Use of chicken models for the analysis of human disease

Abstract

The chicken has been a valuable model organism for genetic analysis since early in the last century. This unit provides an overview of the primary strategic approaches through which the chicken is used as a model for human genetics and disease. These approaches are reviewed with key advantages and disadvantages noted for each. In addition, the chicken offers a model system for several human inherited diseases, both single gene-based and complex traits. This unit briefly describes two such models as examples: autoimmune pathology causing Hashimoto's thyroiditis and sex-linked dwarfism.