Abstract -In order to characterize the expression of genes associated with immune response mechanisms to mastitis, we quantified the relative expression of the IL-4, IL-6, IL-8 and IL-10genes in milk cells of healthy cows and cows with clinical mastitis. Gene expression was analyzed by real-time PCR. E. coli is among the major mastitis pathogens responsible for clinical mastitis in dairy cows, but the infection are normally cleared by the immune system with in a few days. Mastitis tolerance/susceptibility is difficult to measure directly and hence milk somatic cell count (SCC) or milk somatic cell score (SCS) is used as an indicator trait for mastitis as both traits are highly positively correlated.
Key words: cytokine, gene expression, immune response, E.coli, real-time PCR.
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