The genetic background of hernia in pigs: A review

Abstract Hernia is a condition in which internal organs, most commonly the intestines, protrude through an opening in the layers of muscle and connective tissue. There are two major types of hernia—umbilical and inguinal. This pathology is a serious problem in pig production, leading to economic loss through the cost of surgical intervention, increased mortality rate, and reduced carcass value. The frequency of hernia in pig populations has been estimated from 1.5% to over 6%, and it heritability is around 0.3. Different approaches, including candidate gene sequencing, linkage analysis, genome-wide association studies, and next-generation sequencing, have been used to search for the causative mutations responsible for this pathology. In this way, different genomic regions have been suggested as associated with both types of hernia, but no strong candidate gene has been proposed to play a major role in its pathogenesis. In this review, current knowledge of the genetic background of porcine hernia is presented.