Ichthyosis fetalis in Polled Hereford and Shorthorn calves
Inherited forms of ichthyosis, or generalized scaling of the skin, have been reported in many animal species, including cattle, and are characterized by an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance. We investigated 2 calves affected with ichthyosis fetalis, a Polled Hereford and a Shorthorn. Both cases had hard white plaques on the skin consistent with excessive keratinization. This was confirmed by histopathology, which showed severe diffuse epidermal and follicular orthokeratotic hyperkeratosis. The known mutation (H1935R) in gene ABCA12, responsible for ichthyosis fetalis in Chianina cattle, was shown to be absent in both affected calves and their obligate heterozygous parents. These molecular findings indicate that allelic heterogeneity exists for this condition in cattle.
Ichthyosis in the Belgian white and red cattle breed
Three neonatal Belgian white and red calves with a thickened and rigid skin, characterized by the presence of scaly plates separated by deep reddened fissures were presented for necropsy. The least affected calf still had a normal hair coat, whilst the other two cases were alopecic and additionally displayed eclabium, ectropion and microtia. Based on these findings, ichthyosis fetalis bovis was diagnosed. Histologi cal examination of skin samples obtained after euthanasia revealed an exuberant orthokeratotic hyper keratosis of the stratum corneum. In human harlequin ichthyosis, a disorder highly resembling bovine ichthyosis fetalis, a defective lipid transport in keratinocytes caused by a single locus autosomal recessive gene defect has recently been identified as the cause of the disorder. Pedigree information of the calves combined with additional information of three other calves of the same breed allowed the identification of 3 disease carrying bulls and suggests an autosomal recessive inheritance of bovine ichthyosis fetalis. As there is currently no cure for this lethal disease, a proper breeding program is the only option to minimize the incidence of ichthyosis in this specific cattle breed. SAMENVATTING Drie pasgeboren Oost-Vlaams Witrode kalveren met een gegeneraliseerde huidaandoening gekenmerkt door de aanwezigheid van dikke en stugge hoornplaten, van elkaar gescheiden door diepe roodgekleurde kloven, werden aangeboden voor lijkschouwing. Het minst erg aangetaste kalf had nog een normaal haarkleed, terwijl de beide andere kalveren bijna haarloos waren en verder eveneens eclabium, ectropion en microtia vertoonden. Voortgaande op deze bevindingen werd de diagnose van ichthyosis fetalis bovis gesteld. Het histologische aspect van de huidstalen verkregen na euthanasie, was dat van een buitensporige orthokeratotische hyperkeratose van het stratum corneum. Recentelijk werd aangetoond dat bij harlekijn ichthyosis, een menselijke variant van de ziekte die sterke gelijkenissen vertoont met ichthyosis fetalis bij het rund, een monofactoriele autosomaal recessieve genmutatie de oorzaak is van deze aandoening door een verstoring van het vettransport ter hoogte van de keratinocyten teweeg te brengen. De stamboekgegevens van deze kalveren werden aangevuld met stamboekgegevens van drie andere kalveren van hetzelfde ras met dezelfde aandoening. De gezamenlijke gegevens suggereren eveneens een autosomaal recessieve overerving van ichthyosis fetalis bovis en resulteerden bovendien in de identifi catie van drie Oost-Vlaamse dekstieren die drager zijn van de afwijking. Aangezien voor deze letale aandoening momenteel geen enkele remedie voorhanden is, kan de incidentie van ichthyosis binnen dit ras enkel mits een doordacht fokbeleid tot een minimum herleid worden.
Livestock Aspects of Feed Grain Policy
It is a signal event that our topic should be included on this program. In recent years, the livestock and poultry economy has scarcely been considered in the making of price and income policy for feed grains. It has been disregarded by pragmatic policy makers. It has been almost equally bypassed by theoretical economists, who usually kibitz freely. Policy for support and target prices for corn, grain sorghums, and other feed grains has been made with an eye almost exclusively fixed on the producers of those crops. The target price has been set relatively high in order to protect crop farmers' income. The latest (and current) loan rate policy has been to hold the rate low. Although a low rate facilitates moving grain into livestock and poultry consumption when crops are abundant, it does nothing to provide buffer stocks for years when crops are short. In addition, a couple of years ago it became administrative policy to dispose of the stocks inherited from an earlier period, even subsidizing their sale abroad. But the foremost example of one-sidedness is the attitude toward release prices. In all the rhetoric heard recently about the peril of holding corn or sorghums in reserve, the scold has been that release prices would not be set high enough. What group can the spokesmen have had in mind? Feed producers, of course! Not feed consumers, that is, livestock and poultry men. It has been a one-sided consideration of a two-sided issue. If all groups are to have equal voice in policy making, how can livestock and poultry interests be so ostracized? The one-sidedness has more impact now that so much livestock and poultry production has become detached from feed supply on individual farms. The livestock-poultry economy is therefore more sensitive to the availability and price of feed. It is in fact a contradiction that historically, livestock and poultry got more attention when they were still closely connected with feed production on the farm. In the early years of farm programs, the "ever-normal granary" was consciously designed to level out the supply and price of feed for livestock and poultry. Now that livestock and poultry have become more commercial and more vulnerable to a volatile feed situation, feed price stabilization has been progressively removed from the councils of farm policy. And the ultimate contradiction is that the alleged price-depressing perils of a feed reserve have been proclaimed in disregard of the fact that the main defense of feed grain producers' incomes is the target price-direct payment mechanism, not support prices. If grains on reserve should cause market prices to be reduced below target level, producers would get bigger direct payments, that is, producers with a base on their farm are protected in that way. Admittedly, production outside such a base would not be eligible for payment.