Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) is a receptor protein that binds pathogen ligands, which are mainly associated with Gram-negative
bacteria. The objective of this study was to investigate the association of nucleotide polymorphisms in TLR4 with infectious
bovine keratoconjunctivitis (IBK), or pinkeye, incidence in American Angus cattle. Animals with previously calculated breeding
values for IBK susceptibility were used to identify two SNPs in TLR4; Int1 (A/G) in intron1 (−26 Ex2 position) and Ex3 (C/T)
in exon3 (1,678 position). To investigate the possible role of these SNPs in IBK susceptibility, the disease incidence information
was collected on 370 calves raised in Iowa at two time points—June or August (disease season) and October (at weaning) and
genotyped using PCR-RFLP protocols. In statistical models including year, pasture management group, and SNP, the Int1 SNP
had a significant effect on IBK infection rates both in-season (P < 0.05) and at weaning (P < 0.01), whereas the Ex3 SNP was not significant (P > 0.79) at either time point. Furthermore, the Int1 SNP alone could account for 2.1% of phenotypic variation in IBK infection
during the disease season and 3.0% of phenotypic variation in IBK infection at the time of weaning. These data indicate that
there is a relationship between Int1 genotype and the rate of IBK infection in American Angus cattle.
Keywords Toll-like receptor 4 – Single nucleotide polymorphisms – Pinkeye – Cattle