Scientists at University of California, Davis, have discovered a gene mutation responsible for causing bladder problems in Dalmatians, a finding that may help researchers uncover clues to the cause of similar problems in humans.
The team of UC Davis researchers found that a gene mutation causes high levels of uric acid and bladder stones in some Dalmatians, a defect that is particular to the breed, a university news release states.
The findings were published last week in the scientific journal "Public Library of Science."
The defect was "probably unintentionally introduced as breeders worked to select more distinctive spotting patterns," veterinary geneticist Danika Bannasch, the lead author on the study, said in the release.
The trait can be removed from the breed by crossing Dalmatians with the normal offspring of the original Dalmatian-pointer breeding of the early 1970s, she said.
The university's Veterinary Genetics Laboratory will offer DNA testing for the mutation in dogs beginning Dec. 1.
While all mammals excrete waste in their urine, only humans, great apes and Dalmatians produce elevated levels of uric acid in their urine and blood. In humans, high levels of uric acid can result in kidney stones, hypertension and gout. In Dalmatians, high levels can result in bladder stones, which have to be removed surgically.
To conduct their research, the UC Davis scientists collected DNA samples, as well as urine samples, from hundreds of dogs to identify the gene responsible for high levels of uric acid.
"In recent years, dogs that are about 99 percent Dalmatian and 1 percent pointer have been bred, successfully eliminating the elevated uric acid trait," Bannasch stated in the release. "The result is a healthy dog that looks like a Dalmatian, maintains the Dalmatian breed characteristics and is genetically almost identical."
The "backcrossed" dogs have been registered as Dalmatians with the United Kennel Club and offer a resource for correcting the genetic defect.
The study was funded in part by a fellowship from the Morris Animal Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.
Call The Bee's Niesha Lofing, (916) 321-1270.
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