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Some alleles of milk protein loci are associated with superior cheese production characteristics. The genetic polymorphism of the milk protein loci alphas1-casein, beta-casein, k-casein and beta-lactoglobulin was examined in Argentinian Holstein cattle. Samples from 12 herds of four regions of Córdoba were analyzed by starch gel electrophoresis. The chi² test was used to assess whether the populations were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Genotypic diversity was analyzed by the Shannon-Weaver index. The observed genotypic frequencies were analyzed by Hedrick's genetic identity and the genetic distance of Balakrishnan and Sanghvi. The allelic and genotypic frequencies were similar to those of other Holstein populations. The genotypic frequencies of the alphas1-casein and beta-casein loci were in equilibrium, whereas in some populations the k-casein and beta-lactoglobulin loci were not. According to the Shannon-Weaver index the total genetic diversity within each herd was greater than 96%. The high values of identity agreed with the low genetic distances among populations. We conclude that there is extensive genetic homogeneity in Holstein cattle in Córdoba Province and that it would be feasible to select for B alleles at the k-casein and b-lactoglobulin loci in order to improve the quality of milk available for cheese manufacturing.

Three female pigs, one with bilateral and two with unilateral hernia inguinalis, from farms near Rı! o Cuarto, Argentina were studied to assess the hypothesis of intersexuality due to porcine freemartinism. Karyotype analysis of lymphocyte cultures was carried out to look for XX\XY chromosome chimerism. Examination of anatomical and histological characteristics of sexual organs was also performed to describe possible sexual tract abnormalities. The animal with the bilateral hernia inguinalis was shown to be a case of true hermaphroditism. Externally it had female genitalia and inside the abdomen, on the left side, one mature ovary and one testis were located. On the right side of the hernia, a scrotal ovotestis was present. All cytogenetically analysed lymphocytes had the female karyotype. The two animals having unilateral hernia and lymphocyte sexual chromosome chimerism were porcine freemartin.

Chromosome damage in lymphocyte cultures induced by live virus vaccine against classical swine fever (CSF) has been observed in previous studies. In vivo cytogenetic tests were made with several doses of vaccines used in Argentina to control the disease. These studies have shown that genotoxic effects increased with dose. In the present study, two different in vitro assays were performed by recording the frequency of cells with chromosome alterations and by assessing the ability of the vaccine to damage DNA, using the single cell gel microelectrophoretic assay (comet test). Frequencies of cells with chromosomal alterations increased significantly when compared with controls and were dose (microl/ml) dependent: 0 = 1.23, 5 = 2.29, 10 = 5.42 and 20 = 11.71%. In the comet assay the variables measured, tail length (TL) and tail moment (TM), also increased. For control cultures TL was 2.32 microm, whereas with concentrations of 20 and 100 microl/ml TL were 12.47 and 42.3 microm, respectively. TM of control cultures was 0.18, whereas with vaccine concentrations of 20 and 100 microl/ml TM were 5.52 and 24.52, respectively. Comet frequency distributions differed significantly among treatments. These results agree with previous in vivo observations. Regarding CSF pathogeny, our results support a direct effect of CSF vaccinal virus on lymphocyte DNA. Genotoxicity of CSF vaccine was corroborated in vitro at the cytogenetic and molecular levels.