Innate Immune Response in Bovine Tuberculosis 149
susceptibility to tuberculosis in Holstein Friesian
cattle is polygenic, they could identify two major
regions that were associated with resistance to
disease coding for the phosphatase tyrosine
receptor and IIIB myosin (Bermingham et al.,
2014).
Vitamin D is another factor involved in the
response to tuberculosis. Among the factors that
have been found associated with a variation
in susceptibility to the disease are lower levels
of 25-hydroxyvitamin D in serum, and genetic
polymorphisms in the vitamin D receptors and
vitamin D-binding proteins, especially when they
are combined with low serum levels of calciferol,
the precursor of the active form of vitamin D.
Vitamin D treatment improves the in vitro bacte-
ricidal capacity of macrophages, increasing
phagosome fusion with lysosomes, autophagy,
antimicrobial peptide production (e.g. cathelici-
dins) and oxidative capacity ( Cassidy and
Martineau, 2014). In bovine monocytes infected
with M. bovis, active vitamin D increased the pro-
duction of the nitric oxide synthase enzyme, NOS
and the RANTES chemokine (regulated upon
the activation of normal T-cell, expressed and
secreted) (Nelson et al., 2010).
Selective breeding of naturally resistant
cattle may have a profound effect improving
herd health status. A reduction in antibiotic
usage and a better response to vaccines are some
of the arguments to support this statement.
Exploiting natural disease resistance to inform
selective breeding programmes is one of the
tools that the cattle industry may use to improve
livestock production efficiency.10.8 ConclusionsThe presence of pathogenic bacteria, like
M. bovis, in host tissues triggers alarm signals
that brings the innate immune response into
play. Physical, chemical, molecular and cellular
barriers are turned on to identify and stop invad-
ers. In this scenario, bacteria and innate immune
components interplay to drive induction of a
pro-inflammatory response that sets up a sur-
vival competition among host and pathogen.
Under these conditions non-opsonic receptors,
inflammatory cytokines and chemokines allow
the influx of different types of cells, phagocytosis
and the production of antimicrobial molecules
that provide protection against mycobacteria,
inhibiting bacilli growth (Liu et al., 2013; Hilda
et al., 2014). However, it is important to consider
that in the end, bacterial virulence and the host
natural disease resistance determines the net
profit or loss in this biological transaction. In this
chapter we attempted to provide an overview of
the innate immune response of cattle to M. bovis
infection; however, this is a complex process that
still requires much further investigation.ReferencesAdams, L.G. and Templeton, J.W. (1998) Genetic resistance to bacterial diseases of animals. Revue Sci-
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