RAPID: A unique opportunity to preserve a genetic record of the origin of a novel host-pathogen interaction

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Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) is a widespread bacterial pathogen of chickens and turkeys that jumped to House Finches in eastern North America in 1994. For the past 16 years, this new songbird disease has been restricted in range to the east and Pacific Northwest of North America, but the pathogen is now spreading as an epizootic through the southwestern range of the House Finch. The purpose of the proposed research is to document this new outbreak of MG by collecting cultures of MG and archiving genome and transcriptome samples from finches during the first year of the appearance of MG in House Finches in Tempe, Arizona. This award will create a valuable set of samples for future research. By screening for genes that show rapid evolutionary change in both the host and the pathogen, it will be possible to identify those genes that are the central players in the host and pathogenicity by MG. The project will promote science education through the involvement of undergraduate students and include outreach to the general public about studies of MG at backyard feeding stations.