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Influence of genetics and inbreeding on disease
Author(s) -
Woolliams John
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
in practice
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.211
H-Index - 25
eISSN - 2042-7689
pISSN - 0263-841X
DOI - 10.1136/inp.e2382
Subject(s) - inbreeding , mendelian inheritance , biology , disease , genetics , genetic epidemiology , locus (genetics) , inbreeding depression , evolutionary biology , human genetics , medicine , population , demography , gene , pathology , sociology
Genetic influences on disease are far more common in epidemiology than those expressed through the phenomenon of inbreeding. However, it is useful to explore the associations between inbreeding and the occurrence of disease before considering the wider role of genetics, as the influence of inbreeding is most overtly seen in simple Mendelian diseases. In such cases, a single locus is responsible for disease manifestation, while in more complex diseases, genetic influences are commonly associated with a number of loci. While this article examines the role of genetics in cattle diseases, with a particular emphasis on inbreeding, all the principles discussed can be extended directly to other livestock, horses and companion animals.