Abstract
Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) is caused by a virus that poses a threat to the global swine industry, costing the U.S. industry over 664 million dollars annually. Vaccination has limited effectiveness due to the virus’ antigenic and genetic shifts. Leveraging genetics to develop more resilient swine can, however, mitigate the effects of PRRS. Previous studies identified a Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) near the GBP5 gene (WUR) that was associated with resistance and resilience to PRRS, with the G allele being favorable over A. The objective of this study was to determine whether the WUR SNP is also associated with resilience to a polymicrobial natural disease challenge. Using a continuous flow system, a new batch of 60-75 naïve Yorkshire x Landrace nursery piglets was introduced every three weeks into a natural challenge facility that was initially seeded with multiple diseases, including PRRS. Traits recorded were growth rate, feed intake, backfat, loin depth, veterinary treatments, and mortality. Pigs were genotyped using a 600K SNP chip. Data from 2133 pigs were analyzed using a univariate linear mixed model that included, pen, litter, and animal genetics as random effects and WUR genotype as a fixed effect. Frequencies were 0.85, 0.14, and 0.01 for AA, AG, and GG. The G allele was favorable for most traits, with the contrast of AA vs AG significant for average daily gain in the nursery (0.339 vs 0.365 kg/d, p = 0.013) and number of treatments (2.48 vs 2.16 over 180 days, p = 0.072). Mortality rate was 26.0% for AA and 23.8% for AG (not significantly different). In conclusion, the G allele at the WUR SNP is potentially also associated with resilience to multi-factorial disease. Funded by Genome Canada, Genome Alberta, Genome Prairie, PigGen Canada, and USDA-NIFA.
Single Nucleotide Polymorphism in the LDHA Gene as a Potential Marker for the Racing Performance of Pigeons