Prion protein genotypes of sheep as determined from 3343 samples submitted from Ontario and other provinces of Canada from 2005 to 2012.

Abstract

This study analyzed sheep prion protein (PrP) genotypes of samples submitted from Ontario and other provinces of Canada to the Animal Health Laboratory at the University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, between 2005 and 2012. In Ontario, the proportion of scrapie-resistant sheep increased from 2005 to 2012 as evidenced by an increase in the ARR haplotype. When Canadian provinces (Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, and Nova Scotia) were compared from 2008 to 2012, a high proportion of scrapie-resistant sheep was found in all the provinces. The proportions of resistant sheep were lower in Alberta and Quebec than in Ontario and Nova Scotia. Alberta had higher proportions of susceptible sheep and a higher frequency of VRQ alleles, and Quebec had a higher frequency of the ARQ allele.