Local Livestock Breeds Research Articles

Genetic Diversity in the Orenburg Goat Breed Revealed by Single-Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) Analysis: Initial Steps in Saving a Threatened Population

Background/Objectives: Orenburg goats are renowned for their soft down that acts as a substrate for warm clothing, particularly shawls that have an international reputation. As with many local livestock breeds, however, the Orenburg is presently at risk of extinction, an issue that can be addressed by assessing population genetic diversity and, thereafter, encouraging as much outbreeding as possible. Using single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-based data, therefore, we analyzed the genetic diversity and population structure of modern Orenburg goats using samples collected from an expedition to Orenburg Oblast in 2024. Methods: We applied the Goat SNP50 BeadChip (Illumina, San Diego, CA, USA) for the genotyping of Orenburg goats from modern and archived populations. SNP genotypes of three Orenburg populations sampled in 2017 and 2019, Altai Mountain, Altai White, and Soviet Mohair breeds, were added to the dataset. Results: Principal component analysis and network and admixture analyses demonstrated that the genetic background inherent to the archived group of Orenburg goats was maintained in all modern populations. Values of genetic diversity indicators in modern populations were compatible with those obtained in comparison groups. Runs of homozygosity (ROH) were found in all the Orenburg goat populations (with a mean ROH length of 72.6–108.9 Mb and mean ROH number of 28–36). Genomic inbreeding based on ROH was low in all the Orenburg populations (FROH = 0.03–0.045). Conclusions: We showed that the ancestral background is retained in present-day Orenburg goats sampled in 2024. We provide the genetic basis through which certain breeder animals may be selected and bred traditionally or ex situ through a conservation program of gamete preservation.

Freezability of Semen Collected from Ganders of 12 Breeds Covered by the Polish Genetic Resources Conservation Program

Abstract A rapid decline in wild animal biodiversity, as well as in the number of local livestock breeds of lower economical values, makes species and breeds protection and creation of genetic reserves a necessity and a challenge of the 21st century. For birds, semen freezing is still the best method of gene preservation ex situ in vitro. The aim of the presented study was to assess the susceptibility to freezing process and to establish the semen gene bank of twelve goose breeds covered by the Polish genetic resources conservation program. Sexually mature ganders were randomly selected from four northern local breeds: Kartuska, Pomorska, Rypinska, Suwalska, four southern local breeds: Garbonosa, Kielecka, Lubelska, Podkarpacka, and four foreign goose breeds: Kuban, Landes, Roman and Slovakian. Each breed was represented by 12 males, twelve repetitions were carried out. Semen samples were frozen in a computer-controlled cryogenic chamber using a method developed for White Koluda goose. The basic evaluation criterion was sperm morphology in fresh and freeze-thawed semen assessed in nigrosine-eosin stained histological smears. The percentage of live in total and live normal sperm in the fresh semen differed significantly (P<0.05) between breeds. Semen of Kartuska and Suwalska ganders (northern breeds), contained the highest percent of live sperm – 94.4 and 94.1 respectively, including 52.5% and 54.2% of live normal sperm, while the lowest number of these forms was observed for Slovakian goose – 86.4% and 29.2%, respectively. The freezing process resulted in a significant (P<0.05) reduction in the total number of live and live normal sperm and an increase in dead sperm in all groups. Cryopreservation process was the most effective in case of Suwalska goose semen (28.4% of live normal cells in thawed semen) and the less profitable for Landes (7.4% of live normal cells). The analyses showed significant differences between breeds in sperm morphology in fresh and thawed semen. Moreover, the high proportion of live spermatozoa in the fresh semen did not guarantee a high proportion of spermatozoa after thawing, indicating the differences in semen susceptibility to cryopreservation process depending on goose breed.

Characterization of Meat Metabolites and Lipids in Shanghai Local Pig Breeds Revealed by LC-MS-Based Method.

The meat of local livestock breeds often has unique qualities and flavors. In this study, three Shanghai native pig breeds (MSZ, SWT, and SHB) exhibited better meat quality traits than globalized commercial pig breeds (DLY). Subsequently, metabolomic and lipidomic differences in the longissimus dorsi (L) and gluteus (T) muscles of the Shanghai native pig breeds and DLY pig breed were compared using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). The results demonstrated that the metabolites mainly consisted of (28.16%) lipids and lipid-like molecules, and (25.87%) organic acids and their derivatives were the two most dominant groups. Hundreds of differential expression metabolites were identified in every compared group, respectively. One-way ANOVA was applied to test the significance between multiple groups. Among the 20 most abundant differential metabolites, L-carnitine was significantly different in the muscles of the four pig breeds (p-value = 7.322 × 10-11). It was significantly higher in the L and T muscles of the two indigenous black pig breeds (MSZ and SWT) than in the DLY pigs (p-value < 0.001). Similarly, lipidomic analysis revealed the PA (18:0/18:2) was significantly more abundant in the muscle of these two black breeds than that in the DLY breed (p-value < 0.001). These specific metabolites and lipids might influence the meat quality and taste properties and lead to customer preferences. Therefore, this study provided insights into the characterization of meat metabolites and lipids in Shanghai native pig breeds.

Insight into the current genomic diversity, conservation status and population structure of Tunisian Barbarine sheep breed.

Local livestock breeds play a crucial role in global biodiversity, connecting natural and human-influenced environments and contributing significantly to ecosystem services. While commercial breeds dominate industrial systems, local livestock breeds in developing countries, like Barbarine sheep in Tunisia, are vital for food security and community maintenance. The Tunisian Barbarine sheep, known for its adaptability and distinctive fat-tailed morphology, faces challenges due to historical crossbreeding. In this study, the Illumina Ovine SNP50K BeadChip array was used to perform a genome-wide characterization of Tunisian Barbarine sheep to investigate its genetic diversity, the genome structure, and the relationship within the context of Mediterranean breeds. The results show moderate genetic diversity and low inbreeding. Runs of Homozygosity analysis find genomic regions linked to important traits, including fat tail characteristics. Genomic relationship analysis shows proximity to Algerian thin-tailed breeds, suggesting crossbreeding impacts. Admixture analysis reveals unique genetic patterns, emphasizing the Tunisian Barbarine's identity within the Mediterranean context and its closeness to African breeds. Current results represent a starting point for the creation of monitoring and conservation plans. In summary, despite genetic dilution due to crossbreeding, the identification of genomic regions offers crucial insights for conservation. The study confirms the importance of preserving unique genetic characteristics of local breeds, particularly in the face of ongoing crossbreeding practices and environmental challenges. These findings contribute valuable insights for the sustainable management of this unique genetic reservoir, supporting local economies and preserving sheep species biodiversity.

Goat hair as a bioindicator of environmental contaminants and adrenal activation during vertical transhumance.

Autochthonous breeds of livestock are considered a pivotal genetic resource for agriculture, rural development, and food and nutrition security. In the Italian Alps, local livestock breeds are maintained using the traditional alpine farming system based on vertical transhumance, with the use of alpine pastures from late spring to autumn and indoor housing with a hay-based diet for the remaining part of the year. Because of their tight link with the territory of origin, local breeds could be used to biomonitor environmental contaminations. Moreover, animal welfare should also be monitored during transhumance in animals, which are exposed to a sudden farming system change and different types of stressors. For these reasons, this investigation hypothesized that the content of trace elements, heavy metals, and cortisol in the hair of goats changes during vertical transhumance, possibly reflecting different dietary contents and activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. This study aimed to assess the response of an Italian local goat breed to the change from indoor housing to alpine pasture in summer in terms of hair concentrations of (i) trace elements and heavy metals and (ii) cortisol. The regrown hair of Frisa goats was monthly collected for 2 consecutive years (n = 10 for heavy metals and trace elements and n = 6 for cortisol in 2021, n = 17 for both analyses in 2022), once before vertical transhumance and twice after that event. Hair was then analyzed for trace elements, heavy metals, and cortisol by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrophotometer (ICP-OES) and enzyme immunoassay (EIA), respectively. Data were analyzed by multilevel models. The results showed an increase in As content during alpine pasture (p < 0.01), probably reflecting the soil and water As contents of the grazing area, while Mg, Zn, and Al (p < 0.01) followed the opposite trend, decreasing in the second month after vertical transhumance. Hair cortisol concentrations increased during 2 months of alpine pasture (p < 0.001), indicating an increase in the activation of the HPA axis, in agreement with previous studies. Future investigations can consider a longer study period and the development of ad hoc animal welfare indicators.

A Community-Based Breeding Program as a Genetic Resource Management Strategy of Indonesian Ongole Cattle

It is essential to manage genetic resources, especially in local livestock breeds, to establish an equilibrium among livestock, humans, and the environment for sustainable development in conservation. Genetic resource management is necessary to overcome challenges to increasing productivity while ensuring environmental sustainability and climate resilience. Attempts to overcome these challenges have led to the threat of genetic erosion through uncontrolled crossbreeding, particularly threatening the hybrid vigor of indigenous breeds, such as Indonesian Ongole cattle. Considering community-based breeding as a viable management strategy for systematic livestock breeding, this study aimed to design a community-based breeding program for Indonesian Ongole cattle. The profile of socio-ecological community and genetic resources were studied using a purposive random sampling technique within an effective population size as a case study; both the respondents and the objects of the study were investigated. The study revealed that indigenous knowledge and livelihood-supported institutions are crucial to genetic resource management practices in cattle breeding. These factors are shown to be strategic priorities when designing community-based breeding programs. This approach to design empowers local cooperatives to operate a community-based breeding program for Indonesian Ongole cattle by standardizing an integrated system for selecting incentive initiatives using big data.

Enhancing Livestock Productivity in the Desert Ecologies of Pakistan: Setting the Development Priorities.

Livestock is now sharing by more than 53 percent of total agricultural value added in Pakistan. Identifying and developing the potential areas of livestock production is part of the overall development strategy for this sector while rural poverty alleviation is a major concern of Pakistan’s overall development policy. Our major livestock production systems are grazing, stall-fed and grazing-cum-stall-fed based. Grazing based livestock farming is economical and customary system in mountainous, rainfed, deserts and salinity affected areas. The livestock herders of desert areas deserve special attention of the policy-makers because of their most deprived living conditions as majority is living below poverty line by all poverty measuring standards. The present study is aimed to generate an updated synthesis based on empirical knowledge about status of livestock farming in desert ecologies of Pakistan. The results show that the average herd sizes maintained by the herders is fairly large to cover losses due to drought, disease and other epidemics. The human and physical capital endowments of the farmers are generally poor. Other common characteristics are: major dependence on natural vegetation with limited supply of fodder, more physical exertion of animals during grazing, poor animal health, practicing natural method of breeding, low milk and meat productivity, highly limited livestock and milk marketing opportunities, etc. The stall feeding is mainly composed of dry stalks and straws of different crops along with a small quantity of food grains. On marketing side, because of location and lack of infrastructure support, milk marketing opportunities are meager, therefore, it is converted into desi ghee—a value added and preserved form which is sold in nearby town markets. In marketing of live animals, the farmers are always exploited by beoparies. On average herd size, the net monthly income in Cholistan desert from cattle (for milk), sheep and goats farming (for meat purpose) was Rs 10128, Rs 990 and Rs 508, respectively; for Thal desert the corresponding estimates were Rs 457, Rs 359 and Rs 552, respectively; and for Tharparkar, the corresponding estimates are Rs 918, Rs 3221 and Rs 331, respectively. There is a strong need of prioritising development efforts for desert ecologies. High priority areas include efforts for increasing availability of rangeland vegetation and green fodder, improvement in the genetic potential of local livestock breeds, provision of more efficient livestock health coverage, and establishment of milk collection centres of milk processing plants. The low priority areas include designing regulatory framework for milk and livestock marketing, programs for human capacity building, facilitating through institutional credit, and different incentives for the veterinary staff posted in such areas. JEL classification: Q130, Q190, Q200 Keywords: Desert, Tharparkar, Thal, Cholistan, Livestock Farming, Livestock Feeding Patterns, Feed Composition, Livestock Trade Intensity, Priority Setting.

State of conservation of animal genetic resources in Slovakia

To effectively conserve animal genetic resources, countries need to periodically review their conservation efforts and reflect on actual problems and challenges. This study provides a review of animal genetic resources conservation activities, as well as the related existing legislative measures, strategies and funding in Slovakia. We present the development of endangered and supported breeds, discuss the impact of subsidies and the importance of awareness raising, and provide a SWOT analysis of the current animal genetic resources conservation framework in the country. In Slovakia, conservation is primarily based on animal breeding in natural conditions (in situ) without any limitations to breed improvement, and cryoconservation of animal genetic resources is in its initial phase. Most of the funding for conservation measures is provided by the Rural Development Programme. In general, the animal genetic resources system in Slovakia is open in terms of including new breeds eligible for support and this paper shows that the provided subsidies helped to stabilize most of the supported populations. Promoting the presence, characteristics and advantages of local breeds in times of intensive import of exotic breeds into the country is crucial to motivate breeders to prefer local livestock breeds. While the future challenge for the government is to improve conservation and facilitate related activities, research should address not only diversity, pedigree studies and cryoconservation, but also focus on the characterization of animal genetic resources for food security and climate change.

Agriculture and the Integration of British Colonial Migrants in Early Modern Ireland

Abstract This article offers a critical re-examination of Early Modern migrations to Ireland and their effect on farming practices, c.1580–1660. During and after the English conquest of Ireland, tens and eventually hundreds of thousands of settlers arrived from Britain. Focusing on Munster and to a lesser extent Ulster, I argue they were not greeted with an agricultural tabula rasa ripe for ‘improvement’. In contrast to what Tudor writers claimed, and what some scholars today have assumed, cereal cultivation and field enclosure already formed important elements in the agricultural landscape. Changes clearly took place, but English, Welsh and Scots settlers also made some remarkable adaptations by accepting local breeds of livestock and relying economically on forms of semi-mobile pastoralism that earlier writers had decried. Looking outside Ireland helps to evaluate their actions, since livestock mobility was widespread in contemporary European pastoralism, and if anything contributed to, rather than conflicted with, the commercialisation of farming.

Relevance of the production system for the sustainability of conservation and breeding programs for the Creole cattle in Pasorapa, Bolivia

Local livestock breeds play an important role in the food security of smallholders in developing countries in the Global South. They are also a reservoir of potentially valuable genes for adaptation of global animal genetic resources. The Creole cattle population from Pasorapa, Bolivia, is threatened by effects of climate change and unplanned crossbreeding. The aim of this study was to assess the current situation in this population and to evaluate factors to be considered before implementing conservation and genetic improvement programs in order to achieve the sustainable development goals 1, 2, 13 and 15, which refer to no poverty, zero hunger, climate change and life on land, respectively. We examined and analyzed the most important elements related to the production system and farmers’ perceptions that could affect the design of such programs. Open-ended and closed-ended questionnaires and interviews were performed with 81 smallholders from 11 communities in Pasorapa. A rearing system based on two stages and animals feeding mainly on native plants during both, involves a strong interaction between the environment and the production system. A survey of farmers’ perceptions about diseases, mortality causes, and selection criteria revealed that farmers in Pasorapa consider coat color an important trait when selecting breeding and replacement animals. Half of all interviewees perceived an association between coat color and traits such as temperament, milk yield, and beef production. In a SWOT analysis we discussed the vulnerability of the system to climate change impacts and the contribution of this traditional system to rural mitigation. Overall, this work revealed the importance of this local ecotype and identified key factors to consider when developing breeding and conservation programs.

Improving genetic quality of local livestock for achieving food security

Indonesia has local livestock breeds, both ruminant and non-ruminant. The existence and preservation of those animals is very important. The government, the concerned parties and farmers of community member are required to be responsible for maintaining the productivity of livestock. The quality genetic could be improved by applying breeding and selection. There are three efforts can be used to improve the livestock population and productivity, those are artificial insemination, embryo transfer, and separation technology of spermatozoa X and Y. The objective to be achieved is to help meet the need of food, especially animal protein, of the domestic community, in addition to the welfare of the community.

The landscapes of livestock diversity: grazing local breeds as a proxy for domesticated species adaptation to the environment

ContextDomesticated animals play a central role in agricultural landscapes. However, livestock has been scarcely studied from a spatial perspective. Mapping of livestock diversity has been limited by the lack of distribution and demography data. This shortfall limits both the reach of actions aimed to conserve threatened breeds and their consideration as a tool for improving sustainability in livestock landscapes.ObjectivesTo analyse environmental drivers of local grazing livestock breed—those autochthonous to a specific region—distributions and delineate livestock ecoregions, i.e. areas where certain groups of breeds exhibit similarly response to environmental factors in their distribution.MethodsWe used non-metric multidimensional scaling and hierarchical clustering to explore the distribution of the areas of origin of 119 local livestock breeds of the bovine, ovine, caprine, equine and asinine species. In addition, we performed randomisations and preference index to establish livestock ecoregions.ResultsOur results show contrasting spatial distributions of grazing local breeds across the studied species, explained by environmental factors. The distribution of cattle breeds is determined by the temperate influence of Atlantic Ocean, while sheep breeds are related to more continental climates, especially to those of the central Iberian plateau. Goat breeds are associated with limiting factors in the context of the Mediterranean climate, such as the seasonality of precipitation, and equine breeds are adapted to particular regions, reaching areas at the environmental extremes. The partitioning of the geographic and environmental space is reflected in the livestock ecoregions.ConclusionsLivestock intraspecific diversity has acted as an adaptive response of domesticated grazing animals to specific environmental conditions. Our delineation of livestock ecoregions could aid to move towards more sustainable agricultural and livestock landscapes and help in the conservation of agrobiodiversity.

Payments for Conservation of Animal Genetic Resources in Agriculture: One Size Fits All?

Simple SummaryMaintaining minimum population sizes for local livestock breeds is a key goal in the conservation of animal genetic resources. As markets and livestock production systems have tended to favour a narrow base of high-output improved breeds, countries have had to use financial and other incentives to motivate breeders to keep local breeds. This paper explores the potential for more cost-effective alternatives to the most commonly used financial incentive, a fixed payment per animal or livestock unit. We compare the current fixed payment incentives for local breeds under the Slovenian Rural Development Programmme with those instead determined through a competitive tender approach. A stated preference survey was realised to determine the conditions under which breeders would be willing to participate in such an incentive system based on differentiated payments. Willingness to accept (WTA) payment for conservation was found to differ significantly from actual payment levels, being lower for the local sheep and goat breeds, and higher for the local pig breed. This suggests that implementation of differentiated payments would be more cost-effective; particularly when accompanied by measures to streamline administrative requirements, improve access to breeding stock and target support for local breed market valorisation (e.g., promotion of value chains based on designated quality schemes).Local livestock breeds in Slovenia have been eligible for financial incentives in the form of a fixed payment per livestock unit (LU) since 2002. The scheme has however not been successful in reversing the erosion of animal genetic resources (AnGR). This paper investigates an alternative, whereby incentive payments would better reflect breeders’ actual opportunity costs. The paper contributes to the limited existing body of knowledge related to the use of tender mechanisms in the design of the payments for agrobiodiversity conservation schemes (PACS), particularly for AnGR. Empirical findings draw on the results of a stated preference survey involving 301 farmers in Slovenia, engaging, or being potentially able to engage, in the rearing of local pig, sheep and goat breeds. Interval and logistic regression model results suggest that willingness to accept (WTA) conservation support significantly differs from actual payment levels. The estimated WTA was found to be 27% lower for the local sheep and goat breeds and 5% higher for the local pig breed, suggesting that differentiated incentive payments would provide a more cost-effective alternative. Additional analysis of breeders’ preferences and motives for engaging in local livestock breed production further informs understanding regarding AnGR conservation policy and the importance of accompanying actions to reverse negative population trends. These include reducing administrative barriers and enhancing the market valorisation of local breeds.

Genome-wide analyses reveal population structure and identify candidate genes associated with tail fatness in local sheep from a semi-arid area

Under a climate change perspective, the genetic make-up of local livestock breeds showing adaptive traits should be explored and preserved as a priority. We used genotype data from the ovine 50 k Illumina BeadChip for assessing breed autozygosity based on runs of homozygosity (ROH) and fine-scale genetic structure and for detecting genomic regions under selection in 63 Tunisian sheep samples. The average genomic inbreeding coefficients based on ROH were estimated at 0.017, 0.021, and 0.024 for Barbarine (BAR, n = 26), Noire de Thibar (NDT, n = 23), and Queue fine de l'Ouest (QFO, n = 14) breeds, respectively. The genomic relationships among individuals based on identity by state (IBS) distance matrix highlighted a recent introgression of QFO into the BAR and a genetic differentiation of NDT samples, possibly explained by past introgression of European gene pools. Genome-wide scan for ROH across breeds and within the BAR sample set identified an outstanding signal on chromosome 13 (46.58–49.61 Mbp). These results were confirmed using FST index, differentiating fat vs. thin-tailed individuals. Candidate genes under selection pressure (CDS2, PROKR1, and BMP2) were associated to lipid storage and probably preferentially selected in fat-tailed BAR animals. Our findings suggest paying more attention to preserve the genetic integrity and adaptive alleles of local sheep breeds.

Learning Resilience in Local Livestock Breeds from COVID-19 Pandemic

In situ conservation of local breeds requires populations in economically sustainable and resilient production systems. In those countries where the market recognizes the quality of the products of local breeds, the traditional relationship between local breeds and products can be used to improve breed profitability. We analyze sales data from year 2020 of five dairy products associated with endangered local breeds farmed in northern Italy, in order to understand the potential resilience of these production systems, in terms of ability to persist and to adapt to disturbances associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. All breed-cheese systems showed good capacity to persist during the COVID-19 pandemic, with four systems even increasing sales with respect to the period 2017–2019. Three breed-cheese systems showed rapid adaptation to the new conditions by modifying sales channels, including the introduction of e-commerce.

The maintenance of genetic diversity in a local cattle breed through optimal contribution selection

The maintenance of genetic diversity in a local cattle breed through optimal contribution selection

353 ASAS-EAAP Talk: Low-coverage whole-genome sequencing in local livestock breeds

Abstract Current European regulations for autochthonous livestock breeds put a special emphasis on pedigree completeness, which requires laboratory paternity testing by genetic markers in most cases. This entails significant economic expenditure for breed societies and precludes other investments in breeding programs, such as genomic evaluation. Within this context, we developed paternity testing through low-coverage whole-genome data in order to reuse these data for genomic evaluation at no cost. Simulations relied on diploid genomes composed by 30 chromosomes (100 cM each) with 3,000,000 SNP per chromosome. Each population evolved during 1,000 non-overlapping generations with effective size 100, mutation rate 10–4, and recombination by Kosambi’s function. Only those populations with 1,000,000 ± 10% polymorphic SNP per chromosome in generation 1,000 were retained for further analyses, and expanded to the required number of parents and offspring. Individuals were sequenced at 0.01, 0.05, 0.1, 0.5 and 1X depth, with 100, 500, 1,000 or 10,000 base-pair reads and by assuming a random sequencing error rate per SNP between 10–2 and 10–5. Assuming known allele frequencies in the population and sequencing error rate, 0.05X depth sufficed to corroborate the true father (85,0%) and to discard other candidates (96,3%). Those percentages increased up to 99,6% and 99,9% with 0,1X depth, respectively (read length = 10,000 bp; smaller read lengths slightly improved the results because they increase the number of sequenced SNP). Results were highly sensitive to biases in allele frequencies and robust to inaccuracies regarding sequencing error rate. Low-coverage whole-genome sequencing data could be subsequently integrated into genomic BLUP equations by appropriately constructing the genomic relationship matrix. This approach increased the correlation between simulated and predicted breeding values by 1.21% (h2 = 0.25; 100 parents and 900 offspring; 0.1X depth by 10,000 bp reads). Although small, this increase opens the door to genomic evaluation in local livestock breeds.

Studies on Comparative Hematological and Biochemical Changes in Yankasa Sheep Experimentally Infected with Trypanosoma vivax and Trypanosoma congolense Field Isolates of Nigerian Origin

Background: African Animal Trypanosomosis is one of the key hindrances to full livestock development in most parts of sub-Saharan Africa, despite years of efforts to eradicate the disease. It is an important parasitic disease of human and animals. Control of the disease relies majorly on chemotherapy of one of the three trypanocidal drugs. The severity of haematological indices depends on parasite species, host involved and nutrition. Hence, there is need to assess the pathogenicity and compare their effects on some of our local breeds of livestock.&#x0D; Methodology: Field isolates Trypanosoma vivax and Trypanosoma congolense of Nigerian origin were used. Thirty sheep were acquired and preconditioned for two weeks in arthropod- proofed pens before the commencement of the experiment. The sheep were divided into five groups (A- T. vivax infected-treated, B- T. vivax infected-untreated, C- No infection, no treatment, E- T. congolense infected-treated and F- T. congolense infected-untreated. Packed Cell Volume, serum protein, WBC, DLC were monitored weekly for 8 weeks.&#x0D; Results: There was gradual decreased in PCV of all the infected animals which was an indication of anaemia but more severe in T. vivax groups. Also decreased in plasma protein that was more pronounced and prolonged in T. vivax than the T. congolense groups, this was similar with WBC. Neutrophils had initial increased in all the groups before dropping and low value of monocyte at the early period of infections which later disappeared. There was no basophil seen in all the T.vivax groups but few were observed in T. congolense groups. &#x0D; Conclusion: Anaemia is a general feature of most parasitic infections especially in trypanosomosis. Trypanosoma vivax used in this study is more pathogenic than the T. congolense, hence may have more negative effects in sheep production in author’s environment.

The complete mitochondrial DNA sequence of Yimeng black goat (Capra hircus) and its potential application in mutton discrimination

Yimeng black goat is one of the national breeds of geographical indication in China and is one of the key protected local livestock and poultry breeds of Shandong province. The complete mitochondrial genome sequence of Yimeng black goat was investigated in this study (GenBank accession no. MT134111). The mitogenome (16,640 bp) consisted of a non-coding control region (D-loop region), two ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), and 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes. The complete mitochondrial genome sequence and the neighbour-joining tree of the Yimeng black goat would contribute to further study in genetic mechanism and phylogenomic research of goats.

Molecular Identification of the "Facciuta Della Valnerina" Local Goat Population Reared in the Umbria Region, Italy.

Simple SummaryThe Facciuta goat originated from Valnerina, a geographic area in central Italy, including the adjacent parts of four regions: Umbria, Marche, Lazio, and Abruzzo. The aim of this study was to assess how useful microsatellite molecular markers are for the genetic discrimination of the local goat, Facciuta della Valnerina, compared with the two cosmopolitan breeds, Saanen and Camosciata delle Alpi, reared in the same geographic area. The results revealed a very clear separation between the local population (Facciuta della Valnerina) and the two reference goat breeds (Saanen and Camosciata delle Alpi). Furthermore, reducing the number of markers from 16 to 12 still allowed us to distinguish the local population, indicating that microsatellite markers are an inexpensive method to discriminate local livestock breeds. This could be a fast and inexpensive genomic tool to trace goat products and distinguish their origin.Italy holds important genetic resources of small ruminant breeds. By distinguishing goat breeds at the DNA level, certification of products from specific breeds can be valorized. The aim of this study was to establish the genetic identity of Facciuta della Valnerina, a local goat population of Italy, compared with the cosmopolitan breeds, Saanen and Camosciata delle Alpi, reared in the same geographic area. A total of 116 microsatellite alleles ranging from 4 to 13 were detected at 16 loci in the three goat populations/breeds. A total of 23 private alleles with frequencies lower than 0.3 were detected in the Facciuta della Valnerina population. The mean numbers of alleles were 6.67, 4.58, and 4.92 in Facciuta della Valnerina, Camosciata delle Alpi, and Saanen, respectively. The expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.20 to 0.86. Most loci were highly polymorphic and informative (polymorphic information content ≥0.50). Factorial correspondence analysis and principal components analysis revealed very clear separation between Facciuta della Valnerina and the two reference goat breeds. Reducing the number of markers from 16 to 12 (on the basis of polymorphic information content and the number of alleles) still allowed us to distinguish the local population, indicating that microsatellite markers are capable of discriminating local livestock breeds at a low cost.