Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Pancreas enzyme deficiency linked to genes in Pembroke Welsh Corgis
By Evans, J M et al.·Published in Animal genetics·2015·Department of Genetics and Biochemistry, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Association of DLA-DQB1 alleles with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency in Pembroke Welsh Corgis.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of Pembroke Welsh Corgis with digestive issues was studied to see if certain genetic factors were linked to exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI), a condition where the pancreas doesn't produce enough digestive enzymes. Researchers found that one specific genetic marker increased the risk of developing EPI, while another marker seemed to offer some protection. This suggests that genetics may play a role in EPI for these dogs, similar to findings in German Shepherds. Understanding these genetic links can help veterinarians better identify and manage EPI in affected breeds.
People also search for: Pembroke Welsh Corgi digestive problems · dog pancreatic insufficiency symptoms · EPI treatment for dogs
Abstract
Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) is a digestive disorder resulting from the insufficient secretion of enzymes from the pancreas. In dogs, this condition is often attributed to pancreatic acinar atrophy, wherein the enzyme-producing acinar cells are believed to be destroyed through an autoimmune process. Although EPI affects many diverse breeds, to date, molecular studies have been limited to the German Shepherd dog. A recent study of major histocompatibility genes in diseased and healthy German Shepherd dogs identified both risk and protective haplotypes. Herein, we genotyped DLA-DQB1 in Pembroke Welsh Corgis to determine whether dog leukocyte antigen alleles contribute to the pathogenesis of EPI across dog breeds. We evaluated 14 affected and 43 control Pembroke Welsh Corgis, which were selected based on an age of onset similar to German Shepherd dogs. We identified one protective allele (odds ratio = 0.13, P-value = 0.044) and one risk allele (odds ratio = 3.8, P-value = 0.047). As in German Shepherd dogs, the risk allele is a duplication of DLA-DQB1 (alleles DQB1*013:03 and 017:01); however, Pembroke Welsh Corgis have acquired a single polymorphism on DQB1*017:01. Thus, the DLA-DQB1 duplication is a risk allele for EPI in at least two breeds.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26095904/