An assessment of opportunities to dissect host genetic variation in resistance to infectious diseases in livestock

This paper reviews the evidence for host genetic variation in resistance to infectious diseases for a wide variety of diseases of economic importance in poultry, cattle, pig, sheep and Atlantic salmon. Further, it develops a method of ranking each disease in terms of its overall impact, and combines...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: G. Davies, S. Genini, S.C. Bishop, E. Giuffra
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2009-01-01
Series:Animal
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1751731108003522
_version_ 1818930025247801344
author G. Davies
S. Genini
S.C. Bishop
E. Giuffra
author_facet G. Davies
S. Genini
S.C. Bishop
E. Giuffra
author_sort G. Davies
collection DOAJ
description This paper reviews the evidence for host genetic variation in resistance to infectious diseases for a wide variety of diseases of economic importance in poultry, cattle, pig, sheep and Atlantic salmon. Further, it develops a method of ranking each disease in terms of its overall impact, and combines this ranking with published evidence for host genetic variation and information on the current state of genomic tools in each host species. The outcome is an overall ranking of the amenability of each disease to genomic studies that dissect host genetic variation in resistance. Six disease-based assessment criteria were defined: industry concern, economic impact, public concern, threat to food safety or zoonotic potential, impact on animal welfare and threat to international trade barriers. For each category, a subjective score was assigned to each disease according to the relative strength of evidence, impact, concern or threat posed by that particular disease, and the scores were summed across categories. Evidence for host genetic variation in resistance was determined from available published data, including breed comparison, heritability studies, quantitative trait loci (QTL) studies, evidence of candidate genes with significant effects, data on pathogen sequence and on host gene expression analyses. In total, 16 poultry diseases, 13 cattle diseases, nine pig diseases, 11 sheep diseases and three Atlantic salmon diseases were assessed. The top-ranking diseases or pathogens, i.e. those most amenable to studies dissecting host genetic variation, were Salmonella in poultry, bovine mastitis, Marek’s disease and coccidiosis, both in poultry. The top-ranking diseases or pathogens in pigs, sheep and Atlantic salmon were Escherichia coli, mastitis and infectious pancreatic necrosis, respectively. These rankings summarise the current state of knowledge for each disease and broadly, although not entirely, reflect current international research efforts. They will alter as more information becomes available and as genome tools become more sophisticated for each species. It is suggested that this approach could be used to rank diseases from other perspectives as well, e.g. in terms of disease control strategies.
first_indexed 2024-12-20T03:54:08Z
format Article
id doaj.art-2432f5d1e4654c3eb0f4886285c1a724
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 1751-7311
language English
last_indexed 2024-12-20T03:54:08Z
publishDate 2009-01-01
publisher Elsevier
record_format Article
series Animal
spelling doaj.art-2432f5d1e4654c3eb0f4886285c1a7242022-12-21T19:54:23ZengElsevierAnimal1751-73112009-01-0133415436An assessment of opportunities to dissect host genetic variation in resistance to infectious diseases in livestockG. Davies0S. Genini1S.C. Bishop2E. Giuffra3Parco Tecnologico Padano – CERSA, Via Einstein, 26900 Lodi, ItalyParco Tecnologico Padano – CERSA, Via Einstein, 26900 Lodi, ItalyThe Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Roslin, Midlothian EH25 9PS, UKParco Tecnologico Padano – CERSA, Via Einstein, 26900 Lodi, ItalyThis paper reviews the evidence for host genetic variation in resistance to infectious diseases for a wide variety of diseases of economic importance in poultry, cattle, pig, sheep and Atlantic salmon. Further, it develops a method of ranking each disease in terms of its overall impact, and combines this ranking with published evidence for host genetic variation and information on the current state of genomic tools in each host species. The outcome is an overall ranking of the amenability of each disease to genomic studies that dissect host genetic variation in resistance. Six disease-based assessment criteria were defined: industry concern, economic impact, public concern, threat to food safety or zoonotic potential, impact on animal welfare and threat to international trade barriers. For each category, a subjective score was assigned to each disease according to the relative strength of evidence, impact, concern or threat posed by that particular disease, and the scores were summed across categories. Evidence for host genetic variation in resistance was determined from available published data, including breed comparison, heritability studies, quantitative trait loci (QTL) studies, evidence of candidate genes with significant effects, data on pathogen sequence and on host gene expression analyses. In total, 16 poultry diseases, 13 cattle diseases, nine pig diseases, 11 sheep diseases and three Atlantic salmon diseases were assessed. The top-ranking diseases or pathogens, i.e. those most amenable to studies dissecting host genetic variation, were Salmonella in poultry, bovine mastitis, Marek’s disease and coccidiosis, both in poultry. The top-ranking diseases or pathogens in pigs, sheep and Atlantic salmon were Escherichia coli, mastitis and infectious pancreatic necrosis, respectively. These rankings summarise the current state of knowledge for each disease and broadly, although not entirely, reflect current international research efforts. They will alter as more information becomes available and as genome tools become more sophisticated for each species. It is suggested that this approach could be used to rank diseases from other perspectives as well, e.g. in terms of disease control strategies.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1751731108003522food safetygenomicsinfectious diseaselivestock welfareranking
spellingShingle G. Davies
S. Genini
S.C. Bishop
E. Giuffra
An assessment of opportunities to dissect host genetic variation in resistance to infectious diseases in livestock
Animal
food safety
genomics
infectious disease
livestock welfare
ranking
title An assessment of opportunities to dissect host genetic variation in resistance to infectious diseases in livestock
title_full An assessment of opportunities to dissect host genetic variation in resistance to infectious diseases in livestock
title_fullStr An assessment of opportunities to dissect host genetic variation in resistance to infectious diseases in livestock
title_full_unstemmed An assessment of opportunities to dissect host genetic variation in resistance to infectious diseases in livestock
title_short An assessment of opportunities to dissect host genetic variation in resistance to infectious diseases in livestock
title_sort assessment of opportunities to dissect host genetic variation in resistance to infectious diseases in livestock
topic food safety
genomics
infectious disease
livestock welfare
ranking
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1751731108003522
work_keys_str_mv AT gdavies anassessmentofopportunitiestodissecthostgeneticvariationinresistancetoinfectiousdiseasesinlivestock
AT sgenini anassessmentofopportunitiestodissecthostgeneticvariationinresistancetoinfectiousdiseasesinlivestock
AT scbishop anassessmentofopportunitiestodissecthostgeneticvariationinresistancetoinfectiousdiseasesinlivestock
AT egiuffra anassessmentofopportunitiestodissecthostgeneticvariationinresistancetoinfectiousdiseasesinlivestock
AT gdavies assessmentofopportunitiestodissecthostgeneticvariationinresistancetoinfectiousdiseasesinlivestock
AT sgenini assessmentofopportunitiestodissecthostgeneticvariationinresistancetoinfectiousdiseasesinlivestock
AT scbishop assessmentofopportunitiestodissecthostgeneticvariationinresistancetoinfectiousdiseasesinlivestock
AT egiuffra assessmentofopportunitiestodissecthostgeneticvariationinresistancetoinfectiousdiseasesinlivestock