MHC I found in antibodies linked to BNP

Antibodies linked to the appearance of Bovine Neonatal Pancytopenia (BNP) have been identified through quantitative analysis as cattle Major Histocompatibility Complex class I (MHC I).

In a study published in Veterinary Research, scientists from the Institute of Virology at the Justus-Liebig-University Giessen in Germany sought to identify the connection between BNP and vaccination with an inactivated vaccine against bovine virus diarrhoea (BVD).

BNP is a mysterious disease found in calves and first seen in 2007; initial studies showed that it appeared in the offspring of cows vaccinated against BVD.

Using quantitative analysis processes, the team found two dominant proteins in vaccinated cows which were not present in animals free of BVD, those not vaccinated against BVD and those with a different inactivated BVD vaccine.

One of these key proteins was identified as MHC I, which was confirmed by Western blot using a MHC I specific monoclonal antibody, the other as beta-2-microglobulin.