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Potentials of using milk performance data and FAMACHA score as indicators for Targeted Selective Treatment in Lacaune dairy sheep in Switzerland.

ABSTRACT: Targeted Selective Treatment (TST) is one approach to slow down the development of anthelmintic resistance. Its success is closely linked to the correct identification of animals in need of treatment. In dairy goats it has been proposed to use milk yield as TST indicator and to focus treatments on high yielding dairy goats. In dairy sheep the relationship between milk performance and infection with gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) is not well known. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between milk yield and GIN infection in dairy sheep and based on this, to evaluate milk performance data as a potential TST indicator. Overall 1159 Lacaune ewes of 15 dairy sheep farms in Switzerland were included in the study. The ewes were phenotyped once between August and December 2019, when they were at least 70 days in milk (DIM). Individual faecal samples were taken from every ewe to determine the nematode egg concentration per gram faeces (EPG). In addition, the clinical parameters FAMACHA score and packed cell volume (PCV) were measured. Linear mixed models were used to analyse the effects of the collected parameters on EPG. EPG increased significantly with increasing test day milk yields (P = 0.002), indicating high yielding ewes to be less resistant to GIN infections than low yielding ewes. The effect was most pronounced in earlier lactation but remained within a moderate range. Overall, our results indicated the potential of using milk yield data of rather early lactation as TST indicator in dairy sheep. On farms with predominantly H. contortus the combination with FAMACHA might improve the correct identification of highly infected ewes, as FAMACHA was correlated with EPG (r = 0.37, P < 0.001).

SUBMITTER: Schwarz K

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7494794 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Potentials of using milk performance data and FAMACHA score as indicators for Targeted Selective Treatment in Lacaune dairy sheep in Switzerland.

Schwarz Katharina K Bapst Beat B Holinger Mirjam M Thüer Susann S Schleip Inga I Werne Steffen S

Veterinary parasitology: X 20200902

Targeted Selective Treatment (TST) is one approach to slow down the development of anthelmintic resistance. Its success is closely linked to the correct identification of animals in need of treatment. In dairy goats it has been proposed to use milk yield as TST indicator and to focus treatments on high yielding dairy goats. In dairy sheep the relationship between milk performance and infection with gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) is not well known. The aim of this study was to investigate the r ...[more]

PMID: 32984809

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Project description:BackgroundHomozygous recessive deleterious mutations can cause embryo/fetal or neonatal lethality, or genetic defects that affect female fertility and animal welfare. In livestock populations under selection, the frequency of such lethal mutations may increase due to inbreeding, genetic drift, and/or the positive pleiotropic effects of heterozygous carriers on selected traits.ResultsBy scanning the genome of 19,102 Lacaune sheep using 50 k single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) phased genotypes and pedigree data, we identified 11 Lacaune deficient homozygous haplotypes (LDHH1 to LDHH11) showing a highly significant deficit of homozygous animals ranging from 79 to 100%. These haplotypes located on chromosomes 3, 4, 13, 17 and 18, spanned regions from 1.2 to 3.0 Mb long with a frequency of heterozygous carriers between 3.7 and 12.1%. When we compared at-risk matings (between carrier rams and daughters of carrier rams) and safe matings, seven of the 11 haplotypes were associated with a significant alteration of two fertility traits, a reduced success of artificial insemination (LDHH1, 2, 8 and 9), and/or an increased stillbirth rate (LDHH3, 6, 8, 9, and 10). The 11 haplotypes were also tested for a putative selective advantage of heterozygous carrier rams based on their daughter yield deviation for six dairy traits (milk, fat and protein yields, fat and protein contents and lactation somatic cell score). LDHH1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9 and 11 were associated with positive effects on at least one selected dairy trait, in particular milk yield. For each haplotype, the most probable candidate genes were identified based on their roles in lethality of mouse knock-out models and in mammalian genetic disorders.ConclusionsBased on a reverse genetic strategy, we identified at least 11 haplotypes with homozygous deficiency segregating in French Lacaune dairy sheep. This strategy represents a first tool to limit at-risk matings in the Lacaune dairy selection scheme. We assume that most of the identified LDHH are in strong linkage disequilibrium with a recessive lethal mutation that affects embryonic or juvenile survival in sheep but is yet to be identified.

Dataset Information

Potentials of using milk performance data and FAMACHA score as indicators for Targeted Selective Treatment in Lacaune dairy sheep in Switzerland.

Publications

Potentials of using milk performance data and FAMACHA score as indicators for Targeted Selective Treatment in Lacaune dairy sheep in Switzerland.

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