Abstract
Leccese sheep (996), an Apulian native breed, were studied for the hemoglobin types in association with other hematological, evolutionary and environmental factors. The hypothesis was that different frequencies of HbA and HbB sheep have an adaptive significance. Allelism at α and β loci had five phenotypes, AA, AB, BB, DAB, and DBB, where A and B were the two common alleles at the β locus, whereas D was the α-globin rare variant. The allele β B predominated over β A. There was a relationship between hemoglobin phenotype and both PCV and Hb. In particular, β A seemed to be related to increased values ( P < 0.05), while the rare α D variant seemed to be associated with significantly lower ( P < 0.01) values than the wild-type. Males exibited higher ( P < 0.01) values of PCV and Hb than the females, although the differences were small. When compared to the literature for other breeds, the hematological findings showed that Leccese sheep are characterizd by different erythrocyte numbers and Hb content. It is concluded that the environmental conditions of Apulia, in particular interactions with endemic parasites causing anemias and the arid climate may have selected for sheep HbB due to less blood viscosity and better tolerance of anemia.
Published Version
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