Comparison of the Innate Immune Response to Mastitis Pathogens in Mammary Epithelial Cells of Two Ancient and Two Modern CattleBreeds

摘要

Mastitis as a common disease in dairy cattle is partly influenced by the genetics of the animal. It is observed that ancient cattle breeds that have never been selected for high milk yield phenotypically show a stronger resistance to mastitis than modern high yielding breeds. To find out if this could be based on a different reaction of the innate immune system in the mammary gland on a molecular level, this study compares two ancient and two modern cattle breeds in their innate immune response in vitro. The cultivation of epithelial cells from milk instead of mammary tissue has many advantages like reproducibility and non-invasiveness.