Variance component estimates, phenotypic characterization, and genetic evaluation of bovine congestive heart failure in commercial feeder cattle

The increasing incidence of bovine congestive heart failure (BCHF) in feedlot cattle poses a significant challenge to the beef industry from economic loss, reduced performance, and reduced animal welfare attributed to cardiac insufficiency. Changes to cardiac morphology as well as abnormal pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) in cattle of mostly Angus ancestry have been recently characterized. However, congestive heart failure affecting cattle late in the feeding period has been an increasing problem and tools are needed for the industry to address the rate of mortality in the feedlot for multiple breeds. At harvest, a population of 32,763 commercial fed cattle were phenotyped for cardiac morphology with associated production data collected from feedlot processing to harvest at a single feedlot and packing plant in the Pacific Northwest. A sub-population of 5,001 individuals were selected for low-pass genotyping to estimate variance components and genetic correlations between heart score and the production traits observed during the feeding period. At harvest, the incidence of a heart score of 4 or 5 in this population was approximately 4.14%, indicating a significant proportion of feeder cattle are at risk of cardiac mortality before harvest. Heart scores were also significantly and positively correlated with the percentage Angus ancestry observed by genomic breed percentage analysis. The heritability of heart score measured as a binary (scores 1 and 2 = 0, scores 4 and 5 = 1) trait was 0.356 in this population, which indicates development of a selection tool to reduce the risk of congestive heart failure as an EPD (expected progeny difference) is feasible. Genetic correlations of heart score with growth traits and feed intake were moderate and positive (0.289-0.460). Genetic correlations between heart score and backfat and marbling score were -0.120 and -0.108, respectively. Significant genetic correlation to traits of high economic importance in existing selection indexes explain the increased rate of congestive heart failure observed over time. These results indicate potential to implement heart score observed at harvest as a phenotype under selection in genetic evaluation in order to reduce feedlot mortality due to cardiac insufficiency and improve overall cardiopulmonary health in feeder cattle.