Selection for scrapie resistance in France : is there evidence of negative effects on production and health traits ?
Résumé
Abstract: Association analyses performed on French sheep breeds were presented and discussed. A QTL approach using PRNP gene as a marker was also discussed. In association analyses, seven breeds (4 meat and 3 dairy breeds) and several traits: birth weight, growth rate, ultrasonic fat and muscle depth, carcass quality, fertility, litter size, ovulation rate, resistance to Salmonella, wool characteristics, and milk yield and contents, were studied. The QTL analyses included animals of the INRA 401 breed (30 rams, 852 ewes, 1310 lambs) measured for Salmonella resistance, wool and carcass traits. No associations were detected at the population level. A QTL on a wool trait was found to be linked to the PRNP gene (25 cM).