From:
dr_bruce_williams
Date: 2002-01-18 23:29:00 UTC
Subject: Re: Is this Waardenburg?
--- In Ferret-Health-list@y..., fhbythesea@a... wrote:
> To the readers of this list:
>
> I found a breeder who is promoting 'bobtail' kits - in fact their
hob threw
> 100 kits last year and the bobtail remained true to the
litters....my
> research on Waardenburg shows that the primary symptoms of the
genetic
> disease are the white blotches and deafness (the hob is a panda)
but also
> includes osteoarthritis, neural tube defects, gastrointestinal
disorders,
> limb defects, etc. I believe that because the hob is a panda color
and also
> has the bob tail that this ferret has Waardenburg syndrome.
Dear Lisa - I am not a geneticist, and there are people on the list
more qualified than I, but let me take a stab at it. I would
hesitate to jump to the conclusion that this expression is part of
Wardenburg syndrome. It does not appear to be related to defective
embryologic migration of neural crest cells, nor is it a true limb
defect or neural tube defect.
It is however, a genetic defect, and one that apparently has a high
rate of penetrance (the the likelihood that an animal with that gene
will exhibit the defect).
Let's talk a bit about selective breeding. It is simply how new
breeds and colors are made in ferrets, or in other species. You can't
breed for a distinctive trait without risking bringing other defects
into the line. That is why we now have Waardenburg syndrome in color-
diluted ferrets.
Manx cats are popular in some areas. However, the defect that causes
the tailless Manx cat has also introduced a similar defect, that of
spina bifida. (It would be interesting to see if this is also seen
in these bobtail ferrets).
With kindest regards,
Bruce Williams, dVM