Ataxia test for Finnish Hounds

Hereditary cerebellar cortical abiotrophies (CCAs) cause ataxia in domestic animals. CCAs have been described in several dog breeds with breed-specific age of onset and disease progression. The canine genetic research group led by prof. Lohi at the University of Helsinki and Folkälsan has identified a novel ataxia-causing gene segregating with an early-onset progressive CCA disorder in Finnish Hounds (FH). The affected FHs present generalized cerebellar ataxia and they have serious problems in the control and coordination of their movements. The age of onset of the ataxia ranges between 3 and 4 months and the disease progresses rapidly so that the dogs have to be euthanized usually within a month from the onset. The disease is inherited recessively and only dogs that are homozygous for the mutation become affected. Carriers are healthy and can and should be used in the breeding programs. Genoscoper offers now a mutation-based test for the breed.

The results are reported as follows:

NORMAL: The dog carries two copies of the normal gene and will not develop the disease.

CARRIER: The dog carries one mutant and one normal copy of the ataxia gene. The dog will not develop the disease but can pass over the defect to approximately 50% of its offspring.

AFFECTED: The dog carries two mutant copies of the ataxia gene and will develop the disease in early puppyhood. There is currently no cure or alleviating treatment for the disease.

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This novel study will be published by the Lohi group in a near future.