Epizootics of Salmonella infection in poultry may be the result of modern selective breeding practices.

Abstract excerpt

This paper discusses the hypothesis that a major factor in the epizootics of Salmonella infection in poultry is a declining host genetic diversity. A computer model is described which is based on models that have been previously used to investigate host-pathogen coevolution in cereal crops. It is shown that, as host genetic diversity declines, parasite diversity also declines to a lower equilibrium level. With a...

Topics

• Animals
• Breeding
• Chickens
• Computer Simulation
• Genetic Variation
• Host-Parasite Interactions
• Models, Genetic
• Poultry Diseases
• Salmonella
• Salmonella Infections, Animal
• United Kingdom