Genomic and health characteristics of crossbred dairy cattle in central Uganda
Findings from this study show a strong influence of exotic breeds (e.g., Holstein) in Ugandan crossbred cattle, leading to lower inbreeding and observed homozygosity than those observed for indigenous breeds. Exploratory analyses of available disease records provided evidence of a strong survivor bias, likely linked to higher mortality rates from diseases such as East Coast fever. These results show the importance of investigating the genetic composition of farm animals, in order to develop informed and sustainable breeding strategies in African dairy cattle systems.
Authors
- Valentina Riggio (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0461-2939)
- Adrian Muwonge (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8579-0384)
- Robert Mukiibi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7586-9593)
- Mark Bronsvoort (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3271-8485)
- Enrique Sánchez-Molano (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2734-8560)
- Kirungi Katali Benda (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8752-9630)
- Joel Ogwang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8776-3374)
- Andrea Doeschl‐Wilson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2658-6973)
- James Prendergast (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8916-018X)
- Peter Beine
- Leonard Kawule
Institutions
- Roslin Institute (GB)
- MTN (Uganda) (UG)
- University of Edinburgh (GB)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Frontiers in Genetics
- Published
- 2025-04-24
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3389/fgene.2025.1567910
- Citations
- 2
- Primary Topic
- Genetic and phenotypic traits in livestock
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 3.63
Funders
- Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council