This book contains articles on the quantitative and molecular genetics of poultry, the uses of transgenic technology, and genetics of disease resistance and transmission. It is divided into 4 parts: problems and issues associated with poultry breeding (part 1; 6 chapters); breeding strategies and objectives (part 2; 9 chapters); disease resistance and transmission (part 3; 7 chapters); and the use of genomics and bioinformatics in poultry (part 4; 12 chapters).

Part I. Problems and Issues Associated with Poultry Breeding -- 1. Industrial Perspective on Problems and Issues Associated with Poultry Breeding / James A. Arthur and Gerard A.A. Albers -- 2. Growth and Reproduction Problems Associated with Selection for Increased Broiler Meat Production / E. Decuypere [and others] -- 3. Skeletal Problems Associated with Selection for Increased Production / Colin C. Whitehead [and others] -- 4. Meat Quality Problems Associated with Selection for Increased Production / Herve Remignon and Elisabeth Le Bihan-Duval -- 5. Behaviour Problems Associated with Selection for Increased Production / J.B. Kjaer and J.A. Mench -- 6. Genotype-Environment Interactions : Problems Associated with Selection for Increased Production / P.K. Mathur -- Part II. Breeding Strategies and Objectives -- 7. Breeding Objectives and Selection Strategies for Layer Production / A.F. Groen -- 8. Breeding Objectives and Selection Strategies for Broiler Production / Derek Emmerson -- 9. Use of Mixed Model Methodology in Breeding Strategies for Layers / B. Besbes and V. Ducrocq -- 10. Application of Mixed Model Methodology in Breeding Strategies for Meat-type Birds / Stanislaw Wfxyk and Jan Jankowski -- 11. Use of Mixed Model Methodology in Poultry Breeding : Estimation of Genetic Parameters / Tomasz Szwaczkowski -- 12. Use of Mixed Model Methodology in Poultry Breeding : Assumptions, Limitations and Concerns of BLUP-based Selection Programmes / Margaret Quinton -- 13. Direct Selection for Improvement of Animal Well-being / J.M. Faure, W. Bessei and R.B. Jones -- 14. Indirect Selection for Improvement of Animal Well-being / W.M. Muir -- 15. Genetic Diversity and Conservation of Poultry / Mary E. Delany -- Part III. Disease Resistance and Transmission -- 16. Progress and Prospects in Resistance to Disease / U. Kuhnlein, S.E. Aggrey and D. Zadworny -- 17. Genetics of the Immune System / J. Plachy, P. Kaiser and K. Hala -- 18. Genetic Resistance and Transmission of Avian Bacteria and Viruses / N. Bumstead -- 19. Genetic Resistance and Transmission of Avian Parasites / Marie-Helene Pinard-van der Laan, Hyun S. Lillehoj and James J. Zhu -- 20. Selection for Disease Resistance : Conventional Breeding for Resistance to Bacteria and Viruses / C. Beaumont [and others] -- 21. Selection for Disease Resistance : Molecular Genetic Techniques / Hans H. Cheng -- 22. Selection for Disease Resistance : Direct Selection on the Immune Response / Susan J. Lamont [and others] -- Part IV. The Use of Genomics and Bioinformatics in Poultry -- 23. Genetic Markers : Prospects and Applications in Genetic Analysis / Samuel E. Aggrey and Ronald Okimoto -- 24. Designs and Methods to Detect QTL for Production Traits Based on Mapped Genetic Markers / Johan A.M. van Arendonk and Henk Bovenhuis -- 25. Designs and Methods to Detect QTL for Production Traits Based on Random Genetic Models / Nengjun Yi and Shizhong Xu -- 26. Structural Genomics : Integrating Linkage, Physical and Sequence Maps / Martien A.M. Groenen and Richard P.M.A. Crooijmans -- 27. Incorporating Molecular Information in Breeding Programmes : Methodology / Rohan L. Fernando and Liviu R. Totir -- 28. Incorporating Molecular Information in Breeding Programmes : Applications and Limitations / W.M. Muir -- 29. Comparative Genomics / David W. Burt -- 30. Functional Genomics : Development and Gene Regulation / John Killefer and Hakan Kocamis -- 31. Expressed Sequence Tags, DNA Chip Technology and Gene Expression Profiling / Larry A. Cogburn, Robin Morgan and Joan Burnside -- 32. DNA Polymorphisms in Functional Genes / U. Kuhnlein [and others] -- 33. Strategies for the Production of Transgenic Chickens / James N. Petitte -- 34. The Future of Molecular Genetics in Poultry Breeding / Jerry B. Dodgson.