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Blood Lactic Acid and Behaviour in Cattle with Hereditary Muscular Hypertrophy¹

University of California,³ Davis 95616

Abstract

CATTLE with hereditary muscular hypertrophy (MH or "double muscling") appear histochemically to have enhanced glycolytic capacity, and exhibit more excitable temperament. In man, high blood lactate is associated with "anxiety neurosis," with tenseness, apprehension, irritability, intense fear. Blood lactate in eight normal, heterozygous and MH Angus heifers was highly correlated (r=+0.90, P<.01) with temperament assessed on a scale from 1 to 5. Lactate levels in 12 normal Hereford and 12 MH Angus cattle were 28.2 and 41.8 mg/100 ml (P<.025). Adrenalin injection and exercise caused significantly greater rises of lactate in MH over normal cattle, as occurs in "anxiety neurosis." Temperament was correlated with lactate (r=0.505, P<.025). MH animals produce higher blood lactate concentrations, which may cause their more excitable and apprehensive temperament. The association of increased excitability and increased stress susceptibility in heavily muscled animals poses grave problems in the breeding of meat producing animals.

¹ The authors wish to thank Dr. W. C. Rollins, Department of Animal Science, Davis, for generously providing the animals used in this experiment.

² Present address: Department of Nutrition, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.

³ Department of Animal Science.