TOWARD A GENETIC CHARACTERIZATION OF NORTH AFRICAN CAMEL (Camelus dromedarius) POPULATIONS THROUGH STR MARKERS

The camel (Camelus dromedarius) represents an important economic resource in many arid areas across several countries, as a pack or racing animal or since providing milk, meat and hair. Despite its relevance, an exhaustive survey of the genetic variability among camel populations in North Africa is still lacking due to absence of cross-border studies in the currently available literature. As a consequence, a collaborative effort was recently launched to fill this gap. The project is now in its infancy stage. Here we describe the genesis of the project and provide preliminary details on the methodological approach. Up to now, 310 blood samples, representative of the different camel types found in Tunisia, together with 214 blood samples from Algeria and 78 blood samples representative of the north western coast of Egypt have been sampled. Further efforts are currently being made in order to ensure a good representativeness for camel populations in Egypt. A set of 20 FAO STR has been adopted. Analysis of data is expected to provide original insights on the historical process of camel dispersal in Northern Africa and contribute to a better characterization of camel populations in this region.