This experiment aimed to assess the regulatory effects of treatment with Balanites aegyptiaca fruit ethanol extract (BA-EE) on oxidant/antioxidant status, anti-inflammatory cytokines, and cell apoptosis gene expression in the abomasum of Haemonchus contortus-infected goats. Twenty goat kids were assigned randomly to four equal groups: (G1) infected-untreated, (G2) uninfected-BA-EE-treated, (G3) infected-albendazole-treated, (G4) infected-BA-EE-treated. Each goat in (G1), (G3), and (G4) was orally infected with 10,000 infective third-stage larvae. In the fifth week postinfection, single doses of albendazole (5 mg/kg.BW) and BA-EE (9 g/kg.BW) were given orally. In the ninth week postinfection, the animals were slaughtered to obtain abomasum specimens. The following oxidant/antioxidant markers were determined: malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH), glutathione-S-transferase (GST), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT). The mRNA gene expression of cytokines (IL-3, IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α) and cell apoptosis markers (Bax, Bcl-2) were estimated. (G1) showed significantly reduced GSH content and GST and SOD activities but a markedly increased MDA level. (G3) and (G4) revealed a markedly lower MDA level with pronouncedly elevated GSH, SOD, and GST levels. The antioxidant properties of BA-EE were superior to those of albendazole. The mRNA gene expressions of IL-3, IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α, and Bax-2 were upregulated in (G1) but downregulated in (G3) and (G4). Bcl-2 and Bcl-2/Bax ratio expression followed a reverse course in the infected and both treated groups. We conclude that BA-EE treatment has a protective role in the abomasum of H. contortus-infected goats. This could be attributed to its antioxidant properties and ability to reduce pro-inflammatory cytokines and cell apoptosis.

Goats are often affected by respiratory diseases and, despite ultrasonography can assess lung consolidations in several species, it is rarely used in these animals. So, this study evaluated the effectiveness of on-farm lung ultrasonography in detecting lung consolidations on 27 goats. The goats, scheduled for slaughter, underwent complete clinical examinations and lung ultrasonography. For the latter, both sides of the thorax were divided in four quadrants and examined using convex and linear probes before and after shaving the hair. Each quadrant was classified based on presence/absence of lung consolidation and maximum consolidation\'s depth (4-point scale: 0 healthy; 1 depth < 1 cm; 2 depth < 3 cm; 3 depth > 3 cm). The lungs were examined at necropsy, 66% of goats exhibited lung consolidations and sensitivity (83%-89%), specificity (100%), and κ coefficient values (0.67-0.72) were high with all techniques. An higher (p ≤ 0.01) percentage of class 1 lesions were found at necropsy compared to all the ultrasonographic techniques. All the ultrasonographic techniques effectively detected lung consolidation deeper than 1 cm. So, ultrasonography seems an effective tool for lung examination in goats with chronic pneumonia. The examination using the linear or the convex probes without shaving the hair could be a promising tool for the on-field diagnosis of pneumonia, although further research on larger sample sizes are necessary to validate these findings.

Goats are often asymptomatic carriers of Campylobacter, including the foodborne pathogen Campylobacter jejuni. Infections can have significant and economically detrimental health outcomes in both humans and animals. The primary objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of Campylobacter in U.S. goat herds. Campylobacter species were isolated from 106 of 3,959 individual animals and from 42 of 277 goat operations that participated in fecal sample collection as part of the National Animal Health Monitoring System Goat 2019 study. Weighted animal-level prevalence was 2.3% (SE = 0.5%) and operation prevalence was 13.0% (SE = 3.2%). Animal-level prevalence ranged widely from 0 to 70.0%, however, 52.4% of positive operations (22/42) had only a single isolate. C. jejuni was the most frequently isolated species (68.9%; 73/106), followed by C. coli (29.3%, 31/106). A total of 46.2% (36/78) of viable isolates were pan-susceptible to 8 antimicrobials. Resistance to tetracycline (TET) was observed in 44.9% (35/78) of isolates, while 12.8% (10/78) were resistant to ciprofloxacin (CIP) and nalidixic acid (NAL). Among all isolates, a single resistance profile CIP-NAL-TET was observed in 3.8% (3/78) of isolates. A total of 35 unique sequence types (STs) were identified, 11 of which are potentially new. Multiple C. jejuni STs were observed in 48.1% (13/27) of positive operations. Goats with access to surface water, operations reporting antibiotics in the feed or water (excluding ionophores and coccidiostats), and operations reporting abortions and without postabortion management tasks had significantly greater odds of being Campylobacter positive. This snapshot of the U.S. goat population enriches the limited pool of knowledge on Campylobacter species presence in U.S. goats.

BACKGROUND: Breeding polled goats is a welfare-friendly approach for horn removal in comparison to invasive methods. To gain a comprehensive understanding of the genetic basis underlying polledness in goats, we conducted whole-genome sequencing of 106 Xinong Saanen dairy goats, including 33 horned individuals, 70 polled individuals, and 3 polled intersexuality syndrome (PIS) individuals.
METHODS: The present study employed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) and linkage disequilibrium (LD) analysis to precisely map the genetic locus underlying the polled phenotype in goats.
RESULTS: The analysis conducted in our study revealed a total of 320 genome-wide significant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with the horned/polled phenotype in goats. These SNPs exhibited two distinct peaks on chromosome 1, spanning from 128,817,052 to 133,005,441 bp and from 150,336,143 to 150,808,639 bp. The present study identified three genome-wide significant SNPs, namely Chr1:129789816, Chr1:129791507, and Chr1:129791577, as potential markers of PIS-affected goats. The results of our LD analysis suggested a potential association between MRPS22 and infertile intersex individuals, as well as a potential association between ERG and the polled trait in goats.
CONCLUSIONS: We have successfully identified three marker SNPs closely linked to PIS, as well as several candidate genes associated with the polled trait in goats. These results may contribute to the development of SNP chips for early prediction of PIS in goats, thereby facilitating breeding programs aimed at producing fertile herds with polled traits.

BACKGROUND: The cashmere goat industry is one of the main pillars of animal husbandry in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, and plays an irreplaceable role in local economic development. With the change in feeding methods and environment, the cashmere produced by Inner Mongolia cashmere goats shows a tendency of coarser, and the cashmere yield can not meet the consumption demand of people. However, the genetic basis behind these changes is not fully understood. We measured cashmere traits, including cashmere yield (CY), cashmere diameter (CD), cashmere thickness (CT), and fleece length (FL) traits for four consecutive years, and utilized Genome-wide association study of four cashmere traits in Inner Mongolia cashmere goats was carried out using new genomics tools to infer genomic regions and functional loci associated with cashmere traits and to construct haplotypes that significantly affect cashmere traits.
RESULTS: We estimated the genetic parameters of cashmere traits in Inner Mongolia cashmere goats. The heritability of cashmere yield, cashmere diameter, and fleece length traits of Inner Mongolia cashmere goats were 0.229, 0.359, and 0.250, which belonged to the medium heritability traits (0.2 ~ 0.4). The cashmere thickness trait has a low heritability of 0.053. We detected 151 genome-wide significantly associated SNPs with four cashmere traits on different chromosomes, which were very close to the chromosomes of 392 genes (located within the gene or within ± 500 kb). Notch3, BMPR1B, and CCNA2 have direct functional associations with fibroblasts and follicle stem cells, which play important roles in hair follicle growth and development. Based on GO functional annotation and KEGG enrichment analysis, potential candidate genes were associated with pathways of hair follicle genesis and development (Notch, P13K-Akt, TGF-beta, Cell cycle, Wnt, MAPK). We calculated the effective allele number of the Inner Mongolia cashmere goat population to be 1.109-1.998, the dominant genotypes of most SNPs were wild-type, the polymorphic information content of 57 SNPs were low polymorphism (0 < PIC < 0.25), and the polymorphic information content of 79 SNPs were moderate polymorphism (0.25 < PIC < 0.50). We analyzed the association of SNPs with phenotypes and found that the homozygous mutant type of SNP1 and SNP3 was associated with the highest cashmere yield, the heterozygous mutant type of SNP30 was associated with the lowest cashmere thickness, the wild type of SNP76, SNP77, SNP78, SNP80, and SNP81 was associated with the highest cashmere thickness, and the wild type type of SNP137 was associated with the highest fleece length. 21 haplotype blocks and 68 haplotype combinations were constructed. Haplotypes A2A2, B2B2, C2C2, and D4D4 were associated with increased cashmere yield, haplotypes E2E2, F1F1, G5G5, and G1G5 were associated with decreased cashmere fineness, haplotypes H2H2 was associated with increased cashmere thickness, haplotypes I1I1, I1I2, J1J4, L5L3, N3N2, N3N3, O2O1, P2P2, and Q3Q3 were associated with increased cashmere length. We verified the polymorphism of 8 SNPs by KASP, and found that chr7_g.102631194A > G, chr10_g.82715068 T > C, chr1_g.124483769C > T, chr24_g.12811352C > T, chr6_g.114111249A > G, and chr6_g.115606026 T > C were significantly genotyped in verified populations (P < 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, the genetic effect of single SNP on phenotypes is small, and SNPs are more inclined to be inherited as a whole. By constructing haplotypes from SNPs that are significantly associated with cashmere traits, it will help to reveal the complex and potential causal variations in cashmere traits of Inner Mongolia cashmere goats. This will be a valuable resource for genomics and breeding of the cashmere goat.

The study aimed to investigate molecularly the presence of flea-borne viruses in infested small ruminants with fleas. It was carried out in Egypt\'s Northern West Coast (NWC) and South Sinai Governorate (SSG). Three specific primers were used targeting genes, ORF103 (for Capripoxvirus and Lumpy skin disease virus), NS3 (for Bluetongue virus), and Rdrp (for Coronavirus), followed by gene sequencing and phylogenetic analyses. The results revealed that 78.94% of sheep and 65.63% of goats were infested in the NWC area, whereas 49.76% of sheep and 77.8% of goats were infested in the SSG region. Sheep were preferable hosts for flea infestations (58.9%) to goats (41.1%) in the two studied areas. Sex and age of the animals had no effects on the infestation rate (p > 0.05). The season and site of infestation on animals were significantly different between the two areas (p < 0.05). Ctenocephalides felis predominated in NWC and Ctenocephalides canis in SSG, and males of both flea species were more prevalent than females. Molecular analysis of flea DNA revealed the presence of Capripoxvirus in all tested samples, while other viral infections were absent. Gene sequencing identified three isolates as sheeppox viruses, and one as goatpox virus. The findings suggest that Capripoxvirus is adapted to fleas and may be transmitted to animals through infestation. This underscores the need for ongoing surveillance of other pathogens in different regions of Egypt.

UNASSIGNED: The present study reports the first isolation and whole-genome sequencing of a Trueperella abortisuis bacterium from a goat.
UNASSIGNED: The T. abortisuis was isolated from the uterus of a goat following an abortion.
UNASSIGNED: The T. abortisuis was identified by pure culture phenotype and MALDI-TOF analysis and further characterized by whole-genome sequencing.
UNASSIGNED: This isolate was reliably identified as T. abortisuis and showed similar properties to type strain T. abortisuis DSM 19515T, which was recovered from a sow following an abortion. The assembled genome of this isolate was 2 564 866 bp long with a GC content of 63.9%. A total of 30 virulence-related genes were determined, suggesting the pathogenic potential of this organism.
UNASSIGNED: This study details the first isolation of T. abortisuis from goats. The genotypic findings of this isolate will serve as a baseline description for any similar future studies.
Premier isolement et séquençage du génome entier de Trueperella abortisuis provenant d’une chèvre au Canada.
UNASSIGNED: La présente étude rapporte le premier isolement et séquençage du génome entier d’un isolat de Trueperella abortisuis provenant d’une chèvre.
UNASSIGNED: Le T. abortisuis a été isolé de l’utérus d’une chèvre à la suite d’un avortement.
UNASSIGNED: Le T. abortisuis a été identifié par un phénotype de culture pure et analyse par MALDI-TOF, puis caractérisé par séquençage du génome entier.
UNASSIGNED: Cet isolat a été identifié de manière fiable comme étant T. abortisuis et a montré des propriétés similaires à la souche type T. abortisuis DSM 19515T, qui a été récupérée chez une truie après un avortement. Le génome assemblé de cet isolat mesurait 2 564 866 pb avec une teneur en GC de 63,9 %. Au total, 30 gènes liés à la virulence ont été déterminés, suggérant le potentiel pathogène de cet organisme.
UNASSIGNED: Cette étude détaille le premier isolement de T. abortisuis chez la chèvre. Les résultats génotypiques de cet isolat serviront de description de base pour toute étude future similaire.(Traduit par Dr Serge Messier).

The Mycoplasma Immunoglobulin Binding/Protease (MIB-MIP) system is a candidate \'virulence factor present in multiple pathogenic species of the Mollicutes, including the fast-growing species Mycoplasma feriruminatoris. The MIB-MIP system cleaves the heavy chain of host immunoglobulins, hence affecting antigen-antibody interactions and potentially facilitating immune evasion. In this work, using -omics technologies and 5\'RACE, we show that the four copies of the M. feriruminatoris MIB-MIP system have different expression levels and are transcribed as operons controlled by four different promoters. Individual MIB-MIP gene pairs of M. feriruminatoris and other Mollicutes were introduced in an engineered M. feriruminatoris strain devoid of MIB-MIP genes and were tested for their functionality using newly developed oriC-based plasmids. The two proteins are functionally expressed at the surface of M. feriruminatoris, which confirms the possibility to display large membrane-associated proteins in this bacterium. However, functional expression of heterologous MIB-MIP systems introduced in this engineered strain from phylogenetically distant porcine Mollicutes like Mesomycoplasma hyorhinis or Mesomycoplasma hyopneumoniae could not be achieved. Finally, since M. feriruminatoris is a candidate for biomedical applications such as drug delivery, we confirmed its safety in vivo in domestic goats, which are the closest livestock relatives to its native host the Alpine ibex.

Anthropological and biophysical processes have shaped livestock genomes over Millenia and can explain their current geographic distribution and genetic divergence. We analyzed 57 Ethiopian indigenous domestic goat genomes alongside 67 equivalents of east, west, and north-west African, European, South Asian, Middle East, and wild Bezoar goats. Cluster, ADMIXTURE (K = 4) and phylogenetic analysis revealed four genetic groups comprising African, European, South Asian, and wild Bezoar goats. The Middle Eastern goats had an admixed genome of these four genetic groups. At K = 5, the West African Dwarf and Moroccan goats were separated from East African goats demonstrating a likely historical legacy of goat arrival and dispersal into Africa via the coastal Mediterranean Sea and the Horn of Africa. FST, XP-EHH, and Hp analysis revealed signatures of selection in Ethiopian goats overlaying genes for thermo-sensitivity, oxidative stress response, high-altitude hypoxic adaptation, reproductive fitness, pathogen defence, immunity, pigmentation, DNA repair, modulation of renal function and integrated fluid and electrolyte homeostasis. Notable examples include TRPV1 (a nociception gene); PTPMT1 (a critical hypoxia survival gene); RETREG (a regulator of reticulophagy during starvation), and WNK4 (a molecular switch for osmoregulation). These results suggest that human-mediated translocations and adaptation to contrasting environments are shaping indigenous African goat genomes.

Zearalenone (ZEN) is a mycotoxin known for its estrogen-like effects, which can disrupt the normal physiological function of endometrial cells and potentially lead to abortion in female animals. However, the precise mechanism by which ZEN regulates endometrial function remains unclear. In this study, we found that the binding receptor estrogen receptors for ZEN is extensively expressed across various segments of the uterus and within endometrial cells, and a certain concentration of ZEN treatment reduced the proliferation capacity of goat endometrial epithelial cells (EECs) and endometrial stromal cells (ESCs). Meanwhile, cell cycle analysis revealed that ZEN treatment leaded to cell cycle arrest in goat EECs and ESCs. To explore the underlying mechanism, we investigated the mitochondrial quality control systems and observed that ZEN triggered excessive mitochondrial fission and disturbed the balance of mitochondrial fusion-fission dynamics, impaired mitochondrial biogenesis, increased mitochondrial unfolded protein response and mitophagy in goat EECs and ESCs. Additionally, ZEN treatment reduced the activities of mitochondrial respiratory chain complexes, heightened the production of hydrogen peroxide and reactive oxygen species, and caused cellular oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction. These results suggest that ZEN has adverse effects on goat endometrium cells by disrupting the mitochondrial quality control system and affecting cell cycle and proliferation. Understanding the underlying molecular pathways involved in ZEN-induced mitochondrial dysfunction and its consequences on cell function will provide critical insights into the reproductive toxicity of ZEN and contribute to safeguarding the health and wellbeing of animals and humans exposed to this mycotoxin.