Heritability estimations of osteochondrosis in the tibiotarsal joint and of bony fragments in the palmar/plantar portion of the metacarpo- and metatarsophalangeal joints of horses.
Abstract: Radiography of the tibiotarsal and metacarpo- and metatarsophalangeal joints was performed on 753 Standardbred trotters (6 to 21 months old) born in 1988. The surveyed population was drawn at random from all parts of Norway and represented about 60% of Standardbred trotters born the same year. Osteochondrosis in the tibiotarsal joint was diagnosed in 108 (14.3%) horses, and the prevalence of disease in progeny groups > 10 ranged from 0 to 69%. Bony fragments in the palmar/plantar portion of the metacarpo- and metatarsophalangeal joints were diagnosed in 89 (11.8%) horses, and the prevalence of disease in progeny groups > 10 ranged from 0 to 41%. Heritability analysis was restricted to 644 horses, comprising groups of 5 or more progeny, from 39 stallions. The heritabilities of osteochondrosis in the tibiotarsal joint and of bony fragments in the palmar/plantar portion of the metacarpo- and metatarsophalangeal joints were estimated to be 0.52 and 0.21, respectively, using a nonlinear model.
Publication Date: 1993-07-01 PubMed ID: 8407439
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- Journal Article
Summary
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This study investigates the inheritability of osteochondrosis in the joint of a horse’s hind leg, and of bony fragments in horse’s forelimb joints by conducting radiographic analysis of 753 horses and performing subsequent heritability analysis.
Research Subjects and Methodology
- The researchers performed radiographic examination on 753 Standardbred trotters, horses bred specifically for harness racing. The age of these horses ranged between 6 to 21 months.
- The sample population was randomly selected from all parts of Norway. This sample represented approximately 60% of the total population of Standardbred trotters born in the same year.
- The study focused on the tibiotarsal, metacarpo-, and metatarsophalangeal joints. The tibiotarsal joint is in the hind leg of horses while the metacarpo- and metatarsophalangeal joints reside in the forelimbs.
Findings
- Osteochondrosis, a joint disorder where cartilage in a joint fails to develop normally, was found in the tibiotarsal joint of 108 horses, which accounts for 14.3% of the surveyed population.
- The prevalence of this disease in offspring groups of more than 10 ranged from 0 to 69%.
- Bony fragments, also known as ‘joint mice’, were found in the palmar/plantar portion of the metacarpo- and metatarsophalangeal joints of 89 horses, which represents 11.8% of the population studied.
- The prevalence of this condition in offspring groups of more than 10 varied from 0 to 41%.
Heritability Analysis
- Heritability analysis was conducted, but it was restricted to 644 horses from 39 stallion groups, each group having 5 or more offspring.
- The heritabilities of osteochondrosis in the tibiotarsal joint and of bony fragments in the palmar/plantar portion of the metacarpo- and metatarsophalangeal joints were estimated to be 0.52 and 0.21, respectively, using a nonlinear model.
- This shows that osteochondrosis in the tibiotarsal joint is moderately to highly heritable, while the presence of bony fragments in the palmar/plantar portion of metacarpo- and metatarsophalangeal joints shows a low to moderate heritability.
Cite This Article
APA
Grøndahl AM, Dolvik NI.
(1993).
Heritability estimations of osteochondrosis in the tibiotarsal joint and of bony fragments in the palmar/plantar portion of the metacarpo- and metatarsophalangeal joints of horses.
J Am Vet Med Assoc, 203(1), 101-104.
Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, Norwegian College of Veterinary Medicine, Oslo.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Binomial Distribution
- Breeding
- Carpus, Animal / diagnostic imaging
- Carpus, Animal / pathology
- Female
- Horse Diseases / epidemiology
- Horse Diseases / genetics
- Horses
- Male
- Metacarpus / diagnostic imaging
- Metacarpus / pathology
- Metatarsus / diagnostic imaging
- Metatarsus / pathology
- Morbidity
- Norway / epidemiology
- Osteochondritis / epidemiology
- Osteochondritis / genetics
- Osteochondritis / veterinary
- Radiography
- Tarsus, Animal / diagnostic imaging
- Tarsus, Animal / pathology
Citations
This article has been cited 17 times.- Nielsen SS, Álvarez J, Boklund AE, Dippel S, Dorea F, Figuerola J, Miranda Chueca MÁ, Michel V, Nannoni E, Nonno R, Riber AB, Stahl K, Stegeman JA, Thulke HH, Tuyttens F, Winckler C, Díez-León M, Edwards S, Schwarzer A, Benedetti B, Candiani D, Cattaneo E, Hempen M, Lima E, Caravaca CM, Tirchett NJ, Van der Stede Y, Vitali M, Herskin MS. Welfare of American mink, red and Arctic foxes, raccoon dog and chinchilla kept for fur production. EFSA J 2025 Jul;23(7):e9519.
- Van Cauter R, Caudron I, Lejeune JP, Rousset A, Serteyn D. Nineteen years of radiographic screening: Impact of sepsis and evolution of osteochondrosis dissecans prevalence in Walloon sport horses born between 2004 and 2022. PLoS One 2024;19(9):e0308304.
- Bertuglia A, Pallante M, Pagliara E, Valle D, Bergamini L, Bollo E, Bullone M, Riccio B. Determinants of joint effusion in tarsocrural osteochondrosis of yearling Standardbred horses. Front Vet Sci 2024;11:1389798.
- Ahmadi F, Mirshahi A, Mohri M, Sardari K, Sharifi K. Osteochondrosis dissecans (OCD) in horses: hormonal and biochemical study (19 cases). Vet Res Forum 2021;12(3):325-331.
- Hendrickson EHS, Lykkjen S, Dolvik NI, Olstad K. Prevalence of osteochondral lesions in the fetlock and hock joints of Standardbred horses that survived bacterial infection before 6 months of age. BMC Vet Res 2018 Dec 10;14(1):390.
- Hellings IR, Dolvik NI, Ekman S, Olstad K. Cartilage canals in the distal intermediate ridge of the tibia of fetuses and foals are surrounded by different types of collagen. J Anat 2017 Oct;231(4):615-625.
- Russell J, Matika O, Russell T, Reardon RJ. Heritability and prevalence of selected osteochondrosis lesions in yearling Thoroughbred horses. Equine Vet J 2017 May;49(3):282-287.
- McCoy AM, Beeson SK, Splan RK, Lykkjen S, Ralston SL, Mickelson JR, McCue ME. Identification and validation of risk loci for osteochondrosis in standardbreds. BMC Genomics 2016 Jan 12;17:41.
- Hellings IR, Ekman S, Hultenby K, Dolvik NI, Olstad K. Discontinuities in the endothelium of epiphyseal cartilage canals and relevance to joint disease in foals. J Anat 2016 Jan;228(1):162-75.
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- Lamprecht ED, Williams CA. Biomarkers of antioxidant status, inflammation, and cartilage metabolism are affected by acute intense exercise but not superoxide dismutase supplementation in horses. Oxid Med Cell Longev 2012;2012:920932.
- Corbin LJ, Blott SC, Swinburne JE, Sibbons C, Fox-Clipsham LY, Helwegen M, Parkin TD, Newton JR, Bramlage LR, McIlwraith CW, Bishop SC, Woolliams JA, Vaudin M. A genome-wide association study of osteochondritis dissecans in the Thoroughbred. Mamm Genome 2012 Apr;23(3-4):294-303.
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