bovis - Articles
Hypotrichosis
Synonym(s): bald lack of hair baldy calves calf anodontia skin dermal dermatology
Introduction
- Cause: congenital autosomal recessive or sex-linked condition.
- Signs: less than the ‘normal’ amount of hair may be present at birth or develops within the first 1-6 months of life. The condition may be associated with other congenital conditions such as anodontia.
- Diagnosis: provisional diagnosis can be made based on the history and clinical presentation.
- Treatment: provision of shelter and/or coats to protect the affected animals from the elements.
- Prognosis: the prognosis is good for most affected calves. If the affected calf has concurrent congenital condition this may affect the prognosis.
Presenting signs
- The coat is sparsely haired or has hair in patches.
- Usually symmetrical in distribution.
- The hair that is present if often fine, brittle, wavy or silky.
- The skin often becomes thickened, scaly or wrinkled. It should be noted that the affected areas are not pruritic.
Geographic incidence
- Worldwide distribution.
Age predisposition
- Calves.
Gender predisposition
- Both sexes are affected.
Breed/Species predisposition
- Hereford Hereford.
- Charolais Charolais.
- Galloway Galloway.
- Angus Aberdeen angus.
- Ayrshire Ayrshire.
- Holstein-Friesian Holstein Friesian.
- Guernsey Guernsey.
- Jersey Jersey.
Cost considerations
- Labor associated with providing support to affected calves.
- Cost associated with providing equipment such as calf coats and shelter.
- Potential loss of affected calves.
- Potential loss of replacement stock.
- Potential loss of genetic gain for the herd Genomics: overview.
Pathogenesis
Etiology
- Congenital autosomal recessive condition (some forms may be sex-linked):
Predisposing factors
Specific
- Either the calf’s dam or sire is carrying the genetic condition.
Pathophysiology
- Some affected calves are born with the condition, whereas others develop the condition within the first few months of life.
- The poor structural integrity of the epithelial cells and inner root sheath of the hair follicles results in the loss of the hair fiber.
Timecourse
- Calf may be affected at birth or the condition may develop in the first few months (1-6 months) of life.
Epidemiology
- If two individuals in a herd carry the autosomal recessive traits and are mated, then the progeny will be in the proportion of ¼ expressing the disease, ½ clinically normal heterozygous (carriers) and ¼ clinically normal homozygous (non-carriers).
- Due to the mode of inheritance, it is possible to have a number of off-spring born with the condition if a single sire carrying the condition is used in the herd with high proportion of heterozygous carrier females.
Diagnosis
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Treatment
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Prevention
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Outcomes
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Further Reading
Publications
Refereed Papers
- Recent references from PubMed and VetMedResource.
- Barlund C S, Clark E G, Leeb T, Drögemüller C & Palmer C W (2007) Congenital hypotrichosis and partial anodontia in a crossbred beef calf. Can Vet J 48 (6), 612 PubMed.
- Drögemüller C, Kuiper H, Peters M, Guionaud S, Distl O & Leeb T (2002) Congenital hypotrichosis with anodontia in cattle: a genetic, clinical and histological analysis. Vet Derm 13 (6), 307-313 PubMed.
- Wijeratne W V, O'Toole D, Wood L & Harkness J W (1988) A genetic, pathological and virological study of congenital hypotrichosis and incisor anodontia in cattle. Vet Rec 122 (7), 149-152 PubMed.
Other sources of information
- Parkinson T J, Vermunt J J & Malmo J (2019) Diseases of Cattle in Australasia: A Comprehensive Textbook. New Zealand Veterinary Association Foundation for Continuing Education, USA. pp 442-445 & 1046-1047.
- Radostits O M, Gay C C, Blood D C & Hinchliff K W (2006) Veterinary Medicine. In: A Textbook of the Diseases of Cattle, Sheep, Pigs, Goats and Horses. 7th edn. Saunders, China.