“Low immune gene diversity in modern devils has been linked to the spread and devastating impacts of Devil Facial Tumour disease (DFTD),” said senior author Katrina Morris, a PhD candidate at the University’s Faculty of Veterinary Science and senior author of the study published in the journal Biology Letters today.

“It is well known that low genetic diversity is a major extinction risk factor, but when and how devils lost their immune diversity has remained a mystery until now.”

“Devils once lived across much of mainland Australia, but became extinct sometime in the last few thousand years,” said Dr Jeremy Austin, from the Australian Centre for Ancient DNA at the University of Adelaide.

“We looked at subfossil bones of these extinct mainland devils, as well as museum specimens of Tasmanian devils collected over the last 200 years. They capture the genetic diversity of the past allowing us to see how the immune gene diversity has changed over thousands of years.”

The genes the researchers studied included the oldest marsupial genes to have ever had their genetic code sequenced, taken from mainland devil specimens at least 3000 years old.

Surprisingly, the immune diversity in devils was low in all Tasmanian samples dating from the 1980s back to before European arrival in 1800. Mainland devils, isolated from the Tasmanian population by sea level rises at the end of the last ice age, also had low and very similar diversity to Tasmanian devils.

“Low immune diversity would have made devils susceptible to disease outbreaks,” said Katrina Morris. “This may explain their history of population extinctions, population crashes and disease outbreaks in the 1800s and early 1900s.”

The research was supported by funding from the Australian Research Council, the Save the Tasmanian Devil Foundation and Zoos SA. Associate Professor Kathy Belov from the Faculty of Veterinary Science at the University of Sydney is team leader.

For anyone wanting information about studying Animal Science or Veterinary Science, the Roseworthy campus is having its annual Open Day this Sunday 11am – 3pm.

There will be plenty of experts around to answer your questions about these degrees, as well as showcasing the exciting research and teaching facilities! You can take a tour and see the sights, including the construction of the School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences teaching hospital.

For more information about how to get to Roseworthy, as well as a campus map, please visit the campus page.

Open Day offers a variety of information, colour and entertainment right across the campus! From the full suite of academic talks and displays to the Short Film Festival. There’ll be music and food, sports and club demonstrations, drama and orchestral rehearsals and plenty of SCIENCE!!

The North Tce Campus will be open from 10am-4pm. Download the booklet outlining all the events, and we look forward to seeing you on Sunday.

Construction has begun on the State’s first School of Veterinary Science, at the University of Adelaide’s Roseworthy Campus.

The $37 million building project – funded by Commonwealth ($15m) and State ($5m) governments and the University ($17m) – will see the construction of a new 5000 square metre building that will house teaching laboratories, a clinical skills laboratory, an e-learning centre, a pathology teaching and diagnostic suite and a veterinary teaching hospital at the University’s Roseworthy Campus. The project also includes the refurbishment of existing lecture theatres, laboratories and offices.The new building is scheduled for completion in 2010.

The new Vet School had its first intake of 47 students in 2008 for its three-year Pre-Veterinary undergraduate Science degree and has since received about 400 applications for places in 2009′s intake. To complete their training, graduates of this degree program will then study for a three-year postgraduate veterinary science degree. There will be 70 places a year for the postgraduate veterinary science degree starting in 2011.

Head of the School of Veterinary Science Professor Gail Anderson says veterinary students at the University of Adelaide will have a broad exposure to all aspects of veterinary science, including livestock production, equine health, aquaculture and biosecurity, companion and exotic species.

for more information about studying Veterinary Sciences at the University of Adelaide, please contact the Faculty of Sciences.