African Researchers Use Gene Editing and Other Tools To Breed Heartier Livestock

wooloohoo shares a report: Livestock researchers in Africa are looking to genome editing and other new technologies to identify genes that could help them tame the spread of a parasite that spreads sleeping sickness in animals and humans. In addition to work aimed at eradicating African trypanosomiasis, scientists at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in Nairobi are using gene editing to introduce such desirable traits as heat tolerance and disease resistance into cattle and chickens, said Prof. Steve Kemp, program leader in livestock genetics at ILRI. However, he said the effort is still at the preliminary research stage. African animal trypanosomiasis is a parasitic disease that causes serious livestock losses due to anemia and lower reproduction rates, according to the Center for Food Security and Public Health. Losses in cattle are especially prominent, though other animals, including dogs, can also be affected. Untreated cases can be fatal, and the mortality rate is high in some outbreaks.

"Eradicating African animal trypanosomiasis is extremely important as we estimate that Africa loses US$1 billion annually due to human and livestock diseases," Kemp said. The people keeping livestock have experienced huge losses due to animal diseases, said Abdikadir Mohamed, chief executive officer of the Kenya Livestock Marketing Council (KLMC). "This leads to people getting poorer. Some sickly animals are rejected during market days, yet they come from far to sell the livestock. There is also a security threat as herders go back with their livestock. We need to stop these persistent diseases by available technologies."

Fluorescence

[Schoenlepel]

Why not make them fluorescent? That way, when you lost them, you can find them back easily.

Re:

[cusco]

It would make them too easy for lions to hunt.

Re:

[cayenne8]

I dunno.

it would seem if you live in a desert where you cannot grow crops, can't raise livestock and generally cannot live there...it would seem that the cheapest solution would be to follow common sense and move out of the fucking desert to somewhere that supports human life a bit better?

Re:

[alvinrod]

Most people who live in Africa don't live in the portions of the continent which are desserts unless it's also along the coast or a river. There's plenty of arable land and even the parts which are in the dessert can produce great crops if they can receive irrigation from nearby sources of water, and anything along the coast has access to the ocean for food. There's a lot of savanna which can easily support livestock as long as they aren't so concentrated that overgrazing occurs.

The main problems are thi

Re:

[cayenne8]

The main problems are things like malaria or other diseases that are spread by insects.

I'd consider being swarmed by insects that spread malaria or other diseases JUST as bad as living directly in a desert, ie, not really conducive to supporting human life.

MOVE to somewhere that is better suited for human habitat....seems that would be common sense, no?

Re:

[wooloohoo]

Common sense, perhaps, but not necessarily politically or economically viable.

Re:

[ShanghaiBill]

MOVE to somewhere that is better suited for human habitat....seems that would be common sense, no?

An application of common sense would tell you that there are already other people living in these better habitats.

More than 100 million Africans live in the Sahara, the Sahel, the Kalahari, and the arid regions around them.

Are you ok with them moving to your country?

Re:

[cayenne8]

Well, since they're Africans, I'd suggest somewhere most hospitable on the continent of Africa first.

Re:

[wooloohoo]

Which is, again, not necessarily politically or economically viable.

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[cusco]

Sorry, the people who are living in those places are going to object, and they're armed. Those folks are coming to your back yard.

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[cayenne8]

Sorry, the people who are living in those places are going to object, and they're armed. Those folks are coming to your back yard.

I doubt that.

The US is pretty heavily armed everywhere too.

At least for now...*sigh*

Re:

[angel'o'sphere]

Just like the Syrian refugees that came to Europe, it worked out so good.

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[PPH]

move out of the fucking desert to somewhere that supports human life a bit better

They are. Sweden, for example.

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[tomhath]

Can't be much worse than the last disease that came out of Chinese labs. No GMO needed.

This is why I'm not against GMOs

[Stonent1]

There's a lot of benefit (world hunger being one) to these kinds of studies and processes.

Re:

[PPH]

Of course, the EU will object, being the home of much GMO-phobia. But it will be OK. By the time this livestock reaches the market, all of Europe should switch to eating bugs.

Re:

[angel'o'sphere]

Perhaps you should inform your self about GMO-phobia, and why CRISPERing a cattle into a more resilient one does not fall into that category?

Heartier?

[GungaDan]

Did msmash mean "hardier?" Or are these livestock, thanks to genetic engineering, more enthusiastic and exuberant than other livestock? Perhaps they have enlarged hearts?

Re:Heartier?

[bws111]

Hearty - exhibiting vigorous good health

Re:

[burtosis]

Perhaps they have enlarged hearts?

No, no, no. They won’t tell you this, but it’s quite of gene editing to enhance the flavor of the meat, overall just more wholesome and substantial. It’s the new wagyu.

Perfect hosts for the next Ebola

[nospam007]

That new Ebola will make people want to go to the airport even faster than the old Ebola.

Re:

[dargaud]

Do you volunteer to be a carrier ?

Re:

[wooloohoo]

Is that what all this anti-mask and anti-vaccine rhetoric has really been about?

Re: Oh yes! Like giving a nuke to a todder.

[backslashdot]

Governments are no better, yet have more power. Not sure the point of handing businesses over to the government when theyâ(TM)ll be far worse. As the ultimate monopoly theyâ(TM)ll have no reason to provide good service when they can just blame foreigners and pariah groups while fudging the news such that they keep getting âoeelected.â At least private entities donâ(TM)t command a police force and massive army with nukes and fighter planes.

Breeding vs Editing

[bobstreo]

We've pretty much always bred livestock to best take advantage of positive traits

This seems like a "quick fix" approach to the usual generational breeding.

If it ends up with healthier livestock, it's probably a good thing.

Re: Which Country?

[clovis]

They said "Africa" because they know the average person thinks "Kenya" is one of the Kardashian family.

Re:

[wooloohoo]

Funny and probably true... but also, as the article states, this "project is being implemented through collaboration with African Union-based gene banks and the African Union Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR)." So it's not limited to either Kenya or Tanzania, as the AC surmised.

Cow Level Here I Come

[UnknowingFool]

"Moo moo moo moo"
"Moo"

Or eliminate the vector tsetse fly

[clovis]

There are ongoing projects to eliminate the tsetse fly, but there are also people like this in the way.
https://academic.oup.com/biosc... [oup.com]

Re:Or eliminate the vector tsetse fly

[ShanghaiBill]

Nerd joke: What do you get when you cross a tsetse fly with a mountain climber?

Nothing. You can't cross a vector with a scaler.

Re:

[clovis]

Nerd joke: What do you get when you cross a tsetse fly with a mountain climber?

Nothing. You can't cross a vector with a scaler.

lol, thanks for the trip down memory lane.
I heard that one about 50 years ago while I was getting my Physics degree.