Use of DNA Fingerprinting for Verifying Identity of Individual Cattle Within a Forty-Eight Hour Response Period

This study evaluated the efficacy of using DNA fingerprinting to re-establish and verify identity of individual cattle within 48 h. Samples of blood, collected during a scheduled processing event in October 2004, and hair, which had been collected 1 yr earlier in October 2003, were obtained from crossbred cows located at the Colorado State University-Eastern Colorado Research Center. A timed, rapid-response test, involving 85 blood samples and 31 hair samples, was simulated to measure the capabilities of DNA analysis for recovery and verification of individual identity within a 48-h period. Blind tests conducted to re-establish individual animal identity were 100% successful, and the response time required for verification of individual identity, based on DNA profiles, was 32 h and 14 min. Additional analyses demonstrated that complete DNA marker profiles could be successfully obtained from blood samples that had been visibly contaminated with foreign material, from blood cards that contained only a small amount of sample, or both. Results of this study suggest that DNA fingerprinting could enhance the effectiveness of animal traceability systems by establishing and confirming individual identity of animals within the 48-h period specified by U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.