Improving Food Security in Africa By Enhancing Resistance to Newcastle Disease and Heat Stress in Chickens: Genomics to Improve Poultry

Homestead and small-scale poultry production has tremendous potential for alleviation of malnutrition and poverty in climate-stressed rural communities in Africa. Poor animal health and husbandry practices limit village poultry production throughout Africa. Newcastle disease (ND) is the number one constraint of raising poultry in Africa, causing mortality as high as 80% among village chicken flocks. The objective of this USAID-supported research program is to sustainably enhance innate resistance to ND and heat stress in local ecotypes of African chickens to improve production by small farmers and households in Africa. Applying advanced genetics and genomics will be used to achieve this goal.  In the first phase, three chicken populations (two unique inbred lines and one commercial layer widely used in Africa) were challenged in the US with lentogenic ND virus strain or both NDV and heat. ND virus load in tears, NDV antibody response in serum, and blood parameters to assess physiological response to heat stress were measured. RNA-seq analysis from tissues collected in inbred lines will be used to identify genes and signal pathways associated with genetic resistance to NDV infection and heat stress. Six chicken ecotypes (three each from Tanzania and Ghana) have been collected and will be challenged with NDV. The chicken 600K SNP chip will be used to identify SNPs or regions associated with resistance to NDV infection and heat stress. The expected results will help achieve the goals of the USAID Feed the Future Program (reduce hunger and strengthen food security).