Danish and Australian scientists are collaborating to help reduce silent international transmission of genetic diseases, particularly in dairy cattle.

Veterinary pathologist, Associate Professor Jorgen Agerholm, from the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University in Copenhagen, Denmark has recently completed a two month sabbatical at Camden.

“Some of the diseases Jorgen has seen in cattle in Denmark are believed to already exist undetected in Australia and potentially vice versa,” Peter Windsor, of the University of Sydney’s Camden campus said.

Dr Windsor, an Associate Professor of livestock health and production and Dr Agerholm are looking at inherited diseases in cattle, including several causing congenital abnormalities.

Their analysis has considered a common factor - the use of the same elite sires for artificial breeding in many countries.

“The fatal calf disease citrullinaemia was generated by the very extensive use of the bull Linmack Kriss King and his descendents in Australian Holstein–Friesians,” Dr Windsor said.

“Almost half of the herdbook were progeny of this family at one stage, causing both economic losses and animal welfare issues,” he said.

Dr Agerholm said. one disease in Denmark, not yet described in Australia but suspected to occur here, as there are common sires in both countries, is complex vertebral malformation or CVM.

He brought with him 50 images and histological slides of at least 20 diseases recorded in Danish cattle and regularly visited the NSW Department of Primary Industries’ Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute, to compare his cases with those filed in the Australian National Registry of Domestic Animal Pathology.

Dr Agerholm and Dr Windsor have published extensively on inherited diseases, with Dr Agerholm working mostly with Holstein-Friesian and Danish Red dairy cattle and Dr Windsor mostly working with beef cattle, in collaboration with former NSW DPI genetic disease specialists Doctors Peter Healy and Julie Dennis.

By looking at histological slides from material stored in the registry and images held by Dr Windsor, Dr Agerholm has recognised changes in the brain of dairy calves in Denmark resembling suspected maple syrup urine disease (MSUD).

MSUD was first recognised by the NSW DPI scientists in Australian Hereford cattle about 20 years ago and like citrullinaemia in Holstein-Friesians, tests were developed to almost eliminate the diseases from Australian cattle.

Dr Agerholm intends to send DNA samples from Denmark to the EMAI laboratory for further analysis.

The collaboration has improved the links between the University of Sydney Faculty of Veterinary Science and the National Registry of Domestic Animal Pathology at EMAI.

Dr Agerholm’s sabbatical was with the Farm Animal and Veterinary Public Health Group in the faculty.

As part of her final year studies, fifth year veterinary student Michelle Sutherland worked with Doctors Agerholm and Windsor and EMAI pathologist Judith Morrison, reviewing parts of the archival collection held in the registry database.

“The work has exposed me to many interesting livestock diseases and enabled me to study material that I would not otherwise get to see, especially as I have lately been working part time with companion animals in a practise at North Randwick,” Michelle said.

Contact Peter Windsor (02) 9351 1710, pwindsor@camden.usyd.edu.au