On Tuesday, a thorough genome sequence of the domesticated turkey, which is one of the chief sources of meat in the US, has been released by an international group of researchers.

Virginia Tech Assistant Professor, Rami Dalloul revealed that more than 90% of the native North American bird's genome sequence has been recorded. Majority of the information was taken from the 10 biggest chromosomes, or macrochromosomes.

Dalloul is one of the authors of the project, which started mapping the turkey's genetic blueprint in the year 2008. He said that they have already explained thousands of genes that were earlier unfamiliar to avian scientists.

Dalloul said, "In the short term, the turkey genome sequence will provide scientists with knowledge of specific genes that are important in meat yield and quality, health and disease resistance, fertility and reproduction".

Researchers from Austria, Germany, Britain, the Netherlands, South Korea, Spain and the United States provided their input in the study that appeared in the PLoS Biology journal.

The researchers are of the opinion that mapping the turkey's genome sequence would enable them to understand host-pathogen interactions between microbes in a better way, hence, leading the path to better prevention and treatment methods.