Ten years of Arabian oryx conservation breeding in Saudi Arabia – achievements and regional perspectives

Ostrowski, Stéphane; Bedin, Eric; Lenain, Daniel M.; Abu-Zinada, A. H.

doi:10.1017/s0030605300029975

Cited by 33 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 12 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Some authors (Wernery et al., 2007; Mamo et al., 2011) reported that BTB occurs more frequently in camels when they are kept close to other camels or in close contact with cattle. Cases of contamination of camels by wildlife (gazelles) have also been reported in the Arabian Peninsula (Ostrowski et al., 1998). Further investigations with a larger number of animals are therefore needed to better understand the epidemiology of TB in camels in Niger.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Risk Factors Associated with Bovine Tuberculosis and Molecular Characterization ofMycobacterium bovisStrains in Urban Settings in Niger

Boukary

Thys

Rigouts

et al. 2012

Transboundary and Emerging Diseases

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A retrospective and a longitudinal survey were carried out at the abattoir of Niamey. Results showed a highly significant difference in suspected tuberculosis (TB) gross lesions among different animal species (P < 0.0001). The proportion of carcasses with TB-like lesions was 0.19% among cattle, 0.11% among camels, 0.001% among sheep and 0.0006% among goats. In cattle, cows are significantly more affected than the other categories (P < 0.001). Also in cattle, TB-like lesions are mostly localized in the lungs (92.77%) followed by the lymph nodes (50.87%) and the liver (32.40%). The prevalence of gross lesions compatible with bovine TB (BTB) is strongly influenced by the season (P < 0.0001), is closely correlated with the origin of the animals (P < 0.001) and has a negative impact on the weight of affected animals (P < 0.0001). Sixty-two samples of suspected TB gross lesions were subject to microbiological analysis and molecular typing of strains. Mycobacterium bovis was identified in 18 animals showing five different spoligotypes, belonging to type 'African 1' previously identified in Central and West Africa. In addition, a profile (SB1982) not previously reported distinguished by the absence of spacers 3, 4, 9, 16, 22, 30 and 39-43 has been characterized in this study. To assess risk factors for BTB transmission, a questionnaire on animal husbandry practices, food habits, and clinical signs of TB in animals and humans was submitted to the heads of 1131 randomly selected households. The main risk factors identified are consumption of unpasteurized milk (91%) and lack of hygiene within households (32-74%). Clinical signs that could be attributed to TB were also reported both in humans and in animals of the households.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Risk Factors Associated with Bovine Tuberculosis and Molecular Characterization ofMycobacterium bovisStrains in Urban Settings in Niger

Boukary

Thys

Rigouts

et al. 2012

Transboundary and Emerging Diseases

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Shortly afterwards, an outbreak of tuberculosis at Taif reduced the herd to 35 oryx. This group, supplemented by some additional animals from the USA and other Middle Eastern groups, formed the basis of the captive-breeding programme that provided stock for reintroductions at Mahazat as-Sayd and 'Uruq Bani Ma'arid (Ostrowski, Bedin & Lenain, 1998).…”

Section: The Arabian Oryxmentioning

confidence: 99%

Use of genetic data for conservation management: the case of the Arabian oryx

Marshall¹,

Sunnucks²,

Spalton³

et al. 1999

Animal Conservation

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In this study we investigate some applications of genetic markers in animal conservation, using the Arabian oryx (Oryx leucoryx) as an example. Out of 66 sets of microsatellite primers from other ruminants, 58% were found to amplify microsatellites in Arabian oryx. Polymorphism (50% of loci amplified) and allelic diversity (mean 2.1 alleles/locus amplified) were within the range found in other ruminants. Arabian oryx (n = 343) representing most of the major groups world-wide were typed at six loci. Low but significant population differentiation was found between most oryx groups, suggesting that management of Arabian oryx has led to substantial genetic mixing between populations. Forty percent of the alleles in one additional Arabian oryx sample from the pre-extinction population in Oman were not found in any contemporary Arabian oryx, and two out of four contemporary populations were deficient in rare alleles, suggesting that the species has lost some neutral genetic variation. The microsatellite loci were sufficiently polymorphic for identification of an Arabian oryx sample in a forensic context, but were not sufficiently polymorphic for large-scale parentage inference. We suggest that it is important to evaluate whether genetic markers are likely to have sufficient power to answer particular conservation questions prior to committing conservation resources to genetic typing. Key: , lineage well represented; , lineage poorly represented (e.g. via single reproducing individual); ✘, lineage absent. Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Hamdan lineages are private collections in the United Arab Emirates.

show abstract

“…Because of the small founding numbers and the limited population number in the wild before the captive-breeding program was initiated, there may be restricted MHC genetic variation. In addition, there was an outbreak of tuberculosis in 1986 at the Taif, Saudi Arabia facility in which 22 of 57 (38.6%) Arabian oryx died (Ostrowski et al 1998) and there have been reports of foot-and-mouth disease in several facilities (Marshall 1998). As a result, it is important to determine the amount of genetic variation for the MHC in the Arabian oryx to evaluate whether the apparent susceptibility to infectious disease is related to reduced MHC variation.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Major Histocompatibility Complex Variation in the Arabian Oryx

Hedrick

Parker

Gutiérrez‐Espeleta

et al. 2000

Evol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In the 1960s, the Arabian oryx was one of the most endangered species in the world, extinct in the wild and surviving in only a few captive herds. The present day population of over 2000 descends from a small number of founders and may have restricted genetic variation for important adaptive genes. We have examined the amount of genetic variation for a class II gene in the major histocompatibility complex thought to be the most important genetic basis for pathogen resistance in vertebrates. We found three very divergent alleles, which on average, differed by 24 nucleotides and 15 amino acids in the 236-bp fragment we examined. Using single-strand conformation polymorphism, we found that in a sample of 57 animals, the alleles were in Hardy-Weinberg proportions, although one allele was found only in four heterozygous individuals. The average heterozygosity for the 22 amino acid positions involved in antigen binding was 0.165, three times as high as that for the 56 amino acids not involved with antigen binding. Because the three alleles have such divergent sequences, it is likely that they may recognize peptides from quite different pathogens. As a result, maintenance of these variants should be considered as a goal in the captive breeding program of the Arabian oryx.

show abstract

Ten years of Arabian oryx conservation breeding in Saudi Arabia – achievements and regional perspectives

Cited by 33 publications

References 12 publications

Risk Factors Associated with Bovine Tuberculosis and Molecular Characterization ofMycobacterium bovisStrains in Urban Settings in Niger

Risk Factors Associated with Bovine Tuberculosis and Molecular Characterization ofMycobacterium bovisStrains in Urban Settings in Niger

Use of genetic data for conservation management: the case of the Arabian oryx

Major Histocompatibility Complex Variation in the Arabian Oryx

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About