Quick Summary
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Phenotype: Lavender foal syndrome is characterized by seizures, severe hyperextension of limbs, neck, and back, stiff paddling leg movements, involuntary eye movement, and inability to stand or sit upright. LFS foals are typically born with a telltale dilute coat color described as lavender, pale pink, or silver.
Mode of Inheritance: Autosomal recessive
Alleles: N = Normal/Unaffected, LFS = Lavender foal syndrome
Breeds appropriate for testing: Arabian, Arabian crosses
Explanation of Results:
- Horses with N/N genotype will not have lavender foal syndrome and cannot transmit this lavender foal syndrome variant to their offspring.
- Horses with N/LFS genotype will not be affected by lavender foal syndrome, but are carriers. They may transmit this lavender foal syndrome variant to 50% of their offspring. Matings between two carriers result in a 25% chance of producing a lavender foal syndrome-affected foal.
- Horses with LFS/LFS genotype will have lavender foal syndrome, a fatal condition.
$45 one test per animal
+ $15 each additional test from list below:
- Cerebellar Abiotrophy (CA)
- Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID)
- Occipitoatlantoaxial Malformation (OAAM)
$85 entire Arabian Health Panel (all 4 tests)
Arabian Health Panel
$85 per animal
Sample Collection
Horse DNA tests are carried out using cells from the roots of a hair sample (roughly 20-30 hairs).
1. Grab about 10 hairs at the base.
2. Wrap the hairs around your finger and give it a quick pull.
3. Check the ends to make sure the pulled hairs have roots.
4. Repeat the process until you have collected about 20-30 hairs with intact roots.
5. You can choose different places on the mane or tail. NOTE: For foals, we recommend pulling all hairs from the tail only.
6. Tape the hairs to the submission form and fold the form along the dotted line to protect the sample. Do not use ziploc bags as they can cause condensation that allows mold to grow on the hair.
7. Place the folded form containing the sample in a paper envelope and mail it to the laboratory.
Lavender foal syndrome (LFS), also known as coat color dilution lethal, is a fatal autosomal recessive condition of Arabian horses. LFS is found primarily in horses with Egyptian bloodlines but has also been reported in other Arabian breeding groups. Characteristic signs of LFS include seizures, severe hyperextension of limbs, neck, and back (opisthotonos), stiff paddling leg movements, involuntary eye movement (nystagmus), and inability to stand or sit upright. LFS foals are typically born with a telltale dilute coat color described as lavender, pale pink, or silver, hence the name of the disease. Because birthing of LFS foals is often difficult, the signs can be misinterpreted as resulting from oxygen deprivation during delivery or from a spinal cord injury. LFS foals may have a strong suckle reflex and may be bottle fed, but the disease is untreatable and will not improve. Foals will die or have to be euthanized shortly after birth.
The genetic defect results from a mutation in the MYO5A gene (g.138235715del) that causes neurological dysfunction in newborn foals. This mutation affects the function of melanocytes and neurons in foals and results in both the coat color dilution and neurological defects. Researchers investigating the prevalence of LFS found the frequency of the affected allele to be about 1.6% in non-Egyptian Arabian horses and about 10.3% in Arabian horses of Egyptian descent.
Testing for LFS can assist veterinarians in making the correct diagnosis and owners in identifying affected and carrier horses. Breeders can use results from the test as a tool for selection of mating pairs to avoid producing affected foals. Matings between two LFS carriers have a 25% percent chance of producing LFS affected foals.