Association of Porcine GBP1 and GBP2 Polymorphisms with Resistance to Infectious Diseases

One of the major problems in modern pig industry is infectious disease. Susceptibility to infectious diseases is influenced by both constitutional (e.g. genotype, age, gender and reproductive status) and environmental factors (e.g. nutrition, management, infections, and other forms of stress). Genetic variation within individual animals or herds can cause differences in the execution of immune functions against infectious agents in the domestic pigs. The objective of present study was to identify genetic factor(s) responsible for piglet survival and mortality under commercial field condition with infectious diseases, such as porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) and porcine circocvirus associated disease (PCVAD).  Polymorphisms of guanylate-binding proteins (GBPs) genes have been evaluated for associations with pig mortality rate and immune capacity traits such as immunoglobulin and lymphocyte contents in an experimental pig family under PRRS and PCVAD outbreak. Experimental PRRSV infections to commercial herds under controlled nutrition and environment conditions were also performed to accurately collect disease–related impacts like virus load and growth measurements with GBPs polymorphisms. The results demonstrated that polymorphisms within GBP 1 and 2 genes are associated with susceptibility to PRRS infection and will be useful markers to improve disease resistance or tolerance in pig breeding programs