Seven piglets which have one edited gene have been born resistant to Transmissible TGE Virus (TGE), a deadly intestinal disease.
A team of researchers from the University of Missouri (MU), Kansas State University (KSU) and Genus plc bred the pigs.
Kristin Whitworth, co-author on the study and a research scientist in MU’s division of Animal Sciences, said “breeding pigs with genetic resistance will help to ease “ financial losses.
“In terms of animal welfare, if we can prevent these pigs from getting sick, we have a responsibility to do so,” she also said.
Previous research identified an enzyme called ANPEP as a potential receptor for the virus, meaning it could be an important factor in allowing the virus to take hold in pigs, said Randall Prather, distinguished professor of animal sciences in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources at MU.
“We were able to breed a litter of pigs that did not produce this enzyme, and as a result, they did not get sick when we exposed them to the virus,” Prather said.
