Abstract
Autochthonous taurine and later introduced zebu cattle from Cameroon differ considerably in their resistance to endemic pathogens with little to no reports of the underlying genetic make-up. Breed history and habitat variations are reported to contribute significantly to this diversity worldwide, presumably in Cameroon as well, where locations diverge in climate, pasture, and prevalence of infectious agents. In order to investigate the genetic background, the genotypes of 685 individuals of different Cameroonian breeds were analysed by using the BovineSNP50v3 BeadChip. The variance components including heritability were estimated and genome-wide association studies (GWAS) were performed. Phenotypes were obtained by parasitological screening and categorised in Tick-borne pathogens (TBP), gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN), and onchocercosis (ONC). Estimated heritabilities were low for GIN and TBP (0.079 (se = 0.084) and 0.109 (se = 0.103) respectively) and moderate for ONC (0.216 (se = 0.094)). Further than revealing the quantitative nature of the traits, GWAS identified putative trait-associated genomic regions on five chromosomes, including the chromosomes 11 and 18 for GIN, 20 and 24 for TBP, and 12 for ONC. The results imply that breeding for resistant animals in the cattle population from Northern Cameroon might be possible for the studied pathogens; however, further research in this field using larger datasets will be required to improve the resistance towards pathogen infections, propose candidate genes or to infer biological pathways, as well as the genetic structures of African multi-breed populations.
Highlights
In cattle breeds, the genetic makeup has been shown to create different phenotypes related to their ability to sustain environmental pressure, including pathogens
The resistance to tick bites via immunogenic reactivity against compounds is in the tick salivary, and the likelihood to acquire tick transmissible microorganisms is reported to vary among different breeds of cattle [5,6]
Phenotypic information were investigated by intradermal nodule palpation [24] and isolation and identification was obtained using molecular detection for Tickborne pathogens (TBP), faeces treated by according flotationtotechnique forfor of microfilariae of O. ochengi, O. gutturosa and
Summary
The genetic makeup has been shown to create different phenotypes related to their ability to sustain environmental pressure, including pathogens. In developing countries, many of the endemic pathogens considerably affect the cattle livestock industry [1], for instance endoparasitic infections caused by a single or mixture of gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) such as Toxocara, Strongyles, Strongyloides, and Trichuris [2,3]. The resistance to tick bites via immunogenic reactivity against compounds is in the tick salivary, and the likelihood to acquire tick transmissible microorganisms is reported to vary among different breeds of cattle [5,6] This combination of ticks and transmissible diseases (tick-borne pathogens: TBP) is known to be a substantial drawback for the improvement of the livestock sector in sub-Saharan Africa. The present study aims to investigate the genetic background of the resistance against pathogens by using the infection status of individuals with regard to vector-borne (TBP and ONC) and oral-faecal-transmitted (GIN) pathogens in cattle breeds from Cameroon
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