Bovine dilated cardiomyopathy: Almost forgotten but still present

Abstract

Numerous cases of bovine dilatative cardiomyopathy (BDCMP) were registered in the nineteen-eighties, but the prevalence decreased steadily thanks to classical selection measures, i.e. excluding putative carrier animals from breeding. The cases described here show that the recessively inherited disease is still present in the Swiss cattle population. By use of a direct gene test developed a few years ago, a clinical tentative diagnosis can be confirmed. Since the end of the year 2016, carriers are officially labelled as such in Switzerland. Currently, about 2% of the insemination sires of the Holstein, Red Holstein and Swiss Fleckvieh breeds carry the causative mutation in the OPA3 gene. A combination of increased awareness of the disease and use of the gene test should allow for complete elimination of the disease from the Swiss cattle population.

The Feline Cardiomyopathies: 3. Cardiomyopathies other than HCM

“…Not all non-congenital structural cardiac disease in cats fits into the aforementioned categories. Abnormalities include everything from a normal LV with a large LA but normal LV diastolic function using Doppler echocardiography to a grossly malformed LV that defies simple categorization (supplementary files [15][16][17][18]. These cardiac changes have typically been grouped into the class called unclassified cardio myopathy (UCM), a term borrowed from human medicine.…”

“…Genetic causes of DCM have also been identified in dogs and cattle. 15 , 16 While one study performed in a research cattery has suggested genetic involvement, that study was undertaken during a time when taurine deficiency was com-mon. 17 No one has yet found a mutational cause of DCM in cats.…”