Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Equine disorders of sexual development in 17 mares including XX, SRY-negative, XY, SRY-negative and XY, SRY-positive genotypes.
- Journal:
- Sexual development : genetics, molecular biology, evolution, endocrinology, embryology, and pathology of sex determination and differentiation
- Year:
- 2011
- Authors:
- Villagómez, D A F et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Biomedical Sciences · Canada
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
This study looked at 17 mares with unusual sexual development and infertility issues. Some of the horses had an enlarged clitoris and showed male-like behavior, while others had normal female features but still had male genetic traits. A few of these horses had underdeveloped reproductive organs, and some even had small testicles but appeared female on the outside. The researchers found a variety of conditions related to sexual development in these horses and highlighted the importance of more research to understand the genetic factors involved. Overall, the findings show that there is a wide range of sexual development disorders in horses.
Abstract
We described the clinical, cytogenetic and molecular findings of 17 clinical equine cases presented for abnormal sexual development and infertility. Six horses with an enlarged clitoris had an XX, SRY-negative genotype, which displayed male-like behavior (adult individuals). Bilateral ovotestes were noted in 2 of those cases, while another case showed increased levels of circulating testosterone. Six horses with a female phenotype, including normal external genitalia, had an XY, SRY-negative genotype. These individuals had small gonads and an underdeveloped internal reproductive tract. Four horses with normal appearing external genitalia had an XY, SRY-positive genotype, 3 of them had hypoplastic testes and male-like behavior. In addition, one young filly with enlarged clitoris and hypoplastic testes had the same genotype but did not show male-like behavior due to her age. Three of these horses were related with 2 being siblings. These findings demonstrate the diversity of disorders of sexual development seen in the horse. Furthermore, they emphasize the need for further research to identify genes involved in abnormal sex determination and differentiation in the horse.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21196712/