Christina Meiring graduated on 5 March with a PhD in Molecular Biology. This graduation marked the ‘first large-scale investigation of the genetic diversity in the African wild dog population of the Kruger National Park (KNP),’ says Sue Segar in an article written on behalf of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences.
Picture: Unsplash / Joel Sileno
Meiring has been a part of the Animal Tuberculosis (TB) Research Group at Stellenbosch University’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences and her study of the critically endangered African wild dog provides a platform for ‘future genomic testing to inform conservation management’.
The KNP has the largest population of self-sustaining African wild dogs in South Africa, other remaining populations only survive as a result of human intervention and are fragmented.
Meiring wishes to undertake a postdoctoral fellowship in the Animal TB Research Group and the TB Host Genetic Research Group to continue her research. She hopes to expand her research into Zimbabwe and other South African wild dog populations.
‘I thoroughly enjoyed my project, which started in 2018, and I love what I do,’ she said in an interview as reported by Segar.
Meiring visited the KNP twice during her project where she witnessed how scientists sample wild dogs.
‘[Wild dogs] are fascinating, unique and charismatic. They are caring, beautiful animals and so loving to their pups. If one wild dog is injured, they will do all they can to help it survive. They are not like other carnivores who kick out a weak member. Their unique coat patterns, the sounds they make and their hunting success is amazing,’ she said.
Picture: Unsplash / Leon Pauleikhoff
As mentioned in Segar’s report, according to Meiring, habitat loss, disease and human and other conflicts have impacted the survival of African wild dogs.
‘The result is a limited number of individual wild dogs that can maintain the genetic pool. These small populations lose genetic diversity and individuals are more likely to breed with close relatives (inbreeding), leading to decreased fitness and limiting their ability to adapt to challenges, such as environmental changes or disease.
‘Recently, the infectious disease bovine tuberculosis, caused by Mycobacterium bovis, has caused mortality in wild dogs across South Africa and little is known about how this disease affects this species. Additionally, the assessment of genetic diversity in this species, a crucial component required to support the planning of conservation strategies, has not been done.
‘A full picture of the genetic makeup of individuals of a population is important since that would most likely provide the means to conserve the genetic diversity to increase their fitness and adaptability,’ Meiring added.
The ‘entire genetic code of 71 wild dogs’, using blood samples, allowed for individuals to be compared in a technique called ‘whole-genome sequencing’.
Meiring says she hopes ‘this study will provide the foundation to develop genomic profiles which can be used for strategic population management’.
Picture: Unsplash / Catherine Merlin
The research discovered that the ingestion of infected prey is the most likely way that African wild dogs get infected with bovine TB. According to Meiring, these findings are important because ‘the consequences of an emerging infectious disease on a population with low levels of genome variation may threaten the long-term viability of African wild dogs. This is critical information to consider when planning future conservation actions for this species.’
According to Segar, Meiring paid warm tribute to her ‘most amazing supervisors’ – Prof Michele Miller and Prof Marlo Moller and her ‘mentor and friend’ Prof Paul van Helden for his major role in her project.
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