ChronMast – Development of biomarkers for host determinats of acute and chronic mastitis in cattle. ChronMas

The overall aim of the project is to provide biomarker for selecting individuals with superior immune competence for improved cattle breeding. To this end, an interdisciplinary collaboration of experts in dairy cattle medicine, immunology, molecular biology and genetics and molecular microbiology is established. This team will discover the genetic and immunophysiological background of divergent susceptibility to mastitis in cattle and will characterize the consequences of the divergent host predisposition on the adaptation of Staphylococcus aureus to conditions within the host.To this end, early lactation heifers will be challenged with mastitis pathogens and the transcriptomic response in liver, whole blood cells and mammary gland will be monitored.