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Australia's iconic koala, whose existence is threatened by disease, forest fires, falls and dog attacks, has a promising future ahead of scientists who decipher their genetic code , according to a study published Monday.
A mammoth effort of more than 50 researchers in seven countries revealed 26,558 koalas genes, providing vital DNA clues to vaccines against diseases such as badually transmitted chlamydia that blind these animals and make them infestable.
"The genome has allowed us to understand the kool immunity genes in detail for the first time," said Rebecca Johnson of the Australian Museum Research Institute, co-author of the kool immunity program. study published in the scientific journal Nature Genetics.
"These genes directly contribute to vaccines against koalas," AFP said.
The DNA code could also stimulate kelp breeding programs.
The researcher stated that consanguinity was greater between the koalas of Victoria and South Australia than between his cousins in Queensland and New South Wales
The Discovery "allows us to make recommendations on genetic diversity and how animals can be transported to enhance the diversity of endogenous populations," said Johnson.
Of the 15 to 20 species that existed 30 to 40 million years ago, only one koala species survives in Australia today – about 330,000 individuals in total, mostly living in protected areas.
Only 43,000 can be left in nature compared to the estimated 10 million koalas before Europeans began settling in the region in 1788.
The number of koalas was decimated in part by a
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature qualifies the protection status of the koala as "vulnerable".
Koalas are marsupials – mammals that raise their koala. puppies in an abdominal bag.
Their diet consists mainly of eucalyptus leaves, which would be toxic to most animals and low in calories, which means that these animals must eat a lot and rest frequently.
The new study identified genes responsible for detoxification of the liver that probably allowed koalas to find this food niche, avoiding competition for food with other animals.
Unfortunately, this almost exclusive diet has its drawbacks, which makes it particularly vulnerable to the disappearance of eucalyptus forests, affected by deforestation and urban development.
Global warming, according to experts, further increases the risk of devastating fires and tree deaths.
The most complete kallay genome sequenced among marsupials, of which there are about 300 species, the researchers said.
The koala genome is larger than the human genome, with about 20,000 genes.
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