Phenotypic and genetic variation in the response of chickens to Eimeria tenella induced coccidiosis

• DOI: 10.1186/s12711-018-0433-7
• Publication Date: 2018-11-21T08:01:11Z
• Authors: Kay Boulton; Matthew J. Nolan; Zhiguang Wu; Androniki Psifidi; Valentina Riggio; Kimberley Harman; Stephen C. Bishop; Pete Kaiser; Mitchell S. Abrah...; Rachel Hawken; Kellie A. Watson; Fiona M. Tomley; Damer P. Blake; David A. Hume
• Keywords: CLs upper limits; Eimeria maxima; Genetic correlation

Coccidiosis is a major contributor to losses in poultry production. With emerging constraints on the use of in-feed prophylactic anticoccidial drugs and relatively high costs effective vaccines, there are commercial incentives breed chickens with greater resistance this important production disease. To identify phenotypic biomarkers that associated impacts coccidiosis, assess their covariance heritability, 942 Cobb500 broilers were subjected defined challenge Eimeria tenella (Houghton). Three traits measured: weight gain (WG) during period infection, caecal lesion score (CLS) post mortem, level serum biomarker intestinal inflammation, i.e. circulating interleukin 10 (IL-10), measured at height infection. Phenotypic analysis challenged chicken cohort revealed significant positive correlation between CLS IL-10, negative correlations both these WG. Eigenanalysis covariances three distinct eigenvectors. Trait weightings first eigenvector, (EV1, eigenvalue = 59%), biologically interpreted as representing response birds susceptible low WG, IL-10. Similarly, second eigenvector represented infection resilience/resistance (EV2, 22%; IL-10), third tolerance (EV3, 19%; respectively. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) identified two SNPs WG suggestive level. separated impact E. inflammation/pathology, IL-10 into eigenvectors, indicating susceptibility-resistance axis not single continuous quantitative trait. The by GWAS for body located close proximity genes involved innate immunity (FAM96B RRAD).