Characterisation of the Djallonke Sheep Breed in Ghana using Molecular Markers

Abstract

Djallonke are the most ancient sheep breed in Africa, and are more resistant to many livestock diseases, including haemonchosis and trypanosomosis, than the Sahelian breed from the same region. Whole genome and Major Histocompatibility analysis of these two sheep breeds has identified more than 2 million new variants together with 19 breed specific and 24 new MHC alleles. These findings provide a genetic basis for analysing the contrasting phenotypes between these two breeds.