KPU researchers can detect bacteria in dairy and beef cattles
A qPCR test will now be used to test sick cows for mycoplasma bovis, a bacteria that farmers have been struggling to detect in their livestock
KPU researchers at the Applied Genomics Centre developed a test for farmers to detect mycoplasma bovis bacteria in their cows. (Submitted/RJ Wester)
Researchers at Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s Applied Genomics Centre have developed a new technology to help dairy farmers test for diseases in their cattles.
With this new technology, researchers can test for a bacteria called “mycoplasma bovis,” a disease known to affect different organs in cattles and cause arthritis and mastitis.
Dr. Paul Adams, director of KPU’s Applied Genomics Centre, says this disease affects cattles in different parts of the world, including beef cows. He says the Genomics Centre is working with British Columbia dairy producers to have a better understanding of the bacteria, and one of the first things done was identifying the bacteria.
It’s difficult to tell if the bacteria is present or not, Adam says. A PCR test called qPCR, similar to the one used to test for the COVID-19 virus, was developed to test for mycoplasma bovis.
“We develop what’s called a DNA probe that’s able to detect the exact sequence of the bacteria that we’re interested in. So it’s DNA that’s able to detect another bit of DNA,” he says.
Since the test has been developed, Adams says farmers and veterinarians have been able to detect and manage the bacteria. Researchers are using other types of technologies like next generation sequencing to understand more about the population of bacteria that tend to be with mycoplasma bovis.
“We’re learning more about the environment of the bacteria,” he says. “This bacteria is causing a lot of damage on farms, so being able to detect it and get it off the farms is pretty important in terms of the health of their animals.”
Farmers can test their sick livestock by taking a sample of milk and sending it to the genomics lab where it can be tested for presence of the mycoplasma bovis. Adams says this is helpful for farmers because understanding the reasons for illness in their livestock helps farmers provide them with the right antibiotics.
Researchers at KPU have been working on this for about two years, and Adams says the research centre got involved after asking dairy farmers the problems they were experiencing. Mycoplasma bovis was something farmers wanted to be able to identify.
“We used our tools and technology to do that for them. To build them a test. So now they can identify this bacteria,” he says.
The Applied Genomics Centre is also working on creating new plants like hops, which the KPU brewery uses to produce beer. Adams says the centre is also working with other universities to breed beef cattles that are more tolerant to heat.
“This summer, last summer, we’ve had some pretty hot summers and cows don’t do well in that heat. This new cow we’re trying to create will be better adapted to that higher heat,” he says.
They are working with the Institute of Sustainable Horticulture to improve soils for farmers, as well as researching “ataxia,” which Adams describes as a movement disorder. Researchers at the Applied Genomics Centre are collecting DNA from patients with ataxia and working to understand their DNA and what causes the illness.
KPU students have the opportunity to work part-time or full-time on research projects at the Genomics Centre. Adams says these research projects are good opportunities for students to learn about how research works and get paid for it.
“As a teaching intensive university, that’s probably one of the most important parts of what we do is giving students that opportunity to expand their learning in a very hands-on way.”
