ABSTRACT OF THE WEEK

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Volume 14 | Issue 3 (January 2024)

Spotting the Pattern: A Review on White Coat Color in the Domestic Horse.

Animals (Basel). January 2024;14(3):.

Aiden McFadden¹, Micaela Vierra², Katie Martin³, Samantha A Brooks⁴, Robin E Everts⁵, Christa Lafayette⁶

¹ Etalon Inc., Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA.; ² Etalon Inc., Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA.; ³ Etalon Inc., Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA.; ⁴ Department of Animal Sciences, UF Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA.; ⁵ Etalon Inc., Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA.; ⁶ Etalon Inc., Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA.

Abstract

Traits such as shape, size, and color often influence the economic and sentimental value of a horse. Around the world, horses are bred and prized for the colors and markings that make their unique coat patterns stand out from the crowd. The underlying genetic mechanisms determining the color of a horse's coat can vary greatly in their complexity. For example, only two genetic markers are used to determine a horse's base coat color, whereas over 50 genetic variations have been discovered to cause white patterning in horses. Some of these white-causing mutations are benign and beautiful, while others have a notable impact on horse health. Negative effects range from slightly more innocuous defects, like deafness, to more pernicious defects, such as the lethal developmental defect incurred when a horse inherits two copies of the Lethal White Overo allele. In this review, we explore, in detail, the etiology of white spotting and its overall effect on the domestic horse to Spot the Pattern of these beautiful (and sometimes dangerous) white mutations.

Keywords

coat color; depigmentation; horse; mutation; white spotting;

Article Tools:

Medline

Email to me

Archives Highlights:

Investigation of maternal mortality and stillbirth in feline dystocia after emergency obstetric care interventions: a retrospective analysis.
Medical treatment was successful in 17% of patients, and 83% underwent surgical treatment for dystocia. Ovariohysterectomy (59%) was the most common surgical method, followed by conservative caesarean section (35%).

Canine distemper outbreak and laryngeal paralysis in captive tigers (Panthera tigris).
All suspected and confirmed cases of CDV infections were significantly associated with laryngeal inflammation, which developed into paralysis in almost 50% of cases. Altogether, 50% of all tiger cases with chronic infection developed stridor at 314 days after virus infection. Therefore, laryngeal paralysis may result from CDV infection and degeneration, potentially affecting the peripheral and central nervous systems. This condition could pose a life-threatening risk to tigers.

Prevalence of Encephalitozoon hellem among companion and exhibition birds in Japan.
Although microsporidia can rarely cause severe systemic infections, including hepatitis, nephritis, and enteritis in young birds, most infected birds are subclinical and thought to recover spontaneously after a period of temporary spore shedding if they do not have immunosuppression. Microsporidia can cause self-limiting infection in immunocompetent humans and life-threatening chronic diarrhea in immunocompromised individuals.

Investigating the Reasons behind Companion Animal Relinquishment: A Systematic Content Analysis of Shelter Records for Cats and Dogs, 2018-2023.
The most frequent reasons cited were Behavior Issues (28%), Housing/Moving (18%), Unable to Care (16%), Too Many Pets (10%), Financial (6%), and Owner Allergies (5%). The most common behavioral reasons reported were Aggression (32% of behavioral surrenders), Social Conflict (28%), and Soiling (13%).

Elimination Diet Trials: Steps for Success and Common Mistakes
Increasing the duration of the EDT to 8 weeks increases the sensitivity to more than 90% for the diagnosis of food allergies in dogs and cats. The time to flare upon oral challenge with the offending diet can be 7 to 14 days.