Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, College of Veterinary Sciences, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana - 141 004, (Punjab).
*Corresponding author: E-mail: samitasaini123@yahoo.com
Inheritance of immune response to sheep red blood cells and its relationship with other egg production traits was studied in a selected strain of White Leghorn. Immune response to sheep red blood cells in terms of total, MER and MES titres at 5 days post primary inoculation (PPI) of sheep red blood cells had low heritability (0.04 to 0.18). Total titre at 5 days PPI had negative phenotypic and positive genetic correlations with body weights at 12, 24, 28 and 40 weeks of age while it had positive genetic correlations with all egg production traits except with age at sexual maturity. The phenotypic correlation of total titre at 5 days PPI with all the egg production traits were negative except very low correlations with specific gravity at 28 weeks and age at sexual maturity. The genetic correlations of MER titre at 5 day PPI were low with other traits but were positive only with specific gravity at 28 weeks, egg number upto 40 weeks and egg weight at 28 and 32 weeks of age. The total, MER and MES antibody titres were positively associated with age at sexual maturity, body weights and egg production traits except for MES titre at 5 days PPI. The low h2 of immune responsiveness compared with low but desirable genetic correlations does not justify the inclusion of immune responsiveness in selection for genetic improvement of layer chickens.
Immune response, sheep red blood cells, heritability, correlations, white leghorn
