I'm still reading Genetic Screening in Dogs by Dr. Matthew Binns, BSc (Hons), PhD
Dr. Binns is Professor of Genetics at the Royal Veterinary College, London.
I know, not too exciting to anyone out there....but it's a good read to me.
Quote:
Genetic screening tests
DNA-based genetic screening tests have several advantages over other clinical diagnostic techniques. Once the mutation responsible for a disease has been identified it is generally straightforward to set up tests that are rapid, sensitive, cheap and definitive. In general, DNA tests use blood or buccal samples, and the first stage in most tests involves amplifying copies of DNA using a technique called the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The DNA produced in the PCR can then be analyzed by a variety of methods.
The number of genetic tests available for inherited diseases in dogs is increasing steadily, and is likely to accelerate with the availability of the dog genome sequence. A list of currently available commercial genetic screening tests for inherited diseases in pure dog breeds is given in Table 1, which also includes the URLs for the organizations offering the tests. Genetic testing for inherited diseases in many species, including dogs, is sometimes subject to patent protection which limits which organizations can test for certain diseases.
The majority of the diseases in Table 1 are inherited as autosomal recessive conditions, and it is the ability to identify carrier dogs that is a major advantage of DNA testing. Carrier dogs are clinically normal and it is not usually possible to distinguish between carriers and genetically clear dogs by veterinary investigation. The carriers act as “reservoirs” of disease for future generations and affected dogs are usually produced from matings between two carrier parents, where on average 25% of their litter will be affected with the disease.
DNA-based tests for recessive diseases present dog breeders with several options to improve the health and welfare of their dogs, and these choices are illustrated in Figure 1.
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