| Summary: | It is well known that the susceptibility of sheep to scrapie is determined by the host’s prion protein gene (PRNP). PRNP polymorphisms at codons 136 (alanine, A/valine, V), 154 (histidine, H/arginine, R) and 171 (glutamine, Q/histidine, H/arginine, R) are the main determinants of sheep susceptibility/resistance to classical scrapie. There are four major variants of the wild-type ARQ allele: VRQ, AHQ, ARH and ARR. Breeding programs have been developed in the European Union and the USA to increase the frequency of the resistant ARR allele while decreasing the frequency of the susceptible VRQ allele in sheep populations. In Brazil, little PRNP genotyping data are available for sheep, and thus far, no controlled breeding scheme for scrapie has been implemented. This review will focus on important epidemiological aspects of scrapie and the use of genetic resistance as a tool in breeding programs to control the disease.
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