Detection of a quantitative trait locus associated with resistance to infection with Trichuris suis in pigs

•We performed a whole-genome scan on 195 pigs infected with Trichuris suis.•We identified a putative quantitative trait locus (QTL) for faecal egg counts.•The QTL was validated in unrelated pigs exposed to T. suis infections. Whipworms (Trichuris spp.) infect a variety of hosts, including domestic a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Veterinary parasitology 2015-06, Vol.210 (3-4), p.264-269
Main Authors: Skallerup, P., Thamsborg, S.M., Jørgensen, C.B., Mejer, H., Göring, H.H.H., Archibald, A.L., Fredholm, M., Nejsum, P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Disease Resistance - genetics
Feces - parasitology
Female
Genetic Markers - genetics
Genome - genetics
Genotype
Host genetics
Male
Parasite Egg Count - veterinary
Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide - genetics
QTL
Quantitative Trait Loci - genetics
Single nucleotide polymorphism
Swine
Swine Diseases - immunology
Swine Diseases - parasitology
Trichuriasis - immunology
Trichuriasis - parasitology
Trichuriasis - veterinary
Trichuris - isolation & purification
Trichuris suis
Whole-genome scan
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Summary:•We performed a whole-genome scan on 195 pigs infected with Trichuris suis.•We identified a putative quantitative trait locus (QTL) for faecal egg counts.•The QTL was validated in unrelated pigs exposed to T. suis infections. Whipworms (Trichuris spp.) infect a variety of hosts, including domestic animals and humans. Of considerable interest is the porcine whipworm, T. suis, which is particularly prevalent in outdoor production systems. High infection levels may cause growth retardation, anaemia and haemorrhagic diarrhoea. A significant proportion of the variation in Trichuris faecal egg count (FEC) has been attributed to the host's genetic make-up. The aim of the present study was to identify genetic loci associated with resistance to T. suis in pigs. We used single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers to perform a whole-genome scan of an F1 resource population (n=195) trickle-infected with T. suis. A measured genotype analysis revealed a putative quantitative trait locus (QTL) for T. suis FEC on chromosome 13 covering ∼4.5Mbp, although none of the SNPs reached genome-wide significance. We tested the hypothesis that this region of SSC13 harboured genes with effects on T. suis burden by genotyping three SNPs within the putative QTL in unrelated pigs exposed to either experimental or natural T. suis infections and from which we had FEC (n=113) or worm counts (n=178). In these studies, two of the SNPs (rs55618716, ST) were associated with FEC (P
ISSN:0304-4017
1873-2550
DOI:10.1016/j.vetpar.2015.03.014