Quantitative genetic analysis of the bTB diagnostic single intradermal comparative cervical test (SICCT)

Smaragda Tsairidou; Susan Brotherstone; Mike Coffey; Stephen C Bishop; John A Woolliams

doi:10.1186/s12711-016-0264-3

Quantitative genetic analysis of the bTB diagnostic single intradermal comparative cervical test (SICCT)

Smaragda Tsairidou, Susan Brotherstone, Mike Coffey, Stephen C Bishop, John A Woolliams

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract / Description of output

BACKGROUND: Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is a disease of significant economic importance and is a persistent animal health problem with implications for public health worldwide. Control of bTB in the UK has relied on diagnosis through the single intradermal comparative cervical test (SICCT). However, limitations in the sensitivity of this test hinder successful eradication and the control of bTB remains a major challenge. Genetic selection for cattle that are more resistant to bTB infection can assist in bTB control. The aim of this study was to conduct a quantitative genetic analysis of SICCT measurements collected during bTB herd testing. Genetic selection for bTB resistance will be partially informed by SICCT-based diagnosis; therefore it is important to know whether, in addition to increasing bTB resistance, this might also alter genetically the epidemiological characteristics of SICCT.

RESULTS: Our main findings are that: (1) the SICCT test is robust at the genetic level, since its hierarchy and comparative nature provide substantial protection against random genetic changes that arise from genetic drift and from correlated responses among its components due to either natural or artificial selection; (2) the comparative nature of SICCT provides effective control for initial skin thickness and age-dependent differences; and (3) continuous variation in SICCT is only lowly heritable and has a weak correlation with SICCT positivity among healthy animals which was not significantly different from zero (P > 0.05). These emerging results demonstrate that genetic selection for bTB resistance is unlikely to change the probability of correctly identifying non-infected animals, i.e. the test's specificity, while reducing the overall number of cases.

CONCLUSIONS: This study cannot exclude all theoretical risks from selection on resistance to bTB infection but the role of SICCT in disease control is unlikely to be rapidly undermined, with any adverse correlated responses expected to be weak and slow, which allow them to be monitored and managed.

Original language	English
Article number	90(2016)
Number of pages	12
Journal	Genetics Selection Evolution
Volume	48
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1186/s12711-016-0264-3
Publication status	Published - 24 Nov 2016

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10.1186/s12711-016-0264-3

Quantitative genetic analysis of the bTB diagnostic single intradermal comparative cervical test (SICCT)
© The Author(s) 2016. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/ publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.
Final published version, 1.5 MBLicence: Creative Commons: Attribution (CC-BY)

ISP1: Analysis and prediction in complex animal systems
Tenesa, A., Archibald, A., Beard, P., Bishop, S., Bronsvoort, M., Burt, D., Freeman, T., Haley, C., Hocking, P., Houston, R., Hume, D., Joshi, A., Law, A., Michoel, T., Summers, K., Vernimmen, D., Watson, M., Wiener, P., Wilson, A., Woolliams, J., Ait-Ali, T., Barnett, M., Carlisle, A., Finlayson, H., Haga, I., Karavolos, M., Matika, O., Paterson, T., Paton, B., Pong-Wong, R., Robert, C. & Robertson, G.
BBSRC
1/04/12 → 31/03/17
Project: Research

Cite this

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title = "Quantitative genetic analysis of the bTB diagnostic single intradermal comparative cervical test (SICCT)",

abstract = "BACKGROUND: Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is a disease of significant economic importance and is a persistent animal health problem with implications for public health worldwide. Control of bTB in the UK has relied on diagnosis through the single intradermal comparative cervical test (SICCT). However, limitations in the sensitivity of this test hinder successful eradication and the control of bTB remains a major challenge. Genetic selection for cattle that are more resistant to bTB infection can assist in bTB control. The aim of this study was to conduct a quantitative genetic analysis of SICCT measurements collected during bTB herd testing. Genetic selection for bTB resistance will be partially informed by SICCT-based diagnosis; therefore it is important to know whether, in addition to increasing bTB resistance, this might also alter genetically the epidemiological characteristics of SICCT.RESULTS: Our main findings are that: (1) the SICCT test is robust at the genetic level, since its hierarchy and comparative nature provide substantial protection against random genetic changes that arise from genetic drift and from correlated responses among its components due to either natural or artificial selection; (2) the comparative nature of SICCT provides effective control for initial skin thickness and age-dependent differences; and (3) continuous variation in SICCT is only lowly heritable and has a weak correlation with SICCT positivity among healthy animals which was not significantly different from zero (P > 0.05). These emerging results demonstrate that genetic selection for bTB resistance is unlikely to change the probability of correctly identifying non-infected animals, i.e. the test's specificity, while reducing the overall number of cases.CONCLUSIONS: This study cannot exclude all theoretical risks from selection on resistance to bTB infection but the role of SICCT in disease control is unlikely to be rapidly undermined, with any adverse correlated responses expected to be weak and slow, which allow them to be monitored and managed.",

author = "Smaragda Tsairidou and Susan Brotherstone and Mike Coffey and Bishop, {Stephen C} and Woolliams, {John A}",

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doi = "10.1186/s12711-016-0264-3",

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AU - Tsairidou, Smaragda

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AU - Bishop, Stephen C

AU - Woolliams, John A

PY - 2016/11/24

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N2 - BACKGROUND: Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is a disease of significant economic importance and is a persistent animal health problem with implications for public health worldwide. Control of bTB in the UK has relied on diagnosis through the single intradermal comparative cervical test (SICCT). However, limitations in the sensitivity of this test hinder successful eradication and the control of bTB remains a major challenge. Genetic selection for cattle that are more resistant to bTB infection can assist in bTB control. The aim of this study was to conduct a quantitative genetic analysis of SICCT measurements collected during bTB herd testing. Genetic selection for bTB resistance will be partially informed by SICCT-based diagnosis; therefore it is important to know whether, in addition to increasing bTB resistance, this might also alter genetically the epidemiological characteristics of SICCT.RESULTS: Our main findings are that: (1) the SICCT test is robust at the genetic level, since its hierarchy and comparative nature provide substantial protection against random genetic changes that arise from genetic drift and from correlated responses among its components due to either natural or artificial selection; (2) the comparative nature of SICCT provides effective control for initial skin thickness and age-dependent differences; and (3) continuous variation in SICCT is only lowly heritable and has a weak correlation with SICCT positivity among healthy animals which was not significantly different from zero (P > 0.05). These emerging results demonstrate that genetic selection for bTB resistance is unlikely to change the probability of correctly identifying non-infected animals, i.e. the test's specificity, while reducing the overall number of cases.CONCLUSIONS: This study cannot exclude all theoretical risks from selection on resistance to bTB infection but the role of SICCT in disease control is unlikely to be rapidly undermined, with any adverse correlated responses expected to be weak and slow, which allow them to be monitored and managed.

AB - BACKGROUND: Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is a disease of significant economic importance and is a persistent animal health problem with implications for public health worldwide. Control of bTB in the UK has relied on diagnosis through the single intradermal comparative cervical test (SICCT). However, limitations in the sensitivity of this test hinder successful eradication and the control of bTB remains a major challenge. Genetic selection for cattle that are more resistant to bTB infection can assist in bTB control. The aim of this study was to conduct a quantitative genetic analysis of SICCT measurements collected during bTB herd testing. Genetic selection for bTB resistance will be partially informed by SICCT-based diagnosis; therefore it is important to know whether, in addition to increasing bTB resistance, this might also alter genetically the epidemiological characteristics of SICCT.RESULTS: Our main findings are that: (1) the SICCT test is robust at the genetic level, since its hierarchy and comparative nature provide substantial protection against random genetic changes that arise from genetic drift and from correlated responses among its components due to either natural or artificial selection; (2) the comparative nature of SICCT provides effective control for initial skin thickness and age-dependent differences; and (3) continuous variation in SICCT is only lowly heritable and has a weak correlation with SICCT positivity among healthy animals which was not significantly different from zero (P > 0.05). These emerging results demonstrate that genetic selection for bTB resistance is unlikely to change the probability of correctly identifying non-infected animals, i.e. the test's specificity, while reducing the overall number of cases.CONCLUSIONS: This study cannot exclude all theoretical risks from selection on resistance to bTB infection but the role of SICCT in disease control is unlikely to be rapidly undermined, with any adverse correlated responses expected to be weak and slow, which allow them to be monitored and managed.

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DO - 10.1186/s12711-016-0264-3

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SN - 0999-193X

VL - 48

JO - Genetics Selection Evolution

JF - Genetics Selection Evolution

IS - 1

M1 - 90(2016)

ER -

Quantitative genetic analysis of the bTB diagnostic single intradermal comparative cervical test (SICCT)

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ISP1: Analysis and prediction in complex animal systems

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