Effect of African swine fever on genetic diversity in Black Slavonian pig
African swine fever (ASF) is a highly contagious viral disease affecting domestic and wild pigs, leading to high mortality rates and significant economic losses. Local pig breeds, such as the Black Slavonian pig, are particularly vulnerable due to increased contact with wild boar. This study aimed t...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Animal Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fanim.2025.1553271/full |
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| author | Dubravko Škorput Ivan Stupnišek Marija Špehar Danijel Karolyi Ana Kaić Zoran Luković |
| author_facet | Dubravko Škorput Ivan Stupnišek Marija Špehar Danijel Karolyi Ana Kaić Zoran Luković |
| author_sort | Dubravko Škorput |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | African swine fever (ASF) is a highly contagious viral disease affecting domestic and wild pigs, leading to high mortality rates and significant economic losses. Local pig breeds, such as the Black Slavonian pig, are particularly vulnerable due to increased contact with wild boar. This study aimed to assess the genetic diversity parameters of Black Slavonian pigs in Eastern Croatia following a recent ASF outbreak using pedigree-based analyses. Pedigree data comprising 13,306 animals were analyzed, with a reference population of 1,658 individuals from 2018 onward. Genetic diversity parameters, including the average inbreeding coefficient, average relatedness, and effective population size, were estimated under two scenarios: one assuming no ASF-related culling and another excluding animals culled due to ASF. An optimal contribution selection procedure was applied to minimize relatedness within the population, and mating plans were developed for both scenarios to estimate future inbreeding and relatedness. The average inbreeding coefficient was 5.21% in the scenario without ASF-related culling and 4.27% in the scenario with ASF-related culling. Effective population size was 47.10 in the first scenario and 42.94 in the second, indicating a reduction in genetic diversity. Despite the slightly improved genetic diversity parameters in the ASF scenario, the reduced number of mating candidates increased the risk of inbreeding due to a higher likelihood of pairing related individuals. While genetic diversity remained relatively stable, the results suggest that ASF-related culling influenced population structure by removing highly related animals. However, the long-term impact on genetic variability requires further investigation. Future studies incorporating molecular genetic data would enhance the accuracy of relatedness estimation, as pedigree-based analyses may over- or underestimate genetic diversity due to shallow ancestry records. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2b2a59c7201f40eb9249c8e4d505c7ee |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2673-6225 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Animal Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-2b2a59c7201f40eb9249c8e4d505c7ee2025-08-20T02:56:43ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Animal Science2673-62252025-03-01610.3389/fanim.2025.15532711553271Effect of African swine fever on genetic diversity in Black Slavonian pigDubravko Škorput0Ivan Stupnišek1Marija Špehar2Danijel Karolyi3Ana Kaić4Zoran Luković5Division of Animal Sciences, University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture, Zagreb, CroatiaFaculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, CroatiaCentre for Livestock Breeding, Croatian Agency for Agriculture and Food, Zagreb, CroatiaDivision of Animal Sciences, University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture, Zagreb, CroatiaDivision of Animal Sciences, University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture, Zagreb, CroatiaDivision of Animal Sciences, University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture, Zagreb, CroatiaAfrican swine fever (ASF) is a highly contagious viral disease affecting domestic and wild pigs, leading to high mortality rates and significant economic losses. Local pig breeds, such as the Black Slavonian pig, are particularly vulnerable due to increased contact with wild boar. This study aimed to assess the genetic diversity parameters of Black Slavonian pigs in Eastern Croatia following a recent ASF outbreak using pedigree-based analyses. Pedigree data comprising 13,306 animals were analyzed, with a reference population of 1,658 individuals from 2018 onward. Genetic diversity parameters, including the average inbreeding coefficient, average relatedness, and effective population size, were estimated under two scenarios: one assuming no ASF-related culling and another excluding animals culled due to ASF. An optimal contribution selection procedure was applied to minimize relatedness within the population, and mating plans were developed for both scenarios to estimate future inbreeding and relatedness. The average inbreeding coefficient was 5.21% in the scenario without ASF-related culling and 4.27% in the scenario with ASF-related culling. Effective population size was 47.10 in the first scenario and 42.94 in the second, indicating a reduction in genetic diversity. Despite the slightly improved genetic diversity parameters in the ASF scenario, the reduced number of mating candidates increased the risk of inbreeding due to a higher likelihood of pairing related individuals. While genetic diversity remained relatively stable, the results suggest that ASF-related culling influenced population structure by removing highly related animals. However, the long-term impact on genetic variability requires further investigation. Future studies incorporating molecular genetic data would enhance the accuracy of relatedness estimation, as pedigree-based analyses may over- or underestimate genetic diversity due to shallow ancestry records.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fanim.2025.1553271/fullpigsAfrican swine fevergenetic diversityconservationinbreeding |
| spellingShingle | Dubravko Škorput Ivan Stupnišek Marija Špehar Danijel Karolyi Ana Kaić Zoran Luković Effect of African swine fever on genetic diversity in Black Slavonian pig Frontiers in Animal Science pigs African swine fever genetic diversity conservation inbreeding |
| title | Effect of African swine fever on genetic diversity in Black Slavonian pig |
| title_full | Effect of African swine fever on genetic diversity in Black Slavonian pig |
| title_fullStr | Effect of African swine fever on genetic diversity in Black Slavonian pig |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effect of African swine fever on genetic diversity in Black Slavonian pig |
| title_short | Effect of African swine fever on genetic diversity in Black Slavonian pig |
| title_sort | effect of african swine fever on genetic diversity in black slavonian pig |
| topic | pigs African swine fever genetic diversity conservation inbreeding |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fanim.2025.1553271/full |
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