.................................................................................................................................. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .......................................................................................................... iv LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................................ vii LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................................................... ix CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................1 LITERATURE CITED ........................................................................................................4 CHAPTER 2: REVIEW OF LITERATURE ...................................................................................5 SECTION 1: RIGHT-SIDED HEART FAILURE DUE TO PULMONARY HYPERTENSION IN BEEF CATTLE ..............................................................................6 PHYSIOLOGY OF PULMONARY HYPERTENSION ........................................6 PULMONARY ARTERIAL PRESSURE TESTING ............................................ 8 BACKGROUND .........................................................................................8 PULMONARY ARTERIAL PRESSURE COLLECTION ........................9 ALTERNATIVE TO PULMONARY ARTERIAL PRESSURE TESTING ..................................................................10 INFLUENCES ON PULMONARY ARTERIAL PRESSURE ................11 BREED .........................................................................................11 GENDER ......................................................................................12 AGE ..............................................................................................13 CONCURRENT ILLNESS ..........................................................13 ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS ...........................................14 ELEVATION ................................................................................14 CLINCIAL SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF PULMONARY HYPERTENSION ....................................................................................15 SECTION 2 PREVALENCE OF PULMONARY HYPERTENSION IN THE BEEF INDUSTRY ......................................................................................................................15 SECTION 3 GENETIC EVALUATIONS OF PULMONARY HYPERTENSION IN BEEF CATTLE ...............................................................................................................18 QUANTITATIVE GENETIC EVALUATIONS OF PULMONARY ARTERIAL PRESSURE ......................................................................................18 MOLECULAR GENETIC EVALUATIONS OF PULMONARY ARTERIAL PRESSURE .......................................................................................22 LITERATURE CITED ......................................................................................................25