A total of 423 blood samples were collected (during 2009 and 2010) from all the ram holdings at three major Jordanian governmental Awassi breeding stations (Al-Khanasry, Al-Mushairfa and Al-Fjaje) and two private flocks. All blood samples were screened for the presence of mutations at the CNGA3 gene (responsible for day blindness in Awassi sheep) using RFLP-PCR. The day blindness mutation was detected in all studied flocks. The overall allele and genotype frequencies of all studied flocks of the day blindness mutation were 0.088 and 17.49%, respectively. The genotype and allele frequencies were higher in station flocks than the farmer flocks (0.121, 24.15 and 0.012, 2.32, respectively). Al-Mushairfa and Al-Khanasry stations have the highest genotype and allele frequencies for the day blindness mutation that were 27.77, 30.00% and 0.14, 0.171, respectively. The investigated farmer flocks have low percentages (0.03, 5.88% at Al-Shoubak and 0.005 and 1.05%, at Al-Karak, respectively for genotype and allele frequencies) compared with the breeding stations. Ram culling strategy was applied throughout the genotyping period in order to gradually eradicate this newly identified day blindness mutation from Jordanian Breeding station, since they annually distribute a high percentage of improved rams to farmer’s flocks.

No abstract

Hidrocytomas are benign cystic lesions of sweat apocrine glands. It is a recognized condition in cats and dogs, but has never been reported in sheep. In this case, a 5-year-old Awassi ewe was presented for ocular evaluation. The left eye had a 1.0-cm-diameter dome shaped mass containing clear fluids and was protruded from the palpebral eyelid margin near the lateral canthus. The cyst was surgically removed and revealed apocrine hidrocytoma via histopathology. Seven months post-surgery, neither cyst recurrence nor additional masses were present. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of apocrine hidrocytoma in sheep.