Marble bone - aj for you!

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DL

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Marble bone - AKA osteopetrosis - AKA dense bone disease
Autosomal recessive in cattle - Angus, Simmie, Holstein

Bone is actually a pretty active tissue and is made and broken down on a daily basis resulting in "normal bone"

In normal long bone (ie leg bones) there is a central cavity where there is bone marrow - bone marrow is where the blood cells are made

In Marble bone there is a failure of bone resorption, ie it is not broken down but it is continually being made, resulting in very dense bone and obliteration of the bone marrow cavity

calves with marble bone are often aborted and may have short lower jaw

Some good pictures of the characteristic head appearance and long bones in the link below. This condition does require a necropsy for accurate diagnosis and is another one of those abnormalities where our 'old virus buddy' BVDV can muddy the diagnostic water.

http://www.vet.ksu.edu/features/VetQuarterly/KVQspr06.pdf

In addition to the 2 bulls listed on the RAA web site as carriers of marble bone, ABS has stopped selling semen on a full brother and is (as I understand it) doing father -daughter matings to confirm (or deny) his status as a carrier.

There is currently no test for marble bone - all suspected cases are going through the RAA
 

dori36

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DL said:
Marble bone - AKA osteopetrosis - AKA dense bone disease
Autosomal recessive in cattle - Angus, Simmie, Holstein

Bone is actually a pretty active tissue and is made and broken down on a daily basis resulting in "normal bone"

In normal long bone (ie leg bones) there is a central cavity where there is bone marrow - bone marrow is where the blood cells are made

In Marble bone there is a failure of bone resorption, ie it is not broken down but it is continually being made, resulting in very dense bone and obliteration of the bone marrow cavity

calves with marble bone are often aborted and may have short lower jaw

Some good pictures of the characteristic head appearance and long bones in the link below. This condition does require a necropsy for accurate diagnosis and is another one of those abnormalities where our 'old virus buddy' BVDV can muddy the diagnostic water.

http://www.vet.ksu.edu/features/VetQuarterly/KVQspr06.pdf

In addition to the 2 bulls listed on the RAA web site as carriers of marble bone, ABS has stopped selling semen on a full brother and is (as I understand it) doing father -daughter matings to confirm (or deny) his status as a carrier.

There is currently no test for marble bone - all suspected cases are going through the RAA

Thanks for posting this.  I read every word and have a question for you:  We seem so beset upon by new and, may I say, strange malformations in cattle (I'm sure other species, too, but I focus on cattle as a rule).  Are these genetic recessives that have been "hiding" there all through the history of domesticated cattle or have cattle mutated throughout the ages and passed that mutated recessive along as we breed closer and closer families?  
 

aj

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I'm not DL...but...and I'm not sure I understand your question. I assume genetic mutations have always occured. I don't know what you mean about breeding closer families. It looks like to me it would be good to figure this thing out especially since it is confused with a bvdv or just a fertility problem. It looks like to me it can do nothing but cut into profit in the beef industry. Lets hope Romeo is clean but if he isn't there are progency out there. I believe he was in top 10 for number of registrations in the breed. It would be good to get a handle on all genectic defects I think. If this a problem in black angus shouldn't we figure it out also? I own a Red Angus bull 1037016....you tell me is he clean or not? I'd like to know.
 

aj

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I looked up registration on ra #1 and He was born in 1945 so apparently thats about when the red angus book was started.
 

DL

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aj - I am not anywhere as fluent with RA pedigrees as I am with Maines, but what I see in the 2 named carriers is the bull RED BUF CRK CHF 824-1658 (and I didn't see him in your bull but I didn't go back on the pedigree - land line ugh!) reg #299588 an 88 model. The two carrier bulls are BUF CRK ROMO P028 (registration number (986102) and LONK CANYON 509R (registration number (1076387)

There is speculation (isn't there always :)) that marble bone originated in the Black Angus and that is how it got into RA - as far as who is the Improver, the Outcast, the Draft Pick, Stinger, or 7D7 - if anybody knows they ain't talking.

I think with many or the "newly found" recessive defects that they have been around for a long time but with AI and ET we have maybe hastened their arrival at a critical mass so that people have noticed and they cannot be ignored. Also it appears that if you make a living with your cattle (ie you sell it by the pound) you are perhaps less tolerant of genetic defects and dead calves than if you are breeding for show steers and hoping for the great one. However if you make a living with your cattle and have sold a boat load of semen and embryos on a carrier bull or cow you might hope that no one will notice.

Seems the RAA and ABS are on top of this. I have an article on genetic defects in cattle I'll send to you guys when I get back in - right now I have to go check the pump in the barn - cleaned it all out yesterday - was going to put sand in today - we did get 3 inches of rain but the real issue was a cow who turned on a hydrant that is guarded by 6 inch pipes --- eee gads up to the knees :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:
 

aj

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Wow...they say not to jump to conclusions...but under the one scenario you have cherokee canyon a possible. I noticed messmers and lonkers having complete dispersals this fall. I don't know how the trail goes for sure but this could be big story.
 

DL

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aj said:
Wow...they say not to jump to conclusions...but under the one scenario you have cherokee canyon a possible. I noticed messmers and lonkers having complete dispersals this fall. I don't know how the trail goes for sure but this could be big story.

Like I said the 824-1658 bull is in both the documented carrier pedigrees - as well as the full brother - so it just jumped out at me - I'll look a little closed tonight at the carrier pedigrees to see if they have anything else in common.  And just because it is in common doesn't mean it is the cause ...another genetic puzzle and to think I have started using RA bulls! Go figure
 

aj

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I bet the red angus people wish they had a dna marker test. Hopefull they will figure out one in a year or two. I'll never forget waiting for the th test to be developed. There was talk it might never be developed. At least we have a th and pha test! It makes things manageable.
 

aj

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I noticed that in the spring 2008 abs bull book...they recommended romeo for cherokee canyon daughters. This would be lining up 824-1658 genetics for a test(purposely or not I don't know). Unless you were really paying attention the defect calves might not be noticed or just written off as enviromental anyway.
 

DL

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aj et al - if anyone has a calf with marble bone (suspected) or fawn calf please let me know and we can get appropriate samples submitted, also a video of  gait of a typical fawn calf. The URL link is:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUt5fQ_3L20

TX

aj - also this http://redangus.org/index.php?option=com_docman&task=cat_view&gid=22&Itemid=152
click on genetic defect Q&A
 

Show Heifer

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Got my RA mag today and there was an article in there....did you get it DL??? VERY interesting to say the least.....

I guess board members are board members regardless of breed.

aj: Same with breeders. A DNA test will be of HUGE help for those honest enough to use it. But, breeders are breeders.....
 

knabe

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dori36 said:
We seem so beset upon by new and, may I say, strange malformations in cattle (I'm sure other species, too, but I focus on cattle as a rule).  Are these genetic recessives that have been "hiding" there all through the history of domesticated cattle or have cattle mutated throughout the ages and passed that mutated recessive along as we breed closer and closer families? 

the only reason this is happening at a faster pace, is that more people are using less genetics and this is substituting for line breeding to weed out the bad and weed in the good.

when was the last time you heard of a breeder test breeding a bull on 30 daughters and using the results in marketing?

i would be shocked if any animal was clean of all possible defects.  this is why line breeding is so critical.
 

aj

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Anyone go back farther in the pedigrees to find other common ancestors? I haven't had time yet.
 

aj

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I can get to becton lance p(742) on lonk canyon canyon side and romo's non canyon side also. :)
 

aj

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I can get to the Rocky Mountain bull also bypassing 824-1658. So hopefully cherokee canyon is clean!
 

aj

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On the black angus side Eileemere 999,Marshal Pride 4,conan of wye, seem to show up in the carriers list's pedigrees. ;)
 

aj

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Just bumped it up to piss everybody off. Any "young guns" out there that can help me out? And in the words of big and rich "why does everybody want to kick my ass"? ;D
 
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