Turnaround: 3-5 business daysTurnaround: 7-10 business days
Price: $40.00Price: £30.00
Breeds: Andalusian/Arabian, Anglo-Arabian, AraAppaloosa, Arabian, Arabian Cross, Arabian/Dutch Warmblood, Arabian/Friesian Cross, Arabian/Paint, Arabian/Pinto, Arabian/Quarter Horse, Arabian/Saddlebred, Arabian/Thoroughbred, Arabian/Warmblood, Curly Horse, Egyptian Arabian, German Riding Pony, Half-Arabian, Hispano-Árab, Karabakh Horse, Lusitano, Mixed Breed, Part Bred Arabian, Shagya Arabian, Swedish Riding Pony, Unspecified
Description
Cerebellar Abiotrophy (CA), also called Cerebellar Cortical Abiotrophy (CCA), is an inherited neurological disease. It occurs when Purkinje cells, the neurons in the cerebellum that control balance and coordination, begin to die off. As these cells are lost, the horse’s coordination becomes severely affected.
CA is best known in the Arabian horse and in breeds with Arabian ancestry. Most affected foals appear normal at birth, and signs usually become noticeable after about four months of age. Some cases have been seen shortly after birth, while others do not show signs until after the first year.
Affected horses startle easily and often fall. Common signs include head tremor, poor balance, a wide-based stance and difficulty getting up from lying down. CA can be confused with Wobbler syndrome, Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis (EPM) or injury-related problems such as concussion.
CA is inherited as an autosomal recessive trait: a horse must inherit two copies of the variant, one from each parent, to be affected. A horse with one copy is a carrier and shows no signs, but can pass the variant to its offspring. Because carriers are healthy, the variant can pass silently through several generations. When two carriers are bred, each foal has a 25% chance of being affected, a 50% chance of being a carrier and a 25% chance of being clear. Testing breeding stock allows owners to avoid carrier-to-carrier matings.
Possible results
| Genotype | Description |
|---|---|
| CA/CA | Affected: Horse has two copies of the CA variant and is expected to develop signs of Cerebellar Abiotrophy. It will pass one copy of the variant to every offspring. |
| N/CA | Carrier: Horse has one copy of the CA variant and is not expected to show signs of the disease. Each offspring has a 50% chance of inheriting the variant. |
| N/N | Clear: Horse does not carry the CA variant and cannot pass it on to offspring. |
Breeds Affected
Arabian, Half-Arabian, Anglo-Arabian and other breeds with Arabian ancestry
Reference
[PMID: 21126570]