Breeding for disease resistance in poultry: opportunities with challenges

Avian disease, regarded as one of the crucial aspects influencing poultry production, has restricted the development of the poultry industry for a long period. Although traditional approaches, e.g. vaccination and bio-security measures, have played an indispensable role in diagnosing, treating and preventing diseases, poultry are still threatened by various diseases. Nowadays, with the development of molecular and quantitative genetics, some poultry diseases can be addressed by breeding for disease resistance. In this paper, the research progress of resistance breeding in poultry is reviewed, including genetics, methods, challenges and opportunities for the poultry industry.