Improving camels productivity for sustainable development in the Mediterranean South Basin countries (Egypt and Tunisia):

With global warming now an established reality, the world's deserts are advancing. Only camels can survive as the best livestock for projects of sustainable agriculture and animal production under these harsh conditions. Camels can be in times of ecological crisis the proper animals that can be farmed in those dry land areas. Currently, due to global changes of environmental conditions, camels nature, charcteristics, speciest productivity and breeding systems have become of concern to several countries. The low quality and low value of camel's products (milk, meat, leather, hair), are attributed to lack of innovation in the production systems and poor research on products innovation. tn the framework of the European Neighborhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI) of the "Mediterranean Sea Basin Program" that aims to enhance cooperation between the European Union (EU) and partner countries from the south basin of the Mediterranean Sea. Four countries, Tunis, through the Institute des RegionsArides -laboratoired'efevage et de la faunesauvage (IRA) and Egypt, through the Desert Research Center (DRC), representing the south Mediterranean basin and Italy, through the D.E.T.O. (University of Bari) and France. through the CIRAD (Centre de Cooperation tnternationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Developpement), representing the Northern basin of the Mediterranean, started a collaborative project PROCAMED, for improvement of camel production as a tool for sustainable development. The project is contributing to the targets of the program according to the following priority and measure: 1. Promotion of socio-economic development and enhancement of territories 11 . Supporting innovation and research for promoting the local development processes of the Mediterranean Basin Countries. (Résumé d'auteur

Combined sanger and ngs sequence analysis of the myostatin gene (mstn) in the Camelus dromedarius species

Different mutations have been identified in the myostatin gene (MSTN), some of which are responsible for protein inactivation and double muscling phenotype in mammals. So far, no extensive polymorphism survey has been carried out in Camelus dromedarius. We therefore performed a sequence analysis, adopting a combined strategy involving Sanger and next generation sequencing (NGS). Notably, 3.6 kb of the MSTN locus were Sanger sequenced in a population dataset including samples from Algeria (10), Tunisia (5), Egypt (9), Mauritania (5), Sudan (5) and Saudi Arabia (9). A further wholegenome dataset, including 7 C. dromedarius from Pakistan (1), Kenya (1), Saudi Arabia (3), Canary Islands (1) and Oman (1) were sequenced using the Illumina Hi-Seq 2000 technique at an average 15-fold coverage. Whole-genome NGS sequence data from 9 C. bactrianus and 7 C. ferus samples were also available for comparison. Overall, only four polymorphisms were detected, all of them were observed in intronic regions, corresponding to an average presence of one SNP per 1200 bps. Ten fixed sites were observed when comparing C. dromedarius MSTN sequences with those from C. bactrianus and C. ferus. The apparent low sequence diversity observed at the MSTN locus may reflect the peculiar evolutionary history of this species, with purifying selection and drift phenomena as the most likely acting forces.(Résumé d'auteur

Distinctive features of female reproductive physiology and artificial insemination in the dromedary camel species

Female dromedary camel are seasonal breeders and induced ovulators therefore the follicular wave pattern differs from that of other domestic animals and notably it is composed of recruitment phase, growth phase, mature phase and regression phase. Ultrasonography allows a more clear determination of the ovarian activity. The optimum time for inducing ovulation, either with GnRH or hCG, is when the dominant follicle diameter measures between 13 and 18 mm. The semen should be deposited into the uterus at least 24 hours after induction of ovulation. Pregnancy rates depend on the number of sperm deposited and on the site of deposition as well as on the semen extender. The corpus luteum start developing two-three days after the ovulating stimulus and, if the maternal recognition of the pregnancy does not occur, it is completely regressed the 13th day after it. The placenta of camelids is epitheliochorial and the pregnancy is located in the left uterine horn in 98% of the cases. Pregnancy could be diagnosed at 18 days, by ultrasonography, or later if diagnosed by rectal palpation of the uterus. The pregnancy lasts about 13 months and the uterine involution is completed within 40 days after parturition. After parturition, the period of resumption of the ovarian activity is variable