ABSTRACT
The livestock population of the US is among the healthiest in the world. Although the ratio of livestock to the human population provides a self-sufficiency in animals and animal products, the US imports some types of animal products and exports others. Genetic engineering is one of newest technologies. As a result of this advance, some scientists feel that on the verge of a medical revolution based on developments of recombinant DNA technology-often referred to as gene splicing, or genetic engineering. Progress is being made in this field at a rapid rate. Man has been changing the genetic makeup of plants and animals in a limited way for thousands of years. The potential for application of genetic engineering is highest for use in controlling animal diseases caused by viruses. This is possibly because more viruses have been studied at the molecular level; these viruses also cause some of the more important infectious diseases.
