Australia’s iconic black swans have a worrying immune system deficiency

For years, scientists have known bird flu kills every black swan it infects. This means if the disease made it to the Australian continent, it would be an existential threat to this iconic Aussie species.
A new study published in Genome Biology finally reveals the gene contributions that make black swans particularly prone to falling victim to infectious diseases.
The relative geographic isolation of the black swan (Cygnus atratus) may have resulted in a limited immune toolbox, making them more susceptible to the infectious avian diseases Australia has been largely shielded from. 
Australia’s iconic black swans have a worrying immune system deficiency, new genome study finds