Insights from adaptive immune regulation for disease resistance breeding in livestock and poultry

As a crucial component of agriculture, livestock and poultry production supplies high-quality animal protein and is essential for the stability of food safety, ecological environment, human health, and global sustainability. However, frequent epidemics have emerged as a major constraint on industry development, with traditional vaccine and drug-based controls facing challenges such as rapid pathogen mutation, environmental pollution, and drug residue risks. Disease-resistant breeding thus offers a crucial strategy for sustainable livestock farming, yet its progress is hindered by the lack of effective molecular targets for major epizootics. Extensive studies on adaptive immune regulation have identified numerous regulatory genes and molecular targets associated with disease resistance, offering significant potential for breeding applications. Nevertheless, despite the well-established role of adaptive immunity in human medicine, its utilization in livestock breeding remains largely underdeveloped. This review outlines the significance and current status of disease-resistant breeding, focuses on adaptive immune mechanisms, and proposes innovative strategies.