Preliminary association analysis of microsatellites and Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis infection in the native Garfagnina goats

Abstract

Paratuberculosis disease occurs with high frequency in many places of the world and it is a chronic infection of ruminants, caused by Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP). The objective of this study was to investigate the association between MAP-resistant or MAP-susceptible goats and short tandem repeats (STR) markers. Blood samples were collected from 48 adult goats (27 positive and 21 negative) of the Italian native Garfagnina goat breed from a single flock that had experienced annual mortalities due to MAP infection. Diagnosis was achieved by serological tests and by postmortem examination of affected animals. To investigate possible genetic influences on susceptibility or resistance of goats to MAP disease, 12 STR markers were used. For each marker, allele and genotypes frequencies between MAP-positive and MAP-negative groups of animals were compared using the chisquare test and Fisher's exact tests. In this study, two microsatellite loci SRCRSP05 and ETH10 were associated with the disease playing an interesting role in the susceptibility or resistance to the disease. Although the present study should be considered preliminary, our results reveal for the first time that two microsatellite loci were associated with the development of lesions due to MAP in the Garfagnina goat breed.

Keep Garfagnina alive. An integrated study on patterns of homozygosity, genomic inbreeding, admixture and breed traceability of the Italian Garfagnina goat breed

“…To support the management and conservation of this breed, and to provide support to the farmers and to the general region where the breed is reared, a few studies have investigated i) various production characteristics [ 7 , 8 ], ii) its adaptive profile (via physiological, haematological, biochemical and hormonal parameters) [ 9 ] and iii) its resistance to diseases [ 10 , 11 ]. Martini et al [ 7 ] investigated various zootechnical characteristics of GRF breed in comparison to other Italian and foreign goat breeds.…”

Circulation of small ruminant lentivirus in endangered goat and sheep breeds of Southern Italy

“…A number of initiatives (Oengene project https://www.oengene.at/ , GEH https://www.g-e-h.de/ , ELBARN http://www.elbarn.net/elbarn/ , RARE https://www.associazionerare.it/ , and SAVE Home (en) - Save Foundation ( save-foundation.net )) and studies [ 1 , 34 ] have been dedicated to the conservation of endangered animal breeds in Europe, and FAO has issued a specific documentation (In situ conservation of livestock and poultry ( fao.org )). Different aspects related to the conservation of these domestic breeds have been discussed; however, to the best of our knowledge, the role of infectious diseases as risk factors has generally been considered only for endangered wild species [ [35] , [36] , [37] , [38] , [39] , [40] ], and very few reports have specifically addressed the presence and role of endemic infectious illnesses in endangered domestic small ruminant breeds [ [41] , [42] , [43] ]. Although infectious diseases are not generally considered a primary factor causing the endangerment or extinction of wild species, it has recently been highlighted that infectious diseases can cause significant population declines in wild animal species, increasing population fragmentation, and reducing genetic variability (gene flow) [ 36 , 40 ].…”

Keep Garfagnina alive. An integrated study on patterns of homozygosity, genomic inbreeding, admixture and breed traceability of the Italian Garfagnina goat breed

“…To support the management and conservation of the breed, and to provide support to the farmers and to the general region where the breed is reared (hills and mountains of the northwestern Tuscan Apennine area - central Italy), a few studies investigated various production characteristics [4,7], the adaptive profile (through physiological, haematological, biochemical and hormonal parameters) [8] and resistance to diseases [9,10] of GRF. Martini et al [4] investigated various zootechnical characteristics of the GRF breed in comparison to other Italian and foreign goat breeds.…”