Author
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Snowder, Gary |
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Submitted to: Proceeding of Plains Nutrition Council Symposium
Publication Type: Proceedings Publication Acceptance Date: 4/1/2005 Publication Date: 6/1/2005 Citation: Snowder, G.D. 2005. The role of genetics on animal health. Proceedings of Plains Nutrition Council Symposium. Plains Nutrition Council, publication no. AREC 05-20, pp. 27-35. Interpretive Summary: This manuscript is a brief review of the challenges and approaches for selecting livestock for disease resistance. Animal health and well being have become increasingly important issues for producers and consumers. Pathogens have often evolved into strains resistant to common vaccines and antibiotics leaving producers with lower efficacious preventative and therapeutic drugs. Consumers expect drug free meat products and have a greater concern for animal health and welfare than previously. One approach to these issues is to develop livestock with an improved inherent resistance to disease. This approach is much more complicated compared to selection approaches to improve most production traits. Undesirable genetic correlations often exist between production traits and disease resistance traits. The immune system is a highly intricate biological system comprising of natural barriers to pathogens, an innate immune defense system, and an acquired immune system. These three parts of the immune system interact and are influenced by many management and environmental factors. The rate of response to selection for improving disease resistance will be dependent upon the accuracy of measuring the phenotype of disease resistance and the predictability of genetic markers for disease resistance. This review discusses further challenges in selecting for disease resistance and details success stories of selection for improving the immune response in poultry and swine. Genetic approaches are presented for the US cattle industry to consider for selection for disease resistance. Technical Abstract: This manuscript is a brief review of the challenges and approaches for selecting livestock for disease resistance. Animal health and well being have become increasingly important issues for producers and consumers. Pathogens have often evolved into strains resistant to common vaccines and antibiotics leaving producers with lower efficacious preventative and therapeutic drugs. Consumers expect drug free meat products and have a greater concern for animal health and welfare than previously. One approach to these issues is to develop livestock with an improved inherent resistance to disease. This approach is much more complicated compared to selection approaches to improve most production traits. Undesirable genetic correlations often exist between production traits and disease resistance traits. The immune system is a highly intricate biological system comprising of natural barriers to pathogens, an innate immune defense system, and an acquired immune system. These three parts of the immune system interact and are influenced by many management and environmental factors. The rate of response to selection for improving disease resistance will be dependent upon the accuracy of measuring the phenotype of disease resistance and the predictability of genetic markers for disease resistance. This review discusses further challenges in selecting for disease resistance and details success stories of selection for improving the immune response in poultry and swine. Genetic approaches are presented for the US cattle industry to consider for selection for disease resistance. |
