A Wicked Problem
Diseased bison in northern Canada, infected with bovine tuberculosis (bTB) and brucellosis along with small, geographically separated herds are two major barriers to bison conservation in Canada. Current conservation efforts by Parks Canada have been severely hampered by threats of disease spillover, genetic isolation amongst herds, and the potential for catastrophic loss among segregated herds.
These urgent problems cannot be overcome without ways of assessing genetic composition and overcoming disease. In 2020, the recovery of wood bison in Canada was designated an imminent threat if action is not taken now. The designation arose in part from a lack of tools for disease management and by the risk of disease spillover to disease-free herds. Parks Canada, along with other bison management agencies, will use genomic tools to manage these diseases and improve gene flow among herds (without the risk of introducing disease).
The overall goal of the BIG project is to ensure the existence of healthy, genetically diverse bison, and long-term sustainable genetic diversity in Canadian bison herds. The specific objectives are:
– Develop more sensitive diagnostic assays for bison using advanced proteomic and transcriptomic tools;
– Develop a combined Brucella and bovine tuberculosis vaccine;
– Refine and validate genomic tools to identify the genetic composition of bison herds, and,
– Transfer healthy germplasm between wild and genetically depauperate herds.
The BIG Project will also aim to:
– Rapidly diagnose bison that have brucellosis and bovine tuberculosis (and remove them from the herd);
– Protect disease-free bison herds at risk of transmission;
– Evaluate subspecies distinction and freedom from domestic cattle introgression, and;
– Produce disease-free germplasm from genetically isolated, diseased, and highly valuable herds to increase overall genetic diversity.
A Receptor Review Committee comprised of representatives of Indigenous communities, bison management agencies and industry will allow full integration of research needs with oversight and input by the end users who will eventually be adopting the genomic tools being developed.
