Genetic screning of the inherited Ichtyosis causative mutation in Chianina cattle

Inherited Ichthyosis is a genetic disorder reported in both humans and animals, including bovines. Two inherited forms were reported in cattle and both are transmitted in an autosomal recessive manner: Ichthyosis Fetalis (IF) and Ichthyosis Congenita (IC). A causative mutation of IF in Chianina cattle was recently indentified in the ABC12 gene. This work reports the first genetic screening using this recently available genetic test on Chianina cattle. Tests were performed on both the population of farm breeding selected young bulls (131 samples randomly chosen) and high breeding value sires (16 samples). Results confirm a low total prevalence of carriers in the selected sire population (2/131; 1.5%) and the presence of the disease allele among the high value selected sires (1/16; 6.3%). This result strengthens the importance to continue the genetic screening program, particularly in performance tested bulls approved for use in AI or natural service.