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Title: Viral diseases in pigs

Author
item Lunney, Joan

Submitted to: Breeding for Disease Resistance
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/29/2010
Publication Date: 6/1/2010
Citation: Lunney, J.K. 2010. Viral diseases in pigs. In: Axford, R, Owen, J, Nicholas, F, Bishop, S. editors. Breeding for Disease Resistance. 3rd edition. Oxfordshire, UK: CABI Publishing. p. 141-165

Interpretive Summary: For the 3rd edition of the text "Breeding for Disease Resistance" the editors decided that there should be a new chapter on "Viral diseases in pigs." They noted that there has been substantial progress in genomic approaches for disease control and that new work in the US and UK highlights the opportunities for real progress in detecting genetic control of swine anti-viral disease responses. This chapter summarizes the underpinning scientific developments for swine genomics and applications for viral disease control and the practical applications of those developments. .

Technical Abstract: Genomic approaches have expanded our understanding of genes and gene pathways, and quantitative trait loci (QTL), controlling traits of economic importance in pig production, recently including health traits and disease resistance. Efforts are underway to use novel tools including pig gene arrays, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) chips, whole genome association studies (WGAS) and advanced bioinformatics to find new candidate genes and biological pathways associated with host resistance, viral disease processes and mechanisms, and biomarkers that account for control of responses to viral pathogens and vaccine efficacy in targeted pig populations. This chapter will focus on the advances made on using genomic approaches to define swine resistance to viral pathogens, particularly for the most economically important viruses, porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) and porcine circovirus (PCV2). These studies will have substantial impact for the pig industry. They now can include the use of biomarkers for basic health traits to their broader set of markers utilized for selection of pigs with improved performance and reproductive traits and pork quality.