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For the first time, the analysis of polymorphism of complete mitochondrial genomes was performed in three Dagestan local goat populations (n = 37), which were characterized by high genetic and haplotype diversity. We found that 90.88% of the total genetic variability was due to intragroup differences and 4.86% was due to intergroup differences. For the studied sample of goats, significant negative values of the Tajima's D and Fu's Fs neutrality indices were calculated (P < 0.05). We performed a phylogenetic analysis using the nucleotide sequences of domestic goats and bezoars belonging to different haplogroups. Our study revealed that all studied samples of Dagestan Local goats belonged to haplogroup A, which is the most frequent one in domestic goats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the prevalence of schistosomiasis japonica has declined gradually in China, more accurate and sensitive diagnostic methods are urgently needed for the prevention and control of this disease. Molecular diagnostic methods are advantageous in terms of sensitivity and specificity, but they are time-consuming and require expensive instruments and skilled personnel, which limits their application in low-resource settings. In this study, an isothermal DNA amplification assay and recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) combined with lateral flow dipstick (LFD) were set up. It was used to detect S. japonicum infections in experimental mice and domestic goats by amplifying a specific DNA fragment of S. japonicum. The lower limit of detection for the LFD-RPA assay was evaluated using dilutions of plasmid containing the target sequence. Cross-reactivity was evaluated using genomic DNA from eight other parasites. The effectiveness of the LFD-RPA assay was verified by assessing 36 positive plasma samples and 36 negative plasma samples from mice. The LFD-RPA assay and real-time PCR were also used to assess 48 schistosomiasis japonica-positive plasma samples and 53 negative plasma samples from goats. The LFD-RPA assay could detect 2.6 femtogram (fg) of S. japonicum target DNA (~39 fg genomic DNA of S. japonicum), only 10-fold less sensitive than real-time PCR assay. There was no cross-reactivity with DNA from the other eight parasites, such as Haemonchus contortus and Spirometra. The whole amplification process could be completed within 15 min at 39°C, and the results can be observed easily using the LFD. The sensitivity and specificity of the LFD-RPA assay were 97.22% (35/36, 95% CI, 85.47%–99.93%) and 100% (36/36, 95% CI, 90.26%–100%) in mice, and 93.75% (45/48, 95% CI, 82.80%–98.69%) and 100% (53/53, 95% CI, 93.28%–100%) in goats. By comparison, the sensitivity and specificity of real-time PCR were 100% (36/36, 95% CI, 90.26%–100%) and 100% (36/36, 95% CI, 90.26%–100%) for mice, and 97.92% (47/48, 95% CI, 88.93%–99.95%) and 100% (53/53, 95% CI, 93.28%–100%) for goats. The LFD-RPA assay exhibits high sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of schistosomiasis japonica, and it is an alternative method for diagnosis schistosomiasis japonica in low resource setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Yunnan as a frontier zone that connects China with South and Southeast Asia, has 11 well‐recognized goat breeds. However, the knowledge about maternal origins, population structure and demographic history of Chinese indigenous goats from Yunnan is limited. In this study, we analysed a 481‐bp fragment of first hypervariable segment (HVSI) of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region sequences of 749 individuals from 10 Yunnan indigenous goat breeds, of which 556 sequences were newly determined. There were 110 polymorphic sites that defined 158 haplotypes among all sequences. The haplotype and nucleotide diversity of these breeds ranged from 0.782 ± 0.079 to 0.982 ± 0.015 and from 0.028 ± 0.003 to 0.043 ± 0.005, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis identified two lineages A and B, of which the lineage A had higher frequency (68.1%) and distributed in all Yunnan breeds. We combined previously reported sequences with our sequences belonging to the lineage B and detected two subclades B1 and B2, in which the B1 subclade shared individuals from Eastern Asia, Southeast Asia and Southern Asia. Given higher level of diversity and more unique haplotypes, the B2 subclade probably originated from Southwestern China. The haplotype network, analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) and a Mantel test revealed no significant phylogeographic structuring among Yunnan goat breeds. This can be explained by high gene flow and genetic admixture among these breeds from different geographic regions in Yunnan. Additionally, both the lineages A and B reflected different demographic histories. This study will provide a scientific basis for the conservation and utilization of Yunnan indigenous goats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Goats, among the livestock species, are considered the most prolific ruminant especially under callous climatic conditions. The aim of the present study was to depict the current phylogenetic status and genetic diversities of Black Bengal (BBG) and Jamunapari goat of Bangladesh and the world. Cytochrome b (cytb) gene (1140 bp) of mitochondrial DNA of Black Bengal goats (Capra hircus) was amplified by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) for the first time in Bangladesh. The sequence from BBG had no nucleotide (nt) difference and 100% homology with the BBG (C. hircus) of India and also the goats (C. hircus) from China (Yangtze River Delta White Goat), Thailand (Wild Cervidae), Japan (Bezoar goat) and South Africa (Domestic goat). The sequence had 1-5 nt differences and 99% homology with the goats (C. hircus) from China, Thailand and Japan (other goats), and also with the goats (C. hircus) from Malaysia, South Korea, France, Italy, Pakistan, Slovenia, Switzerland and USA. Phylogenetic tree constructed with Black Bengal Goat (BBG-K-2) and Jamunapari goats (SG-1) of Bangladesh with cytochrome b nucleotide sequences were closely related to China-HM7. China-YP xj46, Pakistan-Lineage C1, Pakistan-Lineage C2, Slovenia-ChSo1, Switzerland-ChTo2992 and shared 98.8% to 99% and 98.3% to 98.6% similarity, respectively and 1-1.2% and 1.4 to 1.7% genetic distance, respectively. Based on Ctb gene Sequence collected from Bangladeshi Black Bengal Goats (BBG-K-2) and Jamunapari goats (SG-1) that were closely related and shared with the same genetic lineage of China HM18 and India-BBG-DQ073048, respectively, suggesting a common origin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Infectious disease contributed to historical declines and extirpations of bighorn sheep ( Ovis canadensis) in North America and continues to impede population restoration and management. Reports of pneumonia outbreaks in free-ranging bighorn sheep following contact with domestic sheep have been validated by the results of 13 captive commingling experiments. However, ecological and etiological complexities still hinder our understanding and control of respiratory disease in wild sheep. In this paper, we review the literature and summarize recent data to present an overview of the biology and management of pneumonia in bighorn sheep. Many factors contribute to this population-limiting disease, but a bacterium ( Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae) host-specific to Caprinae and commonly carried by healthy domestic sheep and goats, appears to be a primary agent necessary for initiating epizootics. All-age epizootics are usually associated with significant population declines, but mortality rates vary widely and factors influencing disease severity are not well understood. Once introduced, M. ovipneumoniae can persist in bighorn sheep populations for decades. Carrier females may transmit the pathogen to their susceptible lambs, triggering fatal pneumonia outbreaks in nursery groups, which limit recruitment and slow or prevent population recovery. The demographic costs of disease persistence can be equal to or greater than the impacts of the initial epizootic. Strain typing suggests that spillover of M. ovipneumoniae into bighorn sheep populations from domestic small ruminants is ongoing and that consequences of spillover are amplified by movements of infected bighorn sheep across populations. Therefore, current disease management strategies focus on reducing risk of spillover from reservoir populations of domestic sheep and goats and on limiting transmission among bighorn sheep. A variety of techniques are employed to prevent contacts that could lead to transmission, including limiting the numbers and distribution of both wild and domestic species. No vaccine or antibiotic treatment has controlled infection in domestic or wild sheep and to date, management actions have been unsuccessful at reducing morbidity, mortality, or disease spread once a bighorn sheep population has been exposed. More effective strategies are needed to prevent pathogen introduction, induce disease fadeout in persistently infected populations, and promote population resilience across the diverse landscapes bighorn sheep inhabit. A comprehensive examination of disease dynamics across populations could help elucidate how disease sometimes fades out naturally and whether population resilience can be increased in the face of infection. Cross-jurisdictional adaptive management experiments and transdisciplinary collaboration, including partnerships with members of the domestic sheep and goat community, are needed to speed progress toward sustainable solutions to protect and restore bighorn sheep populations. © 2017 The Wildlife Society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biodiversity studies are more efficient when large numbers of breeds belonging to several countries are involved, as they allow for an in-depth analysis of the within- and between-breed components of genetic diversity. A set of 21 microsatellites was used to investigate the genetic composition of 24 Creole goat breeds (910 animals) from 10 countries to estimate levels of genetic variability, infer population structure and understand genetic relationships among populations across the American continent. Three commercial transboundary breeds were included in the analyses to investigate admixture with Creole goats. Overall, the genetic diversity of Creole populations (mean number of alleles = 5.82 ± 1.14, observed heterozygosity = 0.585 ± 0.074) was moderate and slightly lower than what was detected in other studies with breeds from other regions. The Bayesian clustering analysis without prior information on source populations identified 22 breed clusters. Three groups comprised more than one population, namely from Brazil (Azul and Graúna; Moxotó and Repartida) and Argentina (Long and shorthair Chilluda, Pampeana Colorada and Angora-type goat). Substructure was found in Criolla Paraguaya. When prior information on sample origin was considered, 92% of the individuals were assigned to the source population (threshold q ≥ 0.700). Creole breeds are well-differentiated entities (mean coefficient of genetic differentiation = 0.111 ± 0.048, with the exception of isolated island populations). Dilution from admixture with commercial transboundary breeds appears to be negligible. Significant levels of inbreeding were detected (inbreeding coefficient > 0 in most Creole goat populations, P < 0.05). Our results provide a broad perspective on the extant genetic diversity of Creole goats, however further studies are needed to understand whether the observed geographical patterns of population structure may reflect the mode of goat colonization in the Americas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Bighorn sheep ( Ovis canadensis) across North America have suffered population losses due to polymicrobial pneumonia typically initiated by spillover events of bacteria from domestic sheep and goats. Because vaccination or treatment of individual animals remains an elusive goal and pneumonia often persists in bighorn herds for years or decades following infection, preventing contact between domestic and wild animals is widely accepted as the best prophylactic. For the past decade, most management efforts have focused on the risks associated with commercial sheep grazing on public lands; less attention has been paid to risks to bighorns from small flocks of domestic sheep and goats managed entirely on private land. We surveyed owners of 40 sheep or goat flocks located near bighorn sheep herds in central and southeastern Washington, USA, during 2014 and 2015, to better understand their knowledge level, management practices, and willingness to reduce risks. Over one-third of sheep or goat owners had no knowledge of the potential for pathogen spillover to bighorns, but all were interested in reducing risk of interacting with bighorns, particularly by options that did not restrict their autonomy. We also sampled nasal mucosae of 137 animals in 24 flocks for presence of Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae, the bacterium most closely associated with bighorn pneumonia. M. ovipneumoniae was detected in 37.5% of sheep or goat flocks sampled, and animals had escaped their enclosures in 78% of these. Physical contact, and thus pathogen spillover from domestic sheep or goats living in small, private flocks in close proximity to bighorns is clearly a risk. We provide recommendations to agency staff on identifying, prioritizing and testing small herds, and then working with owners to reduce the risk of pathogen spillover. © 2016 The Wildlife Society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to characterize the genetic diversity of domestic goat in China. For this purpose, we determined the sequence of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region in 72 individuals of the Yangtze River delta white goat, and reanalysed 723 published samples from 31 breeds/populations across China. All goat haplotypes were classified into four haplogroups (A–D) previously described. The phylogenetic pattern that emerged from the mtDNA control region sequence was confirmed by the analysis of the entire cytochrome b sequence of eight goats representative of the four haplogroups. It appeared that in Chinese domestic goat, haplogroups A and B were dominant and distributed in nearly all breeds/populations, while haplogroups C and D were only found in seven breeds/populations. Four breeds/populations contained all four haplogroups. When grouping the breeds/populations into five geographic groups based on their geographic distributions and ecological conditions, the southern pasturing area had the highest diversity whereas the northern farming area had the lowest diversity. 84.29% and 11.37% of the genetic variation were distributed within breeds and among breeds within the ecologically geographical areas, respectively; only 4% of genetic variation was observed among the five geographic areas. We speculate that the traditional seasonal pastoralism, the annual long-distance migrations that occurred in the past, and the commercial trade would account for the observed pattern by having favoured gene flows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Karachaev goat (Capra hircus) is a local breed from North-Caucasus region, Russia. Here we present complete mitochondrial genome of Karachaev goat from the republic of Karachaevo-Cherkessia, Russia. The length of the studied sequence was 16,624 bp in size. It was shown that the studied specimen belonged to haplogroup A. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]