Inheritance of equine sarcoid disease in Franches-Montagnes horses.
The mode of inheritance for susceptibility to equine sarcoid disease (ES) remains unknown. The objectives of this study were to analyse a large sample of the Franches-Montagnes (FM) horse population and investigate the heritability and mode of inheritance for susceptibility to ES. Horses were clinically examined for the presence of sarcoid tumours. A standardized examination protocol and client questionnaire were used and a pedigree- and subsequent segregation-analysis for the ES trait performed. To investigate the mode of inheritance, five models were evaluated and compared in a hierarchical way. The analyses reveal that variation in susceptibility to ES is best explained by a model incorporating polygenic variation. The possible effect of a major gene, such as specific equine leukocyte antigen alleles, is unlikely, but cannot be ruled-out entirely. The heritability of the phenotype on the observation scale for the trait 'affected with ES' was estimated to be 8%. A corrected value for the heritability on a liability scale was estimated at 21% and it is therefore possible to estimate breeding values for ES. The arguments against the practical implementation of an estimated breeding value in a multifactorial condition like ES are discussed.
['Christen|Garance|G|', 'Gerber|Vinzenz|V|', 'Dolf|Gaudenz|G|', 'Burger|Dominique|D|', 'Koch|Christoph|C|']
D000818:Animals D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease D006734:Horse Diseases D006736:Horses D012507:Sarcoidosis D012878:Skin Neoplasms
Sarcoid Horse Heritability Breeding Segregation analysis