Scientists have produced pigs that can resist one of the world’s most costly animal diseases, by changing their genetic code. Tests with the virus – called Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome, or PRRS – found the pigs do not become infected at all. The animals show no signs that the change in their DNA has had any other impact on their health or wellbeing.
PRRS costs the pig industry around $2.5bn each year in lost revenue in the US and Europe alone.
Researchers at the University of Edinburgh’s Roslin Institute used gene editing techniques to remove a small section of the CD163 gene. The team collaborated with Genus PLC, a leading global animal genetics company, to produce pigs with the specific DNA change.
Previous studies had shown that cells from these animals were resistant to the virus in lab tests. This is the first time researchers have exposed these pigs to the virus to see if they become infected. They found that none of the animals became ill when exposed to the virus. Blood tests found no trace of the infection. This research, co-funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and Genus PLC, is published in the Journal of Virology.
Source: farminguk.com.
