and Info
Registry artwork by Dorota Kudyba.
What is Genotyping - Why Do I Care ?
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Scrapie is a nasty disease.
It is fatal and degenerative and affects the nervous system of sheep (and goats).
There is a test currently under-going evaluation by
USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)
for Scrapie detection in live animals.
Sheep may live up to six months or longer after onset of clinical signs,
but death is inevitable.
Photo from Colorado State
The presence of Scrapie is one of the reasons USDA
doesn't allow import of live sheep or embryos from UK.
.
Genotyping is not a test for Scrapie,
but a test for susceptibility to developing the disease if exposed.
The MOST Scrapie resistant sheep
will carry the blood tested genotype
RR ( at Codon 171.)
Also acceptable ( in the State of Texas as an example ) is
QR with AA (at Codon 136).
Sheep carrying QQ genotype are the LEAST resistant.
Many states require Genotype testing to cross state lines.
But if you are making an investment in the
Valais Blacknose Sheep Breed Up program,
it would seem that sheep carrying the highest resistance (RR)
would be the best investment.
This is just an example of one state's (Texas') Animal Health Commission requirements.
Your vet can find the info for your state and any interstate shipping.
If your sheep are shipped THROUGH a state that has certain regulations
different from your own state,
you will need to follow the rules for transporting through that state too
in order to get a health certificate.
If you ship any animal without a health certificate you run a risk
of those animals being confiscated, or worse.
USDA requires that ALL frozen imported semen from UK be from
Rams that are ARR/ARR tested.
(We would refer to that as RR/RR)
Genotyping is a blood test.
There are likely several places you can test your sheep's genotype,
but here is one I used. I think the genotype blood test was $11 for Codon 171.
You need this for interstate shipping.
Gene Check, Inc.
1175 58th Avenue, #100
Greeley, Co 80634
800-822-6740
www.GeneCheck.com
tresea@genecheck.com
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For more info, read these articles from USDA :
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/nahms/sheep/downloads/sheep01/Sheep01_is_Genotypes.pdf
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/nvap/NVAP-Reference-Guide/Control-and-Eradication/Scrapie
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