September 2019 in Livestock Science
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This study aimed to estimate genetic parameters for 19 linear type traits related to frame, udder, and feet and legs, and for final score of 10,305 first-parity Jersey cows evaluated between 2004 and 2016. Since scoring of locomotion in Jersey breed started in 2009, a subset of 6853 animals was extracted from the original data and used to investigate sources of variation and heritability of locomotion score, and its associations with the other traits. Univariate animal models were used to estimate variance components of type traits and bivariate analyses were implemented to obtain genetic correlations between traits. Fixed effects were herd-year-classifier, season of evaluation, stage of lactation at scoring and age at calving, and the random effects were additive genetic animal and the residual. Herd-year-classifier was the major source of variation affecting the traits. Heritabilities were low with the only exception of a moderate heritability (0.32 ± 0.02) for stature. The lowest heritabilities were estimated for feet and legs traits with values between 0.04 ± 0.02 (rear leg set side view, rear leg set rear view and locomotion) and 0.07 ± 0.02 (foot angle). The final score had heritability of 0.20 ± 0.02. Genetic correlations were generally stronger than their phenotypic counterparts. Overall, frame traits were weakly correlated with feet and legs, and udder traits, except for rump width, which showed moderate correlations with almost all traits, and angularity which showed the greatest correlations with rear udder height (0.61 ± 0.10) and rear udder width (0.62 ± 0.11). Genetic correlations between locomotion and frame traits ranged from 0.08 ± 0.22 (angularity) to 0.32 ± 0.16 (stature). The strongest correlations were estimated between locomotion and other feet and legs traits, but also with front teat placement (0.97 ± 0.19) and with rear teat placement (0.88 ± 0.17). Results of the present study will be used to enhance genetic evaluation of linear type traits in Jersey cattle breed.

ACS Style

Chiara Roveglia; Giovanni Niero; Tania Bobbo; Mauro Penasa; Raffaella Finocchiaro; Giulio Visentin; Nicolas Lopez-Villalobos; Martino Cassandro. Genetic parameters for linear type traits including locomotion in Italian Jersey cattle breed. Livestock Science 2019, 229, 131 -136.

AMA Style

Chiara Roveglia, Giovanni Niero, Tania Bobbo, Mauro Penasa, Raffaella Finocchiaro, Giulio Visentin, Nicolas Lopez-Villalobos, Martino Cassandro. Genetic parameters for linear type traits including locomotion in Italian Jersey cattle breed. Livestock Science. 2019; 229 ():131-136.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Chiara Roveglia; Giovanni Niero; Tania Bobbo; Mauro Penasa; Raffaella Finocchiaro; Giulio Visentin; Nicolas Lopez-Villalobos; Martino Cassandro. 2019. "Genetic parameters for linear type traits including locomotion in Italian Jersey cattle breed." Livestock Science 229, no. : 131-136.

Original article
Published: 13 May 2019 in Animal Science Journal
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The aim of this study was to estimate genetic associations between alternative somatic cell count (SCC) traits and milk yield, composition and udder type traits in Italian Jersey cows. Alternative SCC traits were test‐day (TD) somatic cell score (SCS) averaged over early lactation (SCS_150), standard deviation of SCS of the entire lactation (SCS_SD), a binary trait indicating absence or presence of at least one TD SCC >400,000 cells/ml in the lactation (Infection) and the ratio of the number of TD SCC >400,000 cells/ml to total number of TD in the lactation (Severity). Heritabilities of SCC traits, including lactation‐mean SCS (SCS_LM), ranged from 0.038 to 0.136. Genetic correlations between SCC traits were moderate to strong, with very few exceptions. Unfavourable genetic associations between milk yield and SCS_SD and Infection indicated that high‐producing cows were more susceptible to variation in SCC than low‐producing animals. Cows with deep udders, loose attachments, weak ligaments and long teats were more susceptible to an increase of SCC in milk. Overall, results suggest that alternative SCC traits can be exploited to improve cow's resistance to mastitis in Italian Jersey breed.

ACS Style

Tania Bobbo; Chiara Roveglia; Mauro Penasa; Giulio Visentin; Raffaella Finocchiaro; Martino Cassandro. Genetic relationships of alternative somatic cell count traits with milk yield, composition and udder type traits in Italian Jersey cows. Animal Science Journal 2019, 90, 808 -817.

AMA Style

Tania Bobbo, Chiara Roveglia, Mauro Penasa, Giulio Visentin, Raffaella Finocchiaro, Martino Cassandro. Genetic relationships of alternative somatic cell count traits with milk yield, composition and udder type traits in Italian Jersey cows. Animal Science Journal. 2019; 90 (7):808-817.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Tania Bobbo; Chiara Roveglia; Mauro Penasa; Giulio Visentin; Raffaella Finocchiaro; Martino Cassandro. 2019. "Genetic relationships of alternative somatic cell count traits with milk yield, composition and udder type traits in Italian Jersey cows." Animal Science Journal 90, no. 7: 808-817.

Journal article
Published: 01 May 2019 in Journal of Dairy Science
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The aim of the present study was to assess genetic variation and heritability of a novel indicator of udder health, milk differential somatic cell count (DSCC), which represents the percentage of neutrophils plus lymphocytes in the total somatic cell count (SCC). Furthermore, we estimated genetic and phenotypic correlations of DSCC with other milk traits routinely measured in Italian Holstein cows. Besides DSCC, test-day data included milk yield, composition traits (i.e., fat, protein, casein, and lactose percentages), pH, milk urea nitrogen, and SCC. After editing, the final data set included 10,709 test-day records of 5,142 cows in 299 herds. Mean of DSCC was 62.07%, which means that macrophages were approximately 38% of total SCC. Comparing our results with the literature offered compelling evidence of the importance of acquiring information about the proportion of the different cell types in milk to better define the udder health status. In addition, our analysis revealed, for the first time, that DSCC is a heritable trait, and heritability (0.08 ± 0.02) was higher than that of traditional somatic cell score (0.04 ± 0.02). Nevertheless, heritability of DSCC is still low compared with milk yield and quality traits. Single-trait analysis within parity showed that DSCC was less heritable in primiparous than in multiparous cows, whereas bivariate analysis confirmed that DSCC and somatic cell score were 2 different traits, as their genetic and phenotypic correlations differed from unity. From a genetic point of view, the DSCC was positively weakly associated with milk yield, lactose percentage, and milk urea nitrogen, and negatively associated with pH. Our findings contributed to the understanding of the genetic background of DSCC and are a precursor to the potential use of DSCC in breeding programs to enhance cow resistance to mastitis. However, further research is needed to determine the weight this novel trait should receive in a selection program aimed to reduce udder health problems.

ACS Style

Tania Bobbo; M. Penasa; M. Cassandro. Short communication: Genetic aspects of milk differential somatic cell count in Holstein cows: A preliminary analysis. Journal of Dairy Science 2019, 102, 4275 -4279.

AMA Style

Tania Bobbo, M. Penasa, M. Cassandro. Short communication: Genetic aspects of milk differential somatic cell count in Holstein cows: A preliminary analysis. Journal of Dairy Science. 2019; 102 (5):4275-4279.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Tania Bobbo; M. Penasa; M. Cassandro. 2019. "Short communication: Genetic aspects of milk differential somatic cell count in Holstein cows: A preliminary analysis." Journal of Dairy Science 102, no. 5: 4275-4279.

Journal article
Published: 01 December 2018 in Journal of Dairy Science
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The aim of this study was to investigate in Holstein cows the genetic basis of blood serum metabolites [i.e., total protein, albumin, globulin, albumin:globulin ratio (A:G), and blood β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB)], a set of milk phenotypes related to udder health, milk quality technological characteristics, and genetic relationships among them. Samples of milk were collected from 498 Holstein cows belonging to 28 herds. All animal welfare and milk phenotypes were assessed using standard analytical methodology. A set of Bayesian univariate and bivariate animal models was implemented via Gibbs sampling, and statistical inference was based on the marginal posterior distributions of parameters of concern. We observed a small additive genetic influence for serum albumin concentrations, moderate heritability (≥0.20) for total proteins, globulins, and A:G, and high heritability (0.37) for blood BHB. Udder health traits (somatic cell score, milk lactose, and milk pH) showed low or moderate heritabilities (0.15-0.20), whereas variations in milk protein fraction concentrations were confirmed as mostly under genetic control (heritability: 0.21-0.71). The moderate and high heritabilities observed for milk coagulation properties and curd firming modeling parameters provided confirmation that genetic background exerts a strong influence on the cheese-making ability of milk, largely due to genetic polymorphisms in the major milk protein genes. Blood BHB showed strong negative genetic correlations with globulins (-0.619) but positive correlations with serum albumin (0.629) and A:G (0.717), which suggests that alterations in the serum protein pattern and BHB blood levels are likely to be genetically related. Strong relationships were found between albumin and fat percentages (-0.894), between globulin and α-CN (-0.610), and, to a lesser extent, between serum protein pattern and milk technological characteristics. Genetic relationships between blood BHB and traits related to udder health and milk quality and technological characteristics were mostly weak. This study provides evidence that there is exploitable additive genetic variation for traits related to animal health and welfare and throws light on the shared genetic basis of these traits and the phenotypes related to the quality and cheese-making ability of milk.

ACS Style

Alessio Cecchinato; Tania Bobbo; Pamela L. Ruegg; Luigi Gallo; Giovanni Bittante; Sara Pegolo. Genetic variation in serum protein pattern and blood β-hydroxybutyrate and their relationships with udder health traits, protein profile, and cheese-making properties in Holstein cows. Journal of Dairy Science 2018, 101, 11108 -11119.

AMA Style

Alessio Cecchinato, Tania Bobbo, Pamela L. Ruegg, Luigi Gallo, Giovanni Bittante, Sara Pegolo. Genetic variation in serum protein pattern and blood β-hydroxybutyrate and their relationships with udder health traits, protein profile, and cheese-making properties in Holstein cows. Journal of Dairy Science. 2018; 101 (12):11108-11119.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Alessio Cecchinato; Tania Bobbo; Pamela L. Ruegg; Luigi Gallo; Giovanni Bittante; Sara Pegolo. 2018. "Genetic variation in serum protein pattern and blood β-hydroxybutyrate and their relationships with udder health traits, protein profile, and cheese-making properties in Holstein cows." Journal of Dairy Science 101, no. 12: 11108-11119.

Journal article
Published: 01 November 2018 in Journal of Dairy Science
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The aim of the present study was to characterize alternative somatic cell count (SCC) traits that could be exploited in genetic selection for mastitis resistance. Data were from 66,407 first-parity Holsteins in 404 herds. Novel SCC traits included average somatic cell score (SCS, log-transformation of SCC) in early lactation (SCS_150), standard deviation of SCS of the entire lactation (SCS_SD), the presence of at least one test-day (TD) SCC >400,000 cells/mL in the lactation, and the ratio of number of TD SCC >400,000 cells/mL to total number of TD in the lactation. Novel traits and lactation-mean SCS (SCS_LM) were analyzed using linear mixed or logistic regression models, including month of calving, year of calving, number of TD, and milk yield as fixed effects, and herd and residual as random terms. A multitrait linear animal model was applied to a random subset of 152 herds (n = 22,695 cows) to assess heritability of and genetic correlations between SCC traits. Alternative SCC traits were affected by the environmental factors included in the model; in particular, results suggested a seasonal effect and a tendency toward an improvement of the udder health status in the last years. Association was also found between novel SCC traits and milk production. Alternative SCC traits exhibited coefficients of additive genetic variation that were similar to or larger than that of traditional SCS_LM. Heritability of novel SCC traits was smaller than heritability of SCS_LM (0.126 ± 0.014), ranging from 0.044 ± 0.008 (SCS_SD) to 0.087 ± 0.010 (SCS_150). Genetic correlations between SCC traits ranged from 0.217 ± 0.096 (SCS_150 and SCS_SD) to 0.969 ± 0.010 (SCS_LM and SCS_150). Alternative SCC traits exhibited additive genetic variation that is potentially exploitable in breeding programs of Italian Holstein population to improve resistance to mastitis.

ACS Style

T. Bobbo; M. Penasa; R. Finocchiaro; G. Visentin; M. Cassandro. Alternative somatic cell count traits exploitable in genetic selection for mastitis resistance in Italian Holsteins. Journal of Dairy Science 2018, 101, 10001 -10010.

AMA Style

T. Bobbo, M. Penasa, R. Finocchiaro, G. Visentin, M. Cassandro. Alternative somatic cell count traits exploitable in genetic selection for mastitis resistance in Italian Holsteins. Journal of Dairy Science. 2018; 101 (11):10001-10010.

Chicago/Turabian Style

T. Bobbo; M. Penasa; R. Finocchiaro; G. Visentin; M. Cassandro. 2018. "Alternative somatic cell count traits exploitable in genetic selection for mastitis resistance in Italian Holsteins." Journal of Dairy Science 101, no. 11: 10001-10010.

Journal article
Published: 01 September 2018 in Journal of Dairy Science
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ACS Style

T. Bobbo; Francesco Tiezzi; M. Penasa; M. De Marchi; M. Cassandro. Short communication: Association analysis of diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT1) mutation on chromosome 14 for milk yield and composition traits, somatic cell score, and coagulation properties in Holstein bulls. Journal of Dairy Science 2018, 101, 8087 -8091.

AMA Style

T. Bobbo, Francesco Tiezzi, M. Penasa, M. De Marchi, M. Cassandro. Short communication: Association analysis of diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT1) mutation on chromosome 14 for milk yield and composition traits, somatic cell score, and coagulation properties in Holstein bulls. Journal of Dairy Science. 2018; 101 (9):8087-8091.

Chicago/Turabian Style

T. Bobbo; Francesco Tiezzi; M. Penasa; M. De Marchi; M. Cassandro. 2018. "Short communication: Association analysis of diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT1) mutation on chromosome 14 for milk yield and composition traits, somatic cell score, and coagulation properties in Holstein bulls." Journal of Dairy Science 101, no. 9: 8087-8091.

Journal article
Published: 01 December 2017 in Journal of Dairy Science
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The aim of this study was to investigate the association between udder health (UH) status and blood serum proteins (i.e., total protein, albumin, globulin, and albumin-to-globulin ratio) in dairy cows. Blood and milk samples were collected from 1,508 cows of 6 different breeds (Holstein Friesian, Brown Swiss, Jersey, Simmental, Rendena, and Alpine Grey) that were housed in 41 multibreed herds. Bacteriological analysis was performed on milk samples with somatic cell count (SCC) >100,000 cells/mL and bacteria identification was confirmed by multiplex-PCR assays. Milk samples were grouped into 7 clusters of UH status: healthy (cows with milk SCC <100,000 cells/mL and not cultured); culture-negative samples with low, medium, or high SCC; and culture-positive samples with contagious, environmental, and opportunistic intramammary infections. Data of blood serum proteins were analyzed using a linear mixed model that included the fixed effects of stage of lactation, parity, breed, herd productivity (high or low production) and UH status, and the random effect of herd-date within herd productivity. Culture-negative samples with high milk SCC, which were most likely undergoing a strong inflammatory response and whose pathogens could not be isolated because they were engulfed by macrophages or because they had already cleared, and milk samples infected by contagious and environmental bacteria were associated with greater globulin concentrations (and lower albumin-to-globulin ratio) in blood. Variation in blood serum proteins seems to be associated with inflammatory status rather than infection, as serum globulin significantly increased in UH status groups with the highest milk SCC and no differences were observed among intramammary infections pathogens. Blood serum proteins can be a mammary gland inflammation indicator, but cannot be used to differentiate among different UH status groups.

ACS Style

T. Bobbo; P.L. Ruegg; Enrico Fiore; M. Gianesella; M. Morgante; D. Pasotto; L. Gallo; G. Bittante; A. Cecchinato. Short communication: Association between udder health status and blood serum proteins in dairy cows. Journal of Dairy Science 2017, 100, 9775 -9780.

AMA Style

T. Bobbo, P.L. Ruegg, Enrico Fiore, M. Gianesella, M. Morgante, D. Pasotto, L. Gallo, G. Bittante, A. Cecchinato. Short communication: Association between udder health status and blood serum proteins in dairy cows. Journal of Dairy Science. 2017; 100 (12):9775-9780.

Chicago/Turabian Style

T. Bobbo; P.L. Ruegg; Enrico Fiore; M. Gianesella; M. Morgante; D. Pasotto; L. Gallo; G. Bittante; A. Cecchinato. 2017. "Short communication: Association between udder health status and blood serum proteins in dairy cows." Journal of Dairy Science 100, no. 12: 9775-9780.

Journal article
Published: 01 June 2017 in Journal of Dairy Science
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The aim of this study was to investigate associations between pathogen-specific cases of subclinical mastitis and milk yield, quality, protein composition, and cheese-making traits. Forty-one multibreed herds were selected for the study, and composite milk samples were collected from 1,508 cows belonging to 3 specialized dairy breeds (Holstein Friesian, Brown Swiss, and Jersey) and 3 dual-purpose breeds of Alpine origin (Simmental, Rendena, and Grey Alpine). Milk composition [i.e., fat, protein, casein, lactose, pH, urea, and somatic cell count (SCC)] was analyzed, and separation of protein fractions was performed by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography. Eleven coagulation traits were measured: 5 traditional milk coagulation properties [time from rennet addition to milk gelation (RCT, min), curd-firming rate as the time to a curd firmness (CF) of 20 mm (k20, min), and CF at 30, 45, and 60 min from rennet addition (a30, a45, and a60, mm)], and 6 new curd firming and syneresis traits [potential asymptotical CF at an infinite time (CFP, mm), curd-firming instant rate constant (kCF, % × min-1), curd syneresis instant rate constant (kSR, % × min-1), modeled RCT (RCTeq, min), maximum CF value (CFmax, mm), and time at CFmax (tmax, min)]. We also measured 3 cheese yield traits, expressing the weights of total fresh curd (%CYCURD), dry matter (%CYSOLIDS), and water (%CYWATER) in the curd as percentages of the weight of the processed milk, and 4 nutrient recovery traits (RECPROTEIN, RECFAT, RECSOLIDS, and RECENERGY), representing the percentage ratio between each nutrient in the curd and milk. Milk samples with SCC > 100,000 cells/mL were subjected to bacteriological examination. All samples were divided into 7 clusters of udder health (UH) status: healthy (cows with milk SCC < 100,000 cells/mL and uncultured); culture-negative samples with low, medium, or high SCC; and culture-positive samples divided into contagious, environmental, and opportunistic intramammary infection (IMI). Data were analyzed using a linear mixed model. Significant variations in the casein to protein ratio and lactose content were observed in all culture-positive samples and in culture-negative samples with medium to high SCC compared to normal milk. No differences were observed among contagious, environmental, and opportunistic pathogens, suggesting an effect of inflammation rather than infection. The greatest impairment in milk quantity and composition, clotting ability, and cheese production was observed in the 2 UH status groups with the highest milk SCC (i.e., contagious IMI and culture-negative samples with high SCC), revealing a discrepancy between the bacteriological results and inflammatory status, and thus confirming the importance of SCC as an indicator of udder health and milk quality.

ACS Style

Tania Bobbo; P.L. Ruegg; Giorgia Stocco; Enrico Fiore; M. Gianesella; M. Morgante; D. Pasotto; Giovanni Bittante; A. Cecchinato. Associations between pathogen-specific cases of subclinical mastitis and milk yield, quality, protein composition, and cheese-making traits in dairy cows. Journal of Dairy Science 2017, 100, 4868 -4883.

AMA Style

Tania Bobbo, P.L. Ruegg, Giorgia Stocco, Enrico Fiore, M. Gianesella, M. Morgante, D. Pasotto, Giovanni Bittante, A. Cecchinato. Associations between pathogen-specific cases of subclinical mastitis and milk yield, quality, protein composition, and cheese-making traits in dairy cows. Journal of Dairy Science. 2017; 100 (6):4868-4883.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Tania Bobbo; P.L. Ruegg; Giorgia Stocco; Enrico Fiore; M. Gianesella; M. Morgante; D. Pasotto; Giovanni Bittante; A. Cecchinato. 2017. "Associations between pathogen-specific cases of subclinical mastitis and milk yield, quality, protein composition, and cheese-making traits in dairy cows." Journal of Dairy Science 100, no. 6: 4868-4883.

Journal article
Published: 01 January 2017 in Journal of Dairy Science
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Milk coagulation properties (MCP) have been widely investigated in the past using milk collected from different cattle breeds and herds. However, to our knowledge, no previous studies have assessed MCP in individual milk samples from several multi-breed herds characterized by either high or low milk productivity, thereby allowing the effects of herd and cow breed to be evaluated independently. Multi-breed herds (n=41) were classified into 2 categories based on milk productivity (high vs. low), defined according to the average milk net energy yielded daily by lactating cows. Milk samples were taken from 1,508 cows of 6 different breeds: 3 specialized dairy (Holstein-Friesian, Brown Swiss, Jersey) and 3 dual-purpose (Simmental, Rendena, Alpine Grey) breeds, and analyzed in duplicate (3,016 tests) using 2 lactodynamographs to obtain 240 curd firming (CF) measurements over 60min (1 every 15 s) for each duplicate. The 5 traditional single-point MCP (RCT, k20, a30, a45, and a60) were yielded directly by the instrument from the available CF measures. All 240 CF measures of each replicate were also used to estimate 4 individual equation parameters: RCT estimated according to curd firm change over time modeling (RCTeq), asymptotic potential curd firmness (CFP), curd firming instant rate constant (kCF), and syneresis instant rate constant (kSR) and 2 derived traits: maximum curd firmness achieved within 45min (CFmax) and time at achievement of CFmax (tmax) by curvilinear regression using a nonlinear procedure. Results showed that the effect of herd-date on traditional and modeled MCP was modest, ranging from 6.1% of total variance for k20 to 10.7% for RCT, whereas individual animal variance was the highest, ranging from 32.0% for tmax to 82.5% for RCTeq. The repeatability of MCP was high (>80%) for all traits except those associated with the last part of the lactodynamographic curve (i.e., a60, kSR, kCF, and tmax: 57 to 71%). Reproducibility, taking into account the effect of instrument, was equal to or slightly lower than repeatability. Milk samples collected in farms characterized by high productivity exhibited delayed coagulation (RCTeq: 18.6 vs. 16.3min) but greater potential curd firmness (CFP: 76.8 vs. 71.9mm) compared with milk samples collected from low-productivity herds. Parity and days in milk influenced almost all MCP. Large differences in all MCP traits were observed among breeds, both between specialized and dual-purpose breeds and within these 2 groups of breeds, even after adjusting for milk quality and yield. Milk quality and MCP of samples from Jersey cows, and coagulation time of samples from Rendena cows were better than in milk from Holstein-Friesian cows, and intermediate results were found with the other breeds of Alpine origin. The results of this study, taking into account the intrinsic limitation of this technique, show that the effects of breed on traditional and modeled MCP are much greater than the effects of herd productivity class, parity, and DIM. Moreover, the variance in individual animals is much greater than the variance in individual herds within herd productivity class. It seems that improvement in MCP depends more on genetics (e.g., breed, selection) than on environmental and management factors.

ACS Style

Giorgia Stocco; C. Cipolat-Gotet; Tania Bobbo; A. Cecchinato; G. Bittante. Breed of cow and herd productivity affect milk composition and modeling of coagulation, curd firming, and syneresis. Journal of Dairy Science 2017, 100, 129 -145.

AMA Style

Giorgia Stocco, C. Cipolat-Gotet, Tania Bobbo, A. Cecchinato, G. Bittante. Breed of cow and herd productivity affect milk composition and modeling of coagulation, curd firming, and syneresis. Journal of Dairy Science. 2017; 100 (1):129-145.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Giorgia Stocco; C. Cipolat-Gotet; Tania Bobbo; A. Cecchinato; G. Bittante. 2017. "Breed of cow and herd productivity affect milk composition and modeling of coagulation, curd firming, and syneresis." Journal of Dairy Science 100, no. 1: 129-145.

Journal article
Published: 01 January 2017 in Animal
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Blood serum proteins are significant indicators of animal health. Nevertheless, several factors should be considered to appropriately interpret their concentrations in blood. Therefore, the objectives of this study were (1) to assess the effect of herd productivity, breed, age and stage of lactation on serum proteins and (2) to investigate association between serum proteins and somatic cell count (SCC) in dairy cattle. Milk and blood samples were collected from 1508 cows of six different breeds (Holstein Friesian, Brown Swiss, Jersey, Simmental, Rendena and Alpine Grey) that were housed in 41 multi-breed herds. Milk samples were analyzed for composition and SCC, while blood samples were analyzed for serum proteins (i.e. total protein, albumin, globulin and albumin-to-globulin ratio (A : G)). Herds were classified as low or high production, according to the cow’s average daily milk energy yield adjusted for breed, days in milk (DIM) and parity. Data were analyzed using a linear mixed model that included the fixed effects of DIM, parity, SCS, breed, herd productivity and the random effect of the Herd-test date within productivity level. Cows in high producing herds (characterized also by greater use of concentrates in the diet) had greater serum albumin concentrations. Breed differences were reported for all traits, highlighting a possible genetic mechanism. The specialized breed Jersey and the two dual-purpose local breeds (Alpine Grey and Rendena) had the lowest globulin concentration and greatest A : G. Changes in serum proteins were observed through lactation. Total protein reached the highest concentration during the 4th month of lactation. Blood albumin increased with DIM following a quadratic pattern, while globulin decreased linearly. As a consequence, A : G increased linearly during lactation. Older cows had greater total protein and globulin concentrations, while albumin concentration seemed to be not particularly affected by age. A linear relationship between serum proteins and SCS was observed. High milk SCS was associated with greater total protein and globulin concentrations in blood. The rise in globulin concentration, together with a decrease in albumin concentrations, resulted in a decline in A : G as SCS of milk increased. In conclusion, such non-genetic factors must be considered to appropriately interpret serum proteins as potential animal welfare indicator and their evaluation represents an important first-step for future analysis based on the integration of metabolomics, genetic and genomic information for improving the robustness of dairy cows.

ACS Style

Tania Bobbo; Enrico Fiore; M. Gianesella; M. Morgante; L. Gallo; P. L. Ruegg; Giovanni Bittante; A. Cecchinato. Variation in blood serum proteins and association with somatic cell count in dairy cattle from multi-breed herds. Animal 2017, 11, 2309 -2319.

AMA Style

Tania Bobbo, Enrico Fiore, M. Gianesella, M. Morgante, L. Gallo, P. L. Ruegg, Giovanni Bittante, A. Cecchinato. Variation in blood serum proteins and association with somatic cell count in dairy cattle from multi-breed herds. Animal. 2017; 11 (12):2309-2319.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Tania Bobbo; Enrico Fiore; M. Gianesella; M. Morgante; L. Gallo; P. L. Ruegg; Giovanni Bittante; A. Cecchinato. 2017. "Variation in blood serum proteins and association with somatic cell count in dairy cattle from multi-breed herds." Animal 11, no. 12: 2309-2319.

Journal article
Published: 01 July 2016 in Journal of Dairy Science
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The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between somatic cell count (SCC) in milk and several milk technological traits at the individual cow level. In particular, we determined the effects of very low to very high SCC on traits related to (1) milk yield and composition; (2) coagulation properties, including the traditional milk coagulation properties (MCP) and the new curd firming model parameters; and (3) cheese yield and recovery of milk nutrients in the curd (or loss in the whey). Milk samples from 1,271 Brown Swiss cows from 85 herds were used. Nine coagulation traits were measured: 3 traditional MCP [rennet coagulation time (RCT, min), curd firming rate (k20, min), and curd firmness after 30 min (a30, mm)] and 6 new curd firming and syneresis traits [potential asymptotic curd firmness at infinite time (CFP, mm), curd firming instant rate constant (kCF, % × min(-1)), syneresis instant rate constant (kSR, % × min(-1)), rennet coagulation time estimated using the equation (RCTeq, min), maximum curd firmness achieved within 45 min (CFmax, mm), and time at achievement of CFmax (tmax, min)]. The observed cheese-making traits included 3 cheese yield traits (%CYCURD, %CYSOLIDS, and %CYWATER, which represented the weights of curd, total solids, and water, respectively, as a percentage of the weight of the processed milk) and 4 nutrient recoveries in the curd (RECFAT, RECPROTEIN, RECSOLIDS, and RECENERGY, which each represented the percentage ratio between the nutrient in the curd and milk). Data were analyzed using a linear mixed model with the fixed effects of days in milk, parity, and somatic cell score (SCS), and the random effect of herd-date. Somatic cell score had strong influences on casein number and lactose, and also affected pH; these were traits characterized by a quadratic pattern of the data. The results also showed a negative linear relationship between SCS and milk yield. Somatic cell score influenced almost all of the tested coagulation traits (both traditional and modeled), with the exceptions of k20, CFP, and kSR. Gelation was delayed when the SCS decreased (slightly) and when it increased (strongly) with respect to a value of 2, as confirmed by the quadratic patterns observed for both RCT and RCTeq. The SCS effect on a30 showed a quadratic pattern almost opposite to that observed for RCT. With respect to the CFt parameters, kCF decreased linearly as SCS increased, resulting in a linear decrease of CFmax and a quadratic pattern for tmax. Milk SCS attained significance for %CYCURD, %CYWATER, and RECPROTEIN. As the SCS increased beyond 3, we observed a progressive quadratic decrease of the water retained in the curd (%CYWATER), which caused a parallel decrease in %CYCURD. With respect to RECPROTEIN, the negative effect of SCS was almost linear. Recovery of fat and (consequently) RECENERGY was characterized by a more evident quadratic trend, with the most favorable values associated with an intermediate SCS. Together, our results confirmed that high SCS has a negative effect on milk composition and technological traits, highlighting the nonlinear trends of some traits across the different classes of SCS. Moreover, we report that a very low SCS has a negative effect on some technological traits of milk.

ACS Style

Tania Bobbo; Claudio Cipolat-Gotet; Giovanni Bittante; A. Cecchinato. The nonlinear effect of somatic cell count on milk composition, coagulation properties, curd firmness modeling, cheese yield, and curd nutrient recovery. Journal of Dairy Science 2016, 99, 5104 -5119.

AMA Style

Tania Bobbo, Claudio Cipolat-Gotet, Giovanni Bittante, A. Cecchinato. The nonlinear effect of somatic cell count on milk composition, coagulation properties, curd firmness modeling, cheese yield, and curd nutrient recovery. Journal of Dairy Science. 2016; 99 (7):5104-5119.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Tania Bobbo; Claudio Cipolat-Gotet; Giovanni Bittante; A. Cecchinato. 2016. "The nonlinear effect of somatic cell count on milk composition, coagulation properties, curd firmness modeling, cheese yield, and curd nutrient recovery." Journal of Dairy Science 99, no. 7: 5104-5119.

Journal article
Published: 01 January 2015 in Animal
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The aims of this study were to estimate the genetic variation of traditional milk coagulation properties (MCPs), milk acidity, curd firmness (CF) modeled on time t (CF t ; comprising: RCTeq, rennet coagulation time estimated from the equation; CF P , the asymptotic potential curd firmness; kCF, the curd firming instant rate constant; and kSR, the syneresis instant rate constant) and maximum CF traits (MCF; comprising CFmax, the maximum CF value; and tmax, the time of attainment). Furthermore, we investigated 96 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from 54 candidate genes, testing their associations with the above-listed traits. Milk and blood samples were collected from 1271 cows (each sampled once) from 85 herds. Genotyping was performed using a custom Illumina VeraCode GoldenGate approach. A Bayesian linear animal model (including the effects of herd, days in milk, parity and additive polygenic effects) was used to estimate the genetic parameters of the studied traits. The same model with the addition of the SNP genotype effect was used for our association analysis. The heritability estimates of CF t and the MCF traits (RCTeq=0.258; kCF=0.230; CFmax=0.191; tmax=0.278) were similar to those obtained using traditional MCPs (0.187 to 0.267), except for the lower estimates for CF P (0.064) and kSR (0.077). A total of 13 of the 51 tested SNPs had relevant additive effects on at least one trait. We observed associations between MCPs and SNPs in the genes encoding ATP-binding cassette sub-family G member 2 (ABCG2), chemokine ligand 2 (CCL2), growth hormone 1 (GH1), prolactin (PRL) and toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2). Whereas, CF t and the MCF traits were associated with polymorphisms in the α-s1-casein (CSN1S1), β-casein (CSN2), GH1, oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor 1 (OLR1), phospholipase C β1 (PLCB1), PRL and signal transducer and activator of transcription 5A (STAT5A) genes.

ACS Style

A. Cecchinato; Stefania Chessa; C. Ribeca; Claudio Cipolat-Gotet; Tania Bobbo; Joaquim Casellas; Giovanni Bittante. Genetic variation and effects of candidate-gene polymorphisms on coagulation properties, curd firmness modeling and acidity in milk from Brown Swiss cows. Animal 2015, 9, 1104 -1112.

AMA Style

A. Cecchinato, Stefania Chessa, C. Ribeca, Claudio Cipolat-Gotet, Tania Bobbo, Joaquim Casellas, Giovanni Bittante. Genetic variation and effects of candidate-gene polymorphisms on coagulation properties, curd firmness modeling and acidity in milk from Brown Swiss cows. Animal. 2015; 9 (7):1104-1112.

Chicago/Turabian Style

A. Cecchinato; Stefania Chessa; C. Ribeca; Claudio Cipolat-Gotet; Tania Bobbo; Joaquim Casellas; Giovanni Bittante. 2015. "Genetic variation and effects of candidate-gene polymorphisms on coagulation properties, curd firmness modeling and acidity in milk from Brown Swiss cows." Animal 9, no. 7: 1104-1112.