Animal Genetics

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is the molecule that contains the genetic code of organisms. This includes animals, plants and bacteria. This hereditary material in all living organisms from bacteria to animals and humans, controls and directs all the functions of a living organism. DNA technologies have revolutionised modern science in many ways. Many techniques have been developed to understand and manipulate DNA for purposes like parentage analysis, detecting genetic diseases, genetic disorders or traits of economic importance to improve livestock production, and forensic cases.

Here at Unistel Medical Laboratories, we provide a number of genetic tests for a variety of different animals. This includes tests for birds, cats, cattle, dogs, goats, sheep and a number of wildlife animals.

Cattle

DNA technologies have revolutionized modern science in many ways. DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid), the hereditary material in all living organism from bacteria to animals and humans, controls and directs all the functions of a living organism. Many techniques have been developed to understand and

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Horses

The use of DNA technology is something most of us are familiar with – mostly thanks to its uses in human forensics. But its applications in the equine world, including DNA profiling for identification and parentage, screening tests for coat color and some inherited diseases, are growing all the time.

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Ostriches

A new test developed by Unistel Animal Services makes it possible to provide DNA profiles for individual ostriches. These results facilitate the identification of individual birds, but also the accurate breeding of chicks.

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Dogs

Unistel Animal Services (UAS), a division of Unistel Medical Laboratories (Pty) Ltd. offers DNA Typing or profiling for dog breeders, which can be used for registration purposes and parentage/relationship testing.

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Game Testing

Use of the DNA profile to validate breeding of progeny. As the need arises DNA-markers for other game species will be acquired and validated.

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Predators

The principles of parentage verification and genetic management have been applied in the livestock and game industry for several years. Breeders have proven that the combination of thorough record keeping and parentage verification can result in accurate pedigrees.

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Sheep and Goats

DNA Profile Analysis is Important in sheep and goats for the following reasons: Improves knowledge on the flock dynamics, Ram’s service capacity can be determined, Determine which ram sires the progeny (especially important for commercial producers)…

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