Genome-wide association study

Genotype

Genetic association

Infectious bursal disease

Biology

Gene

Single-nucleotide polymorphism

Haplotype

Selective sweep

Genetics

Virulence

Candidate gene

Ecotype

Quantitative trait locus

Virology

Genetics Selection Evolution

The majority of chickens in sub-Saharan Africa are indigenous ecotypes, well adapted to the local environment and raised in scavenging production systems. Although they are generally resilient to disease challenge, routine vaccination and biosecurity measures are rarely applied and infectious diseases remain a major cause of mortality and reduced productivity. Management and genetic improvement programmes are hampered by lack of routine data recording. Selective breeding based on genomic technologies may provide the means to enhance sustainability. In this study, we investigated the genetic architecture of antibody response to four major infectious diseases [infectious bursal disease (IBDV), Marek's disease (MDV), fowl typhoid (SG), fowl cholera (PM)] and resistance to Eimeria and cestode parasitism, along with two production traits [body weight and body condition score (BCS)] in two distinct indigenous Ethiopian chicken ecotypes. We conducted variance component analyses, genome-wide association studies, and ...

Genome-wide association studies of immune, disease and production traits in indigenous chicken ecotypes