Warmblood Fragile Foal Syndrome
The Warmblood Fragile Foal Syndrome , or WFFS for short, is a hereditary connective tissue weakness that occurs mainly in warm-blooded horses. Affected foals show overstretchable joints and very thin skin, which is prone to injury. Since the disease cannot be cured, such foals are euthanized shortly after birth.
Inheritance
WFFS is inherited as an autosomal recessive trait; H. the following possible genotypes and phenotypes result .
- Genotype N / N: healthy horse
- Genotype N / WFFS: Horse is healthy itself, but can pass on the gene mutation that causes WFFS to its offspring
- Genotype WFFS / WFFS: sick with WFFS, not viable
Practical implications in horse breeding
The offspring of a healthy horse with a heterozygous carrier are in turn healthy or heterozygous WFFS carriers. With two heterozygous gene carriers as parent animals, however, there is a statistical risk of 25% for a foal with WFFS. If the WFFS status of the parent animals is known and they are still paired with one another, the Animal Welfare Act applies.
Genetic testing on WFFS
A genetic test has been available for WFFS since 2013. The laboratory needs a blood sample or plucked hair (with hair roots) from the relevant horse.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Warmblood Fragile Foal Syndrome: The Hereditary Disease WFFS -. May 23, 2018, accessed on August 1, 2019 (German).
- ↑ § 11b TierSchG - single standard. Retrieved August 1, 2019 .