Genetic parameters and genomic breeding values for digital dermatitis in Holstein Friesian dairy cattle: host susceptibility, infectivity and the basic reproduction ratio.

ABSTRACT:

Background

For infectious diseases, the probability that an animal gets infected depends on its own susceptibility, and on the number of infectious herd mates and their infectivity. Together with the duration of the infectious period, susceptibility and infectivity determine the basic reproduction ratio of the disease ([Formula: see text]). [Formula: see text] is the average number of secondary cases caused by a typical infectious individual in an otherwise uninfected population. An infectious disease dies out when [Formula: see text] is lower than 1. Thus, breeding strategies that aim at reducing disease prevalence should focus on reducing [Formula: see text], preferably to a value lower than 1. In animal breeding, however, [Formula: see text] has received little attention. Here,

SUBMITTER: Biemans F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6865030 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature