Abstract
The Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) plays a crucial role in disease resistance and immune response in poultry. This study investigated the polymorphism at MHC B-Lβ (class II) family alleles in Naked Neck chickens using the Polymerase Chain Reaction-Sequence Specific Primers (PCR-SSP) technique. Sixty Naked Neck chickens were analyzed for five standard haplotypes (B2, B13, B15, B19, and B21). The results revealed significant genetic diversity with 10 distinct genotypes identified. Allele B19 showed the highest frequency (0.392), followed by B15 (0.258), B2 (0.183), B21 (0.125), and B18 (0.042). The population showed Hardy-Weinberg disequilibrium (χ² = 36.179, P<0.05), indicating non-random mating or selection pressure. These findings provide valuable insights into the genetic structure of Naked Neck chickens and their potential for disease resistance breeding programs.
