Genetic Fingerprinting and Registry for Psittacine Birds

LGL生态遗传学公司确定了一个商业机会，开发用于鹦鹉的DNA指纹分析。这项技术将导致合法圈养鸟类的登记。1992年的《野生鸟类保护法》规定，某些外来鸟类必须有一个独特的、可识别的标志，因此需要建立这个登记处。只有基因标记才足够精确。然而，目前还没有一种适合这些动物的指纹识别方法。因此，他们将开发PCR引物来扩增适合于确定任何鸟类个体身份的微卫星位点。该公司将提供鸟类注册所需的实验室分析。第一阶段将以风信子金刚鹦鹉为实验对象，验证引物在近缘个体间的区分准确性。第二阶段将包括对大量的风信子金刚鹦鹉进行指纹识别，为各种鹦鹉类群开发引物，并对“金刚鹦鹉群落”中的个体进行指纹识别。第三阶段将包括设立指纹注册处和发展指纹业，并以用户收费的方式提供资金。

LGL Ecological Genetics, Inc. identified a commercial opportunity to develop DNA fingerprinting assays for use on psittacine birds. This technology will result in a registry of the legal birds in captivity. The need for this registry results from the Wild Bird Conservation Act of 1992 which stipulates that certain species of exotic birds must have a unique and identifiable mark. Only genetic marks are accurate enough for this purpose. However, an adequate fingerprinting process for these animals does not yet exist. Therefore, they will develop PCR primers to amplify microsatellite loci suitable to establish the identity of any individual bird. The company will serve to provide the laboratory analyses required for registration of a bird. Phase I will demonstrate such primers for the hyacinth macaw, and show their accuracy for discriminating among closely related individuals. Phase II will involve the fingerprinting of large numbers of hyacinth macaws, developing primers for a diversity of psittacid taxa, and the fingerprinting of the individuals in the "macaw colony." Phase III will entail the establishment of the registry and the development of the fingerprinting industry which will be funded on a user-fee basis.