Curly Calf Syndrome
Arthrogryposis Multiplex
History
- Arthrogryposis Multiplex
- Commonly known as Curly Calf Syndrome
- Discovered cases in 1991
- Found in 2008 it was caused by a simple recessive gene
- Traced back to Precision 1680
- Precision 1680 was one of the leading Angus sires in that time.
What is Curly Calf Syndrome?
- Caused by a simple recessive gene in Angus or Angus crossbreed cattle
- Result of a deletion of a small segment of DNA
- Calves are born dead, or die shortly after birth
- Spine and legs appear crooked or twisted
- Leg joints are fixed in position
- Calves are small and thin
- Carriers appear normal
Prevention
- DNA test found in 2008 detects carriers
- If cattle tests positive for a carrier, you can still breed it with non-carriers
- Only two carriers can create a curly calf
- Two carriers have 25% chance of CCS free, 50% carrier offspring, and 25% CCS affected
What could make this more preventable? Is there anyway we could force breeders to get their cows tested?
References
http://calfology.com/library/wiki/arthrogryposis-multiplex-curly-calf-syndrome
http://animalscience.ucdavis.edu/animalbiotech/Outreach/Curly_Calf_test.pdf
http://www.angus.org/pub/am/AMFactSheet.pdf
http://beefmagazine.com/genetics/1201-curly-calf-issue
http://www.steerplanet.com/bb/hall-of-fame/combined-curly-calf-info/20/?wap2