Avian influenza (high pathogenicity) is a major concern
to the global poultry industry. Also, human health concerns
are mounting over the highly virulent H5N1 influenza
strain. To date, the H5N1 virus strain has not been detected
in the USA but much effort is devoted to being prepared.
The Mx gene exists in a wide variety of species, from yeast
to most animals. It has been documented that in chickens,
certain Mx alleles have more antiviral function, including
resistance to Influenza A. Additionally, commercial traits
such as egg and meat production, as well as immune
functions, have been reportedly linked to the Mx gene in
chickens. Exon 13 of the chicken Mx gene (Figure 1) has
been described as the region where a single nucleotide
polymorphism (SNP) causes a single amino acid
substitution from Serine (Ser) to Asparagine (Asn) at
position 631. The Asn allele confers viral resistance to avian
influenza. The objective of this study was to assess the Iowa
State University chicken lines for the Ser631Asn SNP
genotypes in the Mx gene.