U.S. flagAn official website of the United States government
                    Here's how you know **Official websites use .gov**
                            
                            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
 **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
                            
                            A **lock** (                            
                              A locked padlock                                                      
                            
                            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Menu Agricultural Research Service
						
                    U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
 Animal Health Genomics: Clay Center, NE
 close



    Research

                    Research Projects
                                    Publications
                                    Collaborations
                                    News
                People

                    Staff Listing
                                    Careers


        


                    Researchers
                        Carol Chitko-McKown
                                    Mike Clawson
                                    Mike Heaton
                                    Aspen Workman
                    WGS
                        WGS main page
                                    Cattle reference (v2.9)
                                    Cattle extended (v1.0)
                                    Sheep reference (v2.4)
                                    Sheep extended (v1.0)
                                    Sheep ISGC75
                                    Species mapped to cattle
                                    Species mapped to sheep
                                    Cell linesSearch small
                    Search
            
            ARS Home
                                About ARS
                                Contact Us




ARS Home Plains Area Clay Center, Nebraska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center Animal Health Genomics People





- Find a person
- Find a location
- ARS Organizational Chart
- People
- Gary L. Bennett
- Carol G. Chitko-McKown
- Michael L. Clawson
- Gregory P. Harhay
- Michael P. Heaton
- John W. Keele
- Larry A. Kuehn
- Tara G. McDaneld
- Timothy P. L. Smith
- Warren M. Snelling
- Richard M. Thallman

Michael P Heaton

(Mike)    Research Microbiologist /ARSUserFiles/2415/Heaton2020_inch45k.jpgInfectious diseases in livestock are a significant source of loss and represent a potential risk to human health.  Identifying and removing animals with the highest risk of disease from the production cycle leads to improved herd health and food safety.  Orcid page The ultimate goal of livestock genomics with regard to animal health is to read an animal's DNA sequence and estimate its risk for disease.  Our aims are to evaluate natural genetic variation in diverse populations and identify alleles that predispose livestock to infectious diseases. As the depth, quality, and access to livestock genomes has increased, we have identified and published these genetic resources essential for risk factor analysis: 1) nucleotide sequence variation in disease genes, and2) gene haplotypes that are associated with disease risk. Our research continues to focus on addressing diseases in commercial populations of livestock. As genome-wide searches identify new candidate genes, information and technology are developed for enhancing our ability to estimate an animal's risk of disease or acquiring and maintaining infections. Transferring this technology to the livestock industries allows producers to make informed decisions for selective breeding and animal health management. **Infectious diseases of interest include:** Bovine respiratory disease complex (shipping fever/CD18/*ITGB2*)
Bovine viral diarrhea (BVD/*CD46*)
Ovine progressive pneumonia (OPP/*TMEM154*)
Scrapie in sheep (Prion/*PRNP*) **Non-infectious diseases of interest include:** Bovine congestive heart failure (BCHF) in feedlot cattle **(BCHF page)**
Failure of passive transfer in cattle (FPT) **Whole genome sequencing (WGS) projects (WGS page)** **Recent unpublished research reports:** /ARSUserFiles/2415/CattleBrokenHeart2_1inch.jpg2020 Plant and Animal Genome conference poster: Association of *ARRDC3* and *NFIA* Genes with Bovine Congestive Heart Failure     Progress report on a plains bison-Simmental interspecies cross for genome assembly by trio binning


Return to top


Connect with ARS Sign up


ARS Home
                            USDA.gov
                            Plain Writing
                            Policies & Links
                            Civil Rights Statements
                            FOIA
                            Accessibility Statement
                            Privacy Policy
                            Non-Discrimination Statement
                            Quality of Information
                            USA.gov
                            WhiteHouse.gov