CLONED BULL COULD CHANGE FACE OF FARMING
WebPosted Tue Dec 19 14:37:40 2000

COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS--Scientists are saying a month-old black bull 
named 86 Squared may change farming forever. 

 The Angus calf is a copy of an animal that had a natural resistance to 
three infectious diseases. Brucellosis, tuberculosis and salmonellosis 
can all be passed to humans through uncooked beef, unpasteurised milk, 
or contamination. 

 It's yet to be determined if the new animal is resistant to the same 
diseases as its 'parent' - Bull 86 which died three years ago. But 
scientists claim if resistance can be copied, herds of cattle could be 
disease-free in future. 

 86 Squared Photo courtesy Mark Beal, Texas A&M University Joe Templeton 
at Texas A&M University says the impact of such a technology would be 
monumental. He said the research could benefit ranchers in many 
countries, especially those who can't afford to vaccinate or test their 
animals. 

 Antibiotic resistance 

 Templeton says clones like 86 Squared could address concerns about the 
widespread use of antibiotics in livestock feed. 

 The drugs being used help to keep animals disease free. They also permit 
animals to grow more quickly since they don't have to spend energy 
fighting illness. 

 But there are worries this approach may compromise food safety and human 
health by accelerating the emergence of antibiotic-resistant pathogens. 

 Templeton says clones could be designed that don't need antibiotics. 

 Recreating the past 

 The new calf was cloned from ear cells that had been frozen for 15 
years. The Texas scientists say this could open up new possibilities for 
cloning animals which died many years ago, but whose cells had been 
preserved. 

 The cloning of 86 Squared was done at the same Texas A&M facility where 
scientists produced a calf from the cells of a 21-year-old bull - the 
oldest animal ever cloned. 

 They also are working on the $2.3 million US Missyplicity Project, 
funded by a California couple to clone their deceased dog. But the 
researchers say the dog had not yet been reproduced because dogs are 
proving difficult to clone. 

 
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