If this test has a large margin of error in diagnosing carriers and affecteds, won it limit our gene pool to the point that other problems will become more of an issue?
Whether and how we limit the gene pool is a really important issue. After all, some conditions–hip dysplasia is an example–are so genetically complex that practically every dog has the capacity for some degree of disability, be it so mild it’s almost undetectable or so severe it’s totally disabling. Fortunately, PRA isn’t like that. Clear dogs aren’t mostly clear–they’re clear. The gene isn’t partly recessive–it’s recessive. “Carrier”s and “Affected”s bred to “Normal/Clear”s produce disease-free pups. Indeed, the best thing about the test for prcd-PRA is that it helps keep the gene pool from shrinking. You need to pull a dog with bad hips because scientists don’t know enough about the disease to prevent passing it on. But you’ll never need to pull any dog because of a “Carrier” or “Affected” OptiGen prcd-PRA reading. “Carrier”s or “Affected”s bred to “Normal/Clear”s will never produce affected pups. Often it’s the breeders who suspect they have a problem that test first. If breeder
Whether and how we limit the gene pool is a really important issue. After all, some conditions–hip dysplasia is an example–are so genetically complex that practically every dog has the capacity for some degree of disability, be it so mild it’s almost undetectable or so severe it’s totally disabling. Fortunately, PRA isn’t like that. Clear dogs aren’t mostly clear–they’re clear. The gene isn’t partly recessive–it’s recessive. Carriers and affecteds bred to clears produce disease-free pups. Indeed, the best thing about the test for prcd-PRA is that it helps keep the gene pool from shrinking. You need to pull a dog with bad hips because scientists don’t know enough about the disease to prevent passing it on. But you’ll never need to pull any dog because of a B or C OptiGen prcd-PRA reading. Bs or Cs bred to As will never produce affected pups. Often it’s the breeders who suspect they have a problem that test first. If breeders test actively within the breed, they’ll identify increasin
Related Questions
- If this test has a large margin of error in diagnosing carriers and affecteds, won it limit our gene pool to the point that other problems will become more of an issue?
- Why do alleles that are lethal in a homozygous individual remain in a gene pool?
- Why does polling people about public policy have such a large margin of error?"
