title: Heritability of syringomyelia in Cavalier King Charles spaniels.
abstract: Mixed model analysis of 384 Cavalier King Charles spaniels (CKCS), with a magnetic resonance imaging diagnosis for the presence or absence of a syrinx, in conjunction with the Kennel Club pedigree records of all dogs registered from the mid 1980s to September 2007, revealed a moderately high estimate of heritability of syringomyelia (h(2)=0.37+/-0.15 standard error) when analysed as a binary trait. Inspection of cases where the disease segregated within families pointed to genes at more than one locus influencing syringomyelia. The availability of estimated breeding values for Kennel Club registered CKCS is a significant step in being able to select against syringomyelia, particularly given the difficulty of ascertaining the disease phenotype.
authors.affiliation: Animal Health Trust, Lanwades Park, Kentford, Newmarket, Suffolk CB8 7UU, UK. tom.lewis@aht.org.uk
authors.forename: Tom
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.forename: Clare
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rusbridge
authors.forename: Penny
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Knowler
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Blott
authors.forename: John A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Woolliams
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000517:prevention & control; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005838:Genotype; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000662:veterinary; D008297:Male; D010375:Pedigree; D010641:Phenotype; D012641:Selection, Genetic; D013595:Syringomyelia / Q000235:genetics / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000662:veterinary*