#Genetic #selection #targeted #manner #tackling #infectious #diseases
The ability of genetic selection to reduce the impact of infectious diseases in livestock farming is much greater than previously thought. This is stated by researcher Dries Hulst, who hopes to receive his PhD from Wageningen University on Friday, March 1. In his dissertation he determines that breeders miss a significant part of the hereditary variation by ignoring the transmission of infections.
The health and welfare of farm animals is continuously endangered by infectious diseases. Genetic selection of animals for higher resistance to infections is also seen as an interesting intervention. However, the current way in breeding to select animals for higher resistance to infections focuses entirely on the individual animal. According to Hulst, insufficient attention is paid to the fact that infectious diseases are transmitted from animal to animal.
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