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EveryCow

Disease-resistant breeds

Tick resistance and the trypanosome tolerance of the N'Dama and West African shorthorns.

Some breeds resist or tolerate diseases and parasites that devastate others. The best known example is trypanotolerance: the N'Dama and the West African shorthorns can live and stay productive where tsetse flies spread trypanosomes, which kill or weaken most other cattle. Many zebu breeds, including Indian breeds such as Sahiwal, Gir and Tharparkar, carry fewer ticks than European cattle. The Nguni of southern Africa is known for tick resistance too. These traits matter most to farmers who cannot afford drugs or dips, and to breeders who want to use fewer of them.

Trypanotolerance in West Africa

Animal trypanosomiasis, spread by tsetse flies, is one of the main limits on cattle keeping across a wide belt of humid and sub-humid Africa. Over thousands of years, some West African taurine cattle have become able to control the parasite in their blood and keep working and breeding. The N'Dama, a long-horned breed from the Fouta Djallon highlands of Guinea, and short-horned breeds such as the Baoulé and Lagune are the best known. Zebu cattle introduced into the same areas generally do poorly without treatment.

Tick resistance

Ticks spread several cattle diseases and weaken animals by feeding on them. Zebu and sanga cattle usually carry far fewer ticks than European breeds. Their skin reaction and grooming help remove ticks before they feed, and their coats make it harder for ticks to settle. This is part of why Indian breeds became so important in tropical Australia and Brazil, and why the Nguni and Bonsmara are valued in southern Africa.

Breeding for health

Breed differences are not the whole story: management, feed and exposure all matter, and no breed is immune. But where disease pressure is high, a breed that tolerates it can be the difference between a herd that survives and one that does not. Researchers in India, Africa and Australia study the genes behind these traits, and conservation of local breeds is often argued for on this basis.

Worth knowing

  • N'Dama: Trypanotolerant long-horned breed of West Africa
  • Baoulé: Small West African shorthorn, tolerant of trypanosomes
  • Nguni: Southern African sanga known for tick resistance
  • Sahiwal: Indian dairy zebu with good tick resistance
  • American Brahman: Zebu breed that carries fewer ticks than European cattle
  • Gir: Indian zebu kept in tick country in Brazil

Good to know

  • Resistance lowers risk but does not replace vaccination, parasite control and a vet's advice.
  • Moving a resistant breed to a new region can expose it to diseases it has never met.

Sources and further reading

About this page

Original text by the EveryCow desk, written with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Customs are described as tradition, not as advice. If we have something wrong, tell us.

Disease-resistant on EveryCow

The breeds written up so far, best known first.

PurposeDairyBeefDraughtDual-purposeTriple-purposeSportCeremonialGrazingHeritageMiniature
LineageTaurineZebuSangaCompositeYakMithunBantengWild
🇪🇸 SpainMenorquina A red, hornless dairy breed from the Spanish island of Menorca, prized for Mahón cheese production.Taurine · Dairy · Disease-resistant 🇮🇳 IndiaMalnad Giddaಮಲೆನಾಡು ಗಿಡ್ಡ A small, dark humpless breed from the Western Ghats of Karnataka, kept for milk and draught work.Taurine · Dairy · Disease-resistant 🇫🇷 FranceMaraîchine A large wheaten marsh breed of western France, kept for beef and wet meadowsTaurine · Beef · Disease-resistant

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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