Abstract: Gene modification refers to the precise editing of an organism's DNA sequence through human intervention in order to modify its genomic structure or function in a targeted manner. In recent years, with the development of molecular biology and genetic engineering technology, gene modification technology (e.g., transgenic technology and gene editing technology) combined with assisted reproduction technology has shown great potential in the field of disease-resistant breeding in cattle and small ruminants. This technology can not only precisely improve disease resistance traits and enhance the health and production performance of livestock but also make up for the shortcomings of traditional selection and breeding methods in terms of low efficiency and long cycle time. However, compared with disease resistance breeding in pigs and chickens, cattle and small ruminants still have more room for progress in this field. Currently, optimizing the genome of cattle and Small ruminants through gene modification technology is becoming a cutting-edge direction to break through the bottleneck of traditional prevention and control. The review describe the current development of gene modification technology from the aspects of animal transgenics and gene editing technology and briefly summarize the status of the application of this technology in disease resistance breeding in cattle and small ruminants, which will provide some references for future research on disease resistance breeding in cattle and small ruminants.

Key words: disease resistance breeding, transgenics, gene editing