A new tool: Genetic scrapie resistance in goats

Authors: White, Stephen; Schneider, David

Submitted to: Scrapie: Eradicate It
Publication Type: Trade Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/5/2018
Publication Date: 6/30/2018
Citation: White, S.N., Schneider, D.A. 2018. A new tool: Genetic scrapie resistance in goats. Scrapie: Eradicate It. June 2018:1.

Interpretive Summary: Classical scrapie is a fatal, infectious brain disease of goats and sheep endemic in the U.S. However, the National Scrapie Eradication Program helps goat and sheep producers by fighting scrapie within the country and progressing towards scrapie-free import/export status for the U.S. on the world stage. A new tool to combat scrapie is genetic resistance in goats. A large expert panel commissioned by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) recently concluded that two natural goat alleles of the prion gene (termed S146 and K222) can each make goats resistant to classical scrapie. Specifically, the panel concluded there is stronger evidence today that S146 and K222 confer resistance to classical scrapie in goats than sheep R171 had when the original recommendation was made to help breed scrapie resistant sheep. In the U.S., USDA-APHIS is planning to use pilot testing of DNA-based cleanup plans for goats - as was done for sheep when genetic scrapie resistance became known. New commercial DNA tests are available to determine if these alleles are present in individual goats. The S146 allele is common in U.S. goat breeds of both meat and dairy types, and the K222 allele is present primarily in dairy goats. Thus, goat genetic resistance to scrapie is a new tool in the arsenal for fighting scrapie.

Technical Abstract: Classical scrapie is a fatal, infectious brain disease of goats and sheep endemic in the U.S. However, the National Scrapie Eradication Program helps goat and sheep producers by fighting scrapie within the country and progressing towards scrapie-free import/export status for the U.S. on the world stage. A new tool to combat scrapie is genetic resistance in goats. A large expert panel commissioned by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) recently concluded that two natural goat alleles of the prion gene (termed S146 and K222) can each make goats resistant to classical scrapie. Specifically, the panel concluded there is stronger evidence today that S146 and K222 confer resistance to classical scrapie in goats than sheep R171 had when the original recommendation was made to help breed scrapie resistant sheep. In the U.S., USDA-APHIS is planning to use pilot testing of DNA-based cleanup plans for goats - as was done for sheep when genetic scrapie resistance became known. New commercial DNA tests are available to determine if these alleles are present in individual goats. The S146 allele is common in U.S. goat breeds of both meat and dairy types, and the K222 allele is present primarily in dairy goats. Thus, goat genetic resistance to scrapie is a new tool in the arsenal for fighting scrapie.