Bioscience Methods 2025, Vol.16, No.6, 299-307 http://bioscipublisher.com/index.php/bm 2 99 Meta-analysis Open Access Observation of Genetic Markers for Resistance to Gastrointestinal Parasites in Goats Jingya Li, Mengyue Chen Animal Science Research Center, Cuixi Academy of Biotechnology, Zhuji, 311800, Zhejiang, China Corresponding email: mengyue.chen@cuixi.org Bioscience Methods, 2025, Vol.16, No.6 doi: 10.5376/bm.2025.16.0029 Received: 01 Oct., 2025 Accepted: 13 Nov., 2025 Published: 02 Dec., 2025 Copyright © 2025 Li and Chen, This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Preferred citation for this article: Li J.Y., and Chen M.Y., 2025, Observation of genetic markers for resistance to gastrointestinal parasites in goats, Bioscience Methods, 16(6): 299-307 (doi: 10.5376/bm.2025.16.0029) Abstract In many small-scale farmers and grazing systems, the biggest problem that goats face is not the shortage of feed, but the health risks and production losses caused by gastrointestinal parasites. Although such problems have long existed, they are now even more troublesome - the old method of relying on deworming drugs to solve them is becoming less and less effective at present. On the one hand, drug resistance is intensifying; on the other hand, the pressure of environmental protection and sustainability also forces people to rethink their strategies. This study systematically explored the genetic basis of goat resistance to parasites, with a focus on analyzing key genetic markers related to immune response, intestinal barrier function, and inflammatory regulation. It also reviewed the application progress of different types of markers such as microsatellites (SSR), single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPS), and candidate genes in resistance research. And strategies such as QTL mapping, genome-wide association analysis (GWAS), and gene expression analysis were evaluated. Through case comparisons of breeds such as Boer goats, native goats, Indian Jamunapari and African Red Maasai, this study reveals the diversity of resistance genes among breeds and their specific characteristics. This study emphasizes the significance of strengthening multi-group joint analysis and data sharing, providing a theoretical basis for building an ecological and sustainable goat anti-parasitic breeding system. Keywords Goat; Gastrointestinal parasites; Genetic resistance; Molecular marker; Mark-assisted selection 1 Introduction In goat farming, the problem of gastrointestinal parasites has actually always existed, but the degree of impact varies from region to region. This is not a new problem, especially in tropical and subtropical regions where the agricultural economy is supported by goats. The losses caused by parasites are always more obvious. Nematodes like the Twisted blood Lance nematode and the Trichoderma genus are not just hidden dangers. They can indeed cause a reduction in milk production, weight stagnation, and reproductive difficulties. In severe cases, they can even lead to death. Some reports even mentioned that the infection rate of such parasites in the investigated goat population exceeded 80%, which is not only worrying but also directly related to farmers' income and animal welfare (D 'amico et al., 2025). However, it cannot be generalized - different goat breeds, ages, management methods, and climatic seasons all cross-influence the degree of infection (Mpofu et al., 2022). Traditionally, the most common approach to dealing with these parasites is medication. At the beginning, it was fine and the effect was obvious. But as time went by, the medicine was used more and more frequently and the dosage control was not meticulous enough, so the problem of drug resistance emerged. The current situation is that many conventional deworming drugs are no longer as "effective" as before, the control difficulty has increased, and the sustainability of aquaculture has also been discounted accordingly (Kalule et al., 2023; Chan et al., 2025). So, the focus began to shift to genetic resistance. Not every goat is the same. Some are naturally more resistant to parasites - and more importantly, this resistance can be inherited. If these "capable" individuals can be screened out and bred, perhaps the disease resistance of the entire population can be gradually enhanced without relying heavily on drugs (Heckendorn et al., 2017; Tsukahara et al., 2021). Now, genetic markers including SNPS have begun to play a role in identifying resistant individuals. Especially some functional genes involved in immune responses provide clearer molecular clues for breeding and also offer new support for prevention and control strategies.
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