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The researchers found that birds from 2 different indigenous chicken ecotypes in Ethiopia share several genetic regions linked to important productivity and disease resistance characteristics.
The project, the first of its kind to collectively study genetic data from different African ecotypes, will help support the development of healthier, more resilient and productive poultry in the future.
The researchers studied the DNA of more than 700 indigenous African chickens from 2 different Ethiopian ecotypes. Photo: Twan Wiermans
Led by Dr Androniki Psifidi, Professor of Veterinary Clinical Genetics at the UK’s Royal Veterinary College, the researchers studied the DNA of more than 700 indigenous African chickens from two distinct Ethiopian ecotypes: one from a high-altitude humid region and the another from a lowland. arid part of the country. Using genome-wide association studies and whole genome sequencing data, the researchers found that despite being from contrasting backgrounds, significant similarities were identified in the genetic markers associated with production traits. These include putative genes for resistance to infectious bursa disease, Marek’s disease, and fowl typhoid fever, as well as Eimeria and cestode parasite infections.
Frontiers in genetics
The findings, published in Frontiers in Genetics, demonstrate that it is possible to analyze pooled genetic data from different chicken ecotypes, meaning that researchers can work with larger data sets to improve the efficiency of chicken production in the future. Dr. Psifidi said: “This work was the result of an interdisciplinary effort by scientists at multiple research institutes. Our study contributes to a better understanding of the dynamics and potential of African indigenous genetic resources for the benefit of poultry farming. We hope that the message transmitted by this work will promote future collaborations between different regions ”.
Collaborators included the Rural College of Scotland (SRUC), the Roslin Institute, the University of Liverpool, the University of Nottingham and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI). Professor Olivier Hanotte, lead scientist at ILRI Addis Ababa and professor of genetics and conservation at the University of Nottingham, said the study was an illustration of how quickly cattle have been able to successfully adapt to new environments. “For more than 3,000 years, the African village chicken has won the many challenges posed by natural selection”
Continue work
Professor George Banos, Professor of Animal and Veterinary Sciences at SRUC, added: “We are very excited about these results and we plan to continue our work to improve chicken productivity and farm sustainability. Chicken production has played and will always have a multifaceted role in alleviating hunger and poverty and improving social structures and quality of life in sub-Saharan Africa. “
The study was funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, the Office of Foreign, Commonwealth and Development, the Government of Scotland and the Center for Tropical Livestock Genetics and Health (CTLGH).
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