Can Inbreeding Increase Viability? A Case Study on An Infectious Outbreak in An Inbred Pigeon Flock

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Inbreeding increases homozygosity, resulting in a loss of alleles and lower genetic variation than the parental population. In a small population, this low genetic variation and homozygosity can quickly lead to adverse effects. This study was conducted on a flock of pigeons with 32 adult pigeons. A disease characterized by dyspnea, anorexia, vomiting and sudden death has occurred in birds. Mortality and morbidity were recorded during the outbreak. The inbreeding coefficient was determined in the flock, with pedigree records going back 12 years. Although not significant, the inbreeding coefficient of dead birds are lower than that of symptomatic or healthy birds. It is also seen that there is no statistical significance in terms of inbreeding depression in morbidity or mortality status. The result indicated that inbreeding depression in morbidity and mortality was not observed in this particular disease case.