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Genetic aspects of resistance to footrot in sheep

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 November 2017

G.J. Nieuwhof*
Affiliation:
Meat and Livestock Commission / Agricultural and Horticultural Development Board, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom
J. Conington
Affiliation:
SAC, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
L. Bünger
Affiliation:
SAC, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
S.C. Bishop
Affiliation:
Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, Roslin, United Kingdom
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Extract

Footrot is an endemic disease of sheep, costing the British sheep industry an estimated £24M annually (Nieuwhof and Bishop, 2005). Estimates for the heritability of footrot in Australian data are as high as 0.3 (Raadsma et al., 1994), but this may differ in Britain because of different bacterial strains, sheep breeds and environmental conditions. The aim of this study is to determine the heritability and repeatability of resistance to footrot in Scottish Blackface (SBF) and mule sheep at different ages, and to assess if breeding for resistance to footrot is a credible option for British sheep breeders.

Type
Theatre Presentations
Copyright
Copyright © The British Society of Animal Science 2008

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References

Conington, J., Hosie, B., Nieuwhof, G.J., Bishop, S.C. and Bünger, L. 2008. BSAS Annual Proceedings, 197 Google Scholar
Gilmour, A.R., Cullis, B.R., Welham, S.J. and Thompson, R. 2002. ASReml Reference Manual.Google Scholar
Nieuwhof, G.J. and Bishop, S.C. 2005. Animal Science 81: 23–29.Google Scholar
Raadsma, H.W., Egerton, J.R., Wood, D., Kristo, C. and Nicholas, F.W. 1994. Journal of Animal Breeding and Genetics 111: 367–390.CrossRefGoogle Scholar