Prevalence and tick loads in Nguni cattle reared in different environmental conditions across four provinces of South Africa.

Background And Aim: In tropical and subtropical countries, ixodid ticks are among livestock's most economically important ectoparasites. Although Nguni cattle from South Africa have adapted to harsh environments, it is unknown whether they will be resistant to ticks, and the diseases carried by ticks under various climatic conditions. Therefore, this study aimed to compare tick load and estimate the prevalence of different tick species among Nguni cattle under different environmental conditions.

Suitability of GWAS as a Tool to Discover SNPs Associated with Tick Resistance in Cattle: A Review.

Understanding the biological mechanisms underlying tick resistance in cattle holds the potential to facilitate genetic improvement through selective breeding. Genome wide association studies (GWAS) are popular in research on unraveling genetic determinants underlying complex traits such as tick resistance. To date, various studies have been published on single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with tick resistance in cattle.

Multiple Country and Breed Genomic Prediction of Tick Resistance in Beef Cattle.

Ticks cause substantial production losses for beef and dairy cattle. Cattle resistance to ticks is one of the most important factors affecting tick control, but largely neglected due to the challenge of phenotyping. In this study, we evaluate the pooling of tick resistance phenotyped reference populations from multi-country beef cattle breeds to assess the possibility of improving host resistance through multi-trait genomic selection.

Evaluation of the International Society for Animal Genetics bovine single nucleotide polymorphism parentage panel in South African Bonsmara and Drakensberger cattle.

A panel of 200 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been recommended by the International Society for Animal Genetics (ISAG) for use in parentage verification of cattle. While the SNPs included on the ISAG panel are segregating in European Bos taurus and Bos indicus breeds, their applicability in South African (SA) Sanga cattle has never been evaluated. This study, therefore, assessed the usefulness of the ISAG panel in SA Bonsmara (BON) and Drakensberger (DRB) cattle.