A high-density genome-wide approach reveals novel genetic markers linked to small ruminant lentivirus susceptibility in sheep.

Visna/Maedi virus (VMV) is lentiviral disease of sheep responsible for severe production losses. Multiple genomic regions associated with infection were reported indicating genetic complexity. In this study, a combined genome-wide approach using a high-density SNP array has been performed, comparing VMV-infected ( = 78) and non-infected ( = 66) individuals of the Valle del Belice breed.

Analysis of ddRAD-seq data provides new insights into the genomic structure and patterns of diversity in Italian donkey populations.

With more than 150 recognized breeds, donkeys assume relevant economic importance, especially in developing countries. Even if the estimated number of heads worldwide is 53M, this species received less attention than other livestock species. Italy has traditionally been considered one of the cradles of European donkey breeding, and despite a considerable loss of biodiversity, today still counts nine autochthonous populations.

Characterization of heterozygosity-rich regions in Italian and worldwide goat breeds.

Heterozygosity-rich regions (HRR) are genomic regions of high heterozygosity, which may harbor loci related to key functional traits such as immune response, survival rate, fertility, and other fitness traits. This study considered 30 Italian and 19 worldwide goat breeds genotyped with the Illumina GoatSNP50k BeadChip. The aim of the work was to study inter-breed relationships and HRR patterns using Sliding Window (SW) and Consecutive Runs (CR) detection methods.

A First Investigation into the Use of Differential Somatic Cell Count as a Predictor of Udder Health in Sheep.

Differential somatic cell count (DSCC), the percentage of somatic cell count (SCC) due to polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) and lymphocytes (LYMs), is a promising effective diagnostic marker for dairy animals with infected mammary glands. Well-explored in dairy cows, DSCC is also potentially valid in sheep, where clinical and subclinical mastitis outbreaks are among the principal causes of culling. We pioneered the application of DSCC in dairy ewes by applying receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis to define the most accurate thresholds to facilitate early discrimination of sheep with potential intramammary infection (IMI) from healthy animals.