Czech Journal of Animal Science, 2012 (vol. 57), issue 5

Innate defense capability of challenged primary bovine mammary epithelial cells after an induced negative energy balance in vivo

K. Danowski, D. Sorg, J. Gross, H.H.D. Meyer, H. Kliem

Czech J. Anim. Sci., 2012, 57(5):207-219 | DOI: 10.17221/5919-CJAS  

Negative energy balance (NEB), if followed by metabolic imbalance, is a common problem in high-yielding dairy cows frequently associated with inflammation of the mammary gland. After entering the teat canal, mammary epithelium is the first line of defense against a pathogen invasion. To investigate the effect of NEB on the innate host defense of the mammary epithelium, primary bovine mammary epithelial cell (pbMEC) cultures were generated by cell extraction of milk derived from energy restricted and control feeding cows. pbMEC were obtained from 8 high-yielding dairy cows affected by induced NEB in mid-lactation due to a reduction to 51 ± 2%...

Effect of service sire on litter size traits in Czech Large White and Landrace pigs

J. Wolf, M. Wolfová

Czech J. Anim. Sci., 2012, 57(5):220-230 | DOI: 10.17221/5920-CJAS  

The proportion of variance for service sire effect was estimated for three litter size traits (numbers of piglets born, born alive, and weaned) in Czech Large White (89 231 litters) and Czech Landrace (28 320 litters) pigs. Each trait in the first parity was considered as one trait and that trait in the second and subsequent parities was treated as a repeated trait. Consequently, three two-trait animal models were evaluated for each litter size trait: (i) the service sire effect was included and the complete relationship matrix for all the animals (service sires and sows) was taken into account; (ii) the service sire effect was included as a random...

Lactation curves for milk yield, fat and protein content in Slovenian dairy sheep

A. Komprej, G. Gorjanc, D. Kompan, M. Kovač

Czech J. Anim. Sci., 2012, 57(5):231-239 | DOI: 10.17221/5921-CJAS  

Lactation curves for daily milk yield, fat, and protein content in three dairy sheep breeds were estimated by the repeatability animal model using test-day records. A total of 38 983 records from 3068 ewes of Bovec, Improved Bovec, and Istrian Pramenka breeds, collected between the years 1994 and 2002, were analysed. The three-trait repeatability animal model included breed and lambing season as fixed. The stage of lactation within each breed was modelled by the modified Ali-Schaeffer's lactation curve. Parity and litter size were used as covariates in quadratic and linear regression, respectively. Common flock environment, additive genetic effect,...

The level of udder emptying and milk flow stability in Tsigai, Improved Valachian, and Lacaune ewes during machine milking

L. Mačuhová, V. Tančin, M. Uhrinčať, J. Mačuhová

Czech J. Anim. Sci., 2012, 57(5):240-247 | DOI: 10.17221/5922-CJAS  

The objective of this investigation was to evaluate the stability of milk flow curves and the volume of residual milk in relation to milk flow curves in breeds Tsigai, Improved Valachian, and Lacaune (n = 16 heads per breed) milked twice daily. Milk flow type stability was evaluated at morning milking (stabile milkings) during three successive days in the middle of two months (June, July). After the following fourth morning milking (OT milkings) in both months, oxytocin was injected intravenously at a dose of 2 UI. Afterwards the ewes were milked again in order to remove residual milk. The milk flow curves were classified into four types:...

Evaluation of the effectiveness of introducing new alleles into the gene pool of a rare dog breed: Polish Hound as the example

I. Głażewska, B. Prusak

Czech J. Anim. Sci., 2012, 57(5):248-254 | DOI: 10.17221/5923-CJAS  

The objective of the analysis was to check the possibility of enriching a gene pool of a rare dog breed by breeding use of dogs of unknown origin that are phenotypically similar to a given breed. The evaluation was performed using pedigree and mtDNA analyses applied to Polish Hounds. The results indicated the very limited breeding success of such dogs in relation to their contributions to the gene pool and to the number of their descendants used in breeding. Dogs of unknown origin accounted for 80.9% of the total number of breed founders while the proportions of their descendants used in breeding were equal to just 14.3 and 4.7% of the total number...