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Genetic locus linked to tolerance to East Coast fever

Researchers from the Centre for Tropical Livestock Genetics and Health (CTLGH), Roslin Institute, the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and the University of Glasgow sought to understand whether regions of the cattle genome might predict the likelihood that an animal can survive East Coast fever, a disease caused by the parasite Theileria parva, transmitted by […]

Cattle herds tracked to determine risk of disease spread in East Africa

Scientists teamed with farmers from rural areas of Tanzania to track herds of cattle using satellite Global Positioning System (GPS) devices, to better understand how diseases can pass from one herd to another. The results of the study – led by the University of Glasgow and published in Scientific Reports – suggest that targeted interventions […]

Potential for genetic control of bovine tuberculosis in Africa

Research suggests that it is likely that a group of genes act together to confer resistance to bovine tuberculosis (bTB). The findings, published in Frontiers in Genetics, will support future research, which could help farmers in Africa select and breed cattle that are more likely to be resistant to this disease in the future. The […]

Markers for key health and productivity traits identified in Ethiopian chickens

A study by the Royal Veterinary College (RVC), University of Liverpool, the University of Edinburgh’s Roslin Institute and partners of the Centre of Tropical Livestock Genetics and Health (CTLGH), has found that birds from two distinct indigenous chicken populations (ecotypes) in Ethiopia share several genetic regions linked to important productivity and disease resistance traits. This […]

Genome study will be used to breed more productive and resilient African cattle

Scientists have discovered a set of detailed genetic markers in African cattle that are associated with valuable traits such as heat and drought-tolerance, the capacity to control inflammation and tick infestations, and resistance to trypanosomiasis. The findings, published in Nature Genetics, emerged from a collaborative effort to sequence the genomes of 172 indigenous cattle by […]

Database of infectious cattle diseases in East Africa

A database of East African cattle health has been developed over three years by an international team of researchers led by the Roslin Institute. The Infectious Diseases of East African Livestock (IDEAL) database, developed from a study of more than 500 East African calves, gives users free access to extensive data on genetics and physical […]

Efforts to control PPRV should focus on herd management style, not age

A study in Tanzania explored the rate of Peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) infection across ages and livestock management styles of sheep and goats, as well as in cattle, which do not express symptoms but can be infected by the virus. The study, published in the journal Viruses, provides insight into how to target […]

African buffalo provide insights into the genetics of tuberculosis resistance

Morris Animal Foundation-funded researchers at Oregon State University discovered areas in the African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) genome linked to risk for tuberculosis (TB) infection. The researchers discovered areas of genetic code variation near genes associated with immunity to bacterial infections and demonstrated that these variations correlated with TB resistance. The team published their findings in […]

PPR risk associated with herd management system in Tanzania

A study published in Epidemiology and Infection provides an updated picture of the prevalence of Peste-des-petits-ruminants virus (PPRV) in northern Tanzania. According to the research team, livestock managed in a system where they are the sole source of an owners’ livelihood are more likely to become infected with PPRV than livestock managed in a system […]

Antimicrobial resistance at the wildlife-livestock-human interface in Nairobi

In a paper published in The Lancet Planetary Health, scientists from the University of Liverpool and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) show that urban wildlife in Nairobi carry a high burden of clinically relevant antimicrobial resistant (AMR) bacteria, resistant to recently developed drugs that the World Health Organisation deems critically important to human medicine. […]