General Discussion and Conclusions

Abstract

The seminar “Reducing the costs of disease by breeding for disease resistance” provided an overview of mainly European research on genetic resistance to disease. In the first three sessions the Major Histocompatibility Complex, with major emphasis on genetic structure and techniques for typing, was discussed for fish, poultry, swine, cattle and horses. The fourth session was devoted to associations between the MHC and diseases. In the fifth session a series of papers was presented on selection for immune response parameters in pigs and poultry, resistance versus resilience for parasitic infections in sheep and genetic aspects of mastitis. During the closing session the following items were discussed with respect to future research policies and strategies.