Bovine spastic paresis: A review of the genetic background and perspectives for the future

Application of tenotomy on Korean native cattle (Hanwoo) with spastic paresis symptoms in the field

Bovine spastic paresis (BSP) is a neuromuscular disorder characterized by hypertension and stiffness of hindlimb. Two Korean native cattle (Hanwoo) calves developed BSP or BSP-like symptoms, and a tenotomy of superficial tendon of medial head and deep tendon of lateral head of gastrocnemius muscle was performed for treatment. A cast was applied postoperatively to prevent muscle rupture and was removed three weeks later. The prognosis was evaluated at 3 weeks, 6 and 18 months postoperatively. Neither calf showed any other postoperative sequelae. This is the first case study to report the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of BSP in Hanwoo.

Dystonia in veterinary neurology

Dystonia is a clinical sign and main feature of many movement disorders in humans as well as veterinary species. It is characterized by sustained or intermittent involuntary muscle contractions causing abnormal (often repetitive) movements, postures, or both. This review discusses the terminology and definition of dystonia, its phenomenology, and its pathophysiology, and provides considerations regarding the diagnosis and treatment of dystonia in dogs and cats. In addition, currently recognized or reported disorders in dogs and cats in which dystonia is a particular or main feature are discussed and comparisons are made between disorders featuring dystonia in humans and animals. We suggest that when describing the phenomenology of dogs and cats with dystonia, if possible the following should be included: activity being performed at onset (e.g., resting or running or exercise-induced), body distribution, duration, responsiveness (subjective), severity, temporal pattern (i.e., paroxysmal or persistent, severity at onset and at later stages), presence or absence of autonomic signs (e.g., salivation), presence or absence of preceding signs (e.g., restlessness), presence or absence of signs after dystonia subsides (e.g., sleepiness), coexistence of other movement disorders, any other neurological manifestations, and possible links to administered medications, intoxications or other associated factors. We also suggest that dystonia be classified based on its etiology as either structural genetic, suspected genetic, reactive, or unknown.

Modelling Neurological Diseases in Large Animals: Criteria for Model Selection and Clinical Assessment

Issue: The impact of neurological disorders is recognised globally, with one in six people affected in their lifetime and few treatments to slow or halt disease progression. This is due in part to the increasing ageing population, and is confounded by the high failure rate of translation from rodent-derived therapeutics to clinically effective human neurological interventions. Improved translation is demonstrated using higher order mammals with more complex/comparable neuroanatomy. These animals effectually span this translational disparity and increase confidence in factors including routes of administration/dosing and ability to scale, such that potential therapeutics will have successful outcomes when moving to patients. Coupled with advancements in genetic engineering to produce genetically tailored models, livestock are increasingly being used to bridge this translational gap. Approach: In order to aid in standardising characterisation of such models, we provide comprehensive neurological assessment protocols designed to inform on neuroanatomical dysfunction and/or lesion(s) for large animal species. We also describe the applicability of these exams in different large animals to help provide a better understanding of the practicalities of cross species neurological disease modelling. Recommendation: We would encourage the use of these assessments as a reference framework to help standardise neurological clinical scoring of large animal models.

Frameshift Variant in Novel Adenosine-A1-Receptor Homolog Associated With Bovine Spastic Syndrome/Late-Onset Bovine Spastic Paresis in Holstein Sires

Since their first description almost 100 years ago, bovine spastic paresis (BSP) and bovine spastic syndrome (BSS) are assumed to be inherited neuronal-progressive diseases in cattle. Affected animals are characterized by (frequent) spasms primarily located in the hind limbs, accompanied by severe pain symptoms and reduced vigor, thus initiating premature slaughter or euthanasia. Due to the late onset of BSP and BSS and the massively decreased lifespan of modern cattle, the importance of these diseases is underestimated. In the present study, BSP/BSS-affected German Holstein breeding sires from artificial insemination centers were collected and pedigree analysis, genome-wide association studies, whole genome resequencing, protein-protein interaction network analysis, and protein-homology modeling were performed to elucidate the genetic background. The analysis of 46 affected and 213 control cattle revealed four significantly associated positions on chromosome 15 (BTA15), i.e., AC_000172.1:g.83465449A>G (-log₁₀P = 19.17), AC_000172.1:g.81871849C>T (-log₁₀P = 8.31), AC_000172.1:g.81872621A>T (-log₁₀P = 6.81), and AC_000172.1:g.81872661G>C (-log₁₀P = 6.42). Two additional loci were significantly associated located on BTA8 and BTA19, i.e., AC_000165.1:g.71177788T>C and AC_000176.1:g.30140977T>G, respectively. Whole genome resequencing of five affected individuals and six unaffected relatives (two fathers, two mothers, a half sibling, and a full sibling) belonging to three different not directly related families was performed. After filtering, a homozygous loss of function variant was identified in the affected cattle, causing a frameshift in the so far unknown gene locus LOC100848076 encoding an adenosine-A1-receptor homolog. An allele frequency of the variant of 0.74 was determined in 3,093 samples of the 1000 Bull Genomes Project.

Bovine spastic syndrome: a review

Bovine spastic syndrome (BSS) was described for the first time in 1941. The disease occurs in various-maybe even all-cattle breeds and is a chronic-progressive neuromuscular disorder that commonly affects cattle of at least three years of age. Typical clinical signs of the disease are clonic-tonic cramps of the hindlimbs that occur in attacks. Since BSS does not recover, affected animals can only be treated symptomatically by improving welfare conditions and management factors, or with physical therapy or drugs. Although still not irrevocably proven, BSS is assumed to be a hereditary disease. Therefore, affected animals should be excluded from breeding, which negatively affects economics and breeding. Besides epidemiology, clinical signs, aetiopathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment, this review discusses genetic aspects and differences to the similar disease bovine spastic paresis. Furthermore, this review also picks up the discussion on possible parallels between human multiple sclerosis and BSS as a further interesting aspect, which might be of great interest for future research.

The effect of ethanol extract of Glycyrrhiza uralensis on the voltage-gated sodium channel subtype 1.4

To investigate the inhibitory effect of Glycyrrhiza uralensis (G. uralensis) and its monomeric compounds on Nav1.4 voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs) and analyze the relationship between the content of its marker compounds and the inhibitory rate. Based on this study, we found that 4 mg/ml ethanol extract of G. uralensis at 30%, 50%, 70% and 90% (v/v) exhibited 77.00 ± 0.03%, 34.75 ± 0.09%, 100.00 ± 0.01% and 2.00 ± 0.01% inhibitory rates on I_Nav1.4 respectively, and 8 mg/ml ethanol extract of G. uralensis at 30%, 50%, 70% and 90% (v/v) exhibited 99.00 ± 0.01%, 97.10 ± 0.02%, 100.00 ± 0.01% and 17.00 ± 0.04% inhibitory rates on I_Nav1.4 respectively. Isoliquiritigenin, echinatin, liquiritin and glycyrrhizic acid exhibited higher inhibitory rates of 39.98 ± 4.55%, 33.20 ± 1.61%, 22.62 ± 0.30% and 20.54 ± 4.82% respectively. However, liquiritigenin, formononetin, neoisoliquiritin and glycyrrhetinic acid exhibited lower inhibitory rates of less than 20%. Further, liquiritin apioside, isoliquiritin and neoliquiritin exhibited almost no effect on I_Nav1.4. These findings showed that glycyrrhizic acid reached a maximum concentration of 49.15 μg/ml, while echinatin had the lowest concentration. The ethanol extract of G. uralensis has significant inhibitory effects on Nav1.4 VGSCs. This may be an important mechanism in the treatment of gastrocnemius spasm and could guide further research regarding material basis and mechanism of the treatment of gastrocnemius spasm with peony and licorice decoction.