Herd health is a constant worry for pork producers, especially with increasing restrictions on the use of antibiotics and other preventative treatments. Recent improvements in biosecurity practices can help, of course, but breeding for disease resilience offers a vital, complementary approach.
“Genetic improvement can be an important component in a comprehensive strategy to combat the impacts of disease,” says Jack C. M. Dekkers, Ph.D., a C.F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor in the Department of Animal Science at Iowa State University. “How pigs respond to disease has a substantial genetic component and can, thus, be selected for. While resistance to some diseases is determined by a single gene, resistance to most diseases is controlled by many genes and is not complete.”
Measuring Resilience
In his upcoming talk at United Pork Americas in Orlando, Fla. (Sept. 7-9, 2022), Dekkers will discuss how and why genetics can play a critical role in lessening the impact of disease on pork production. “An understanding of the genetic basis of resistance and resilience of disease will help producers determine the best sources of genetics for their operations,” Dekkers says.
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