# US 10,368,532 B2 · Transition cow index > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,368,532 B2 - Document ID: US10368532B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/224,336 - Filed: 2016-07-29 - Published: 2017-12-21 - Granted: 2019-08-06 - Earliest claimed: 2015-07-09 - Assignees: Genus, Inc. - Applicants: Genus, PLC - Inventors: Katrina Dattilo; Yalda Zare; Gabriela Carolina Marquez Betz; Kaleena Stephan; Ryan Starkenburg; Cristian Vergara - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10368532B2 ## CPC - A01K 67/02: Breeding vertebrates - A61D 19/04: for embryo transplantation - G16B 20/00: ICT specially adapted for functional genomics or proteomics, e.g. genotype-phenotype associations - G16B 20/20: Allele or variant detection, e.g. single nucleotide polymorphism [SNP] detection - G16B 20/40: Population genetics; Linkage disequilibrium - G16H 50/30: for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment - A01K 2227/101: Bovine - A01K: ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; AVICULTURE; APICULTURE; PISCICULTURE; FISHING; REARING OR BREEDING ANIMALS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NEW BREEDS OF ANIMALS - A61D: VETERINARY INSTRUMENTS, IMPLEMENTS, TOOLS, OR METHODS - G16B: BIOINFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR GENETIC OR PROTEIN-RELATED DATA PROCESSING IN COMPUTATIONAL MOLECULAR BIOLOGY - G16H: HEALTHCARE INFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE HANDLING OR PROCESSING OF MEDICAL OR HEALTHCARE DATA ## Abstract Applicants have identified that three critical phenotypic/genetic measures are highly correlated with transition period health and may be used in selection and breeding protocols and/or in combination with traditional breeding and marker assisted selection methods to improve predictability of transition period health. According to the invention genetic evaluations for mastitis, ketosis, and metritis have been found to be highly predictive of overall transition health. The genetic evaluations are produced by directly measuring thousands of clinical cases of mastitis, ketosis, and metritis in ancestors of a particular animal and using this data in selection. Applicant's selection criteria can quickly impact a breeders population by reducing transition cow disease incidence in the initial population and in progeny. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of breeding bovine animals to create a progeny population with improved milk production traits comprising: a) assaying the lineage of one or more bovine animals for mastitis, metritis, and ketosis incidence in one or more ancestors of said bovine animal, wherein said metritis, mastitis, and ketosis incidence is assigned an estimated breeding value; b) selecting a bovine animal from step a) with a favorable said estimated breeding value, wherein the selected bovine animal is used as a first parent bovine animal; and c) breeding said first parent bovine animal with a second parent bovine animal to create said progeny population, wherein female bovine animals of said progeny population demonstrate improved milk production and health during the transition period when compared to female bovine animals of a progeny population where a first parent bovine animal has not been so selected. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said first parent bovine animal is a cow. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said first parent bovine animal is a sire. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein both the first parent bovine animal and the second parent bovine animal are selected based on favorable said estimated breeding value. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said mastitis, metritis, and ketosis incidence data is collected for multiple animals from multiple locations. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said ancestors include thousands of animals. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said first parent bovine animal is ranked within the top 10% of bovine animals based on said estimated breeding value. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said first parent bovine animal is ranked within the top 20% of bovine animals based on said estimated breeding value. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said first parent bovine animal is ranked within the top 30% of bovine animals based on said estimated breeding value. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said estimated breeding value is combined with estimated breeding values for milk, fat, and protein yield, fat and protein percentage, productive life, and/or somatic cell scores to determine a favorable combination of the same. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) A method for selectively breeding bovine animals using a multiple ovulation and embryo transfer procedure (MOET) procedure, the method comprising: superovulating a first female bovine animal selected according to the method of claim 1, collecting eggs from said superovulated first female bovine animal, in vitro fertilizing said collected eggs from a suitable male bovine animal, implanting said fertilized eggs into a second female bovine animal and allowing for an embryo to develop from said implanted fertilized egg to create a population of male and female bovine progeny animals, wherein said female bovine progeny animals have improved milk production and health, during the transition period when compared to a female bovine animal of a progeny population where the first female bovine animal has not been so selected. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said breeding comprises: collecting semen from said first parent bovine animal; and using said semen for fertilizing said second parent bovine animal. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method according to claim 12, wherein the second parent bovine animal is in-vitro fertilized. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The method according to claim 12, wherein a Multiple Ovulation and Embryo Transfer (MOET) procedure is used.