Genetics of scrapie susceptibility in females of tsigai breed

Abstract

In this study we examined the prevalence of scrapie resistant and susceptible haplotypes and genotypes in Hungarian Tsigai sheep. The reason for the study is to examine the frequencies of the different genotypes, and to find out if there is some improvement in the prevalence of susceptible compared to resistant genotypes through the years. We also put weight on the female population, since the breeding programmes focus most on the rams not the ewes. The results also show if it is possible to breed for the most resistant genotypes, without depleting the total genetic pool of the Tsigai.