This was posted today on a cat-related board I am a member of. Susan Little is a board-certified feline practitioner (AAFP) in Canada.
I don't know the factors relating to HCM in adults -- or dogs, or other species of mammals.
However, this is interesting that research is finding clues to one type of heart disease in one species of animal.
The Winn Feline Foundation was started by The Cat Fanciers' Association, Inc., and has funded thousands & thousands of dollars over the years (25+, I believe) in feline health, including research that found that commercial cat foods were lacking taurine. Pet food companies began adding taurine, which has significantly reduced cases of dilated cardiomyopathy.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 11, 2007
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
Janet Wolf, Executive Director
Phone: 856-447-9787
winnfeline@aol.com
Susan Little DVM, President
Phone: 613-741-2460
SusanLittleDVM@gmail.com
A Piece of the Feline Heart Disease Puzzle Identified
The Winn Feline Foundation is pleased to announce the identification of a new mutation within the myosin binding protein C gene associated with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) in Ragdoll cats. With funding from Winn Feline Foundation, researchers led by Dr. Kathryn M. Meurs of Washington State University, and others at the University of California, Davis, reported that the mutation in the myosin binding protein C gene changes a conserved amino acid and therefore appears to alter the structure of the protein produced by the gene. An earlier study by these same researchers, also funded by Winn Feline Foundation, identified a mutation in this same gene in the Maine Coon cat. However, the mutation found in Ragdoll cats, an unrelated breed, is in a different area of the affected gene, suggesting that
these mutations occurred independently rather than being inherited
from a common ancestor.
Familial HCM is a primary myocardial disease also found in human beings, with a prevalence of 1 in 500 people. It is the most common heart disease found in cats, affecting non-pedigreed cats as well as some pedigreed breeds. Now, thanks to Winn-funded researchers, the first causative mutations have been identified in cats, opening the door to improved testing and perhaps targets for new drug therapies.
Winn is the only international charity devoted solely to the advancement of feline health.
Winn Feline Foundation website: www.winnfelinehealth.org
Winn Feline Foundation Health News blog:
www.winnfelinehealth.blogspot.com
I don't know the factors relating to HCM in adults -- or dogs, or other species of mammals.
However, this is interesting that research is finding clues to one type of heart disease in one species of animal.
The Winn Feline Foundation was started by The Cat Fanciers' Association, Inc., and has funded thousands & thousands of dollars over the years (25+, I believe) in feline health, including research that found that commercial cat foods were lacking taurine. Pet food companies began adding taurine, which has significantly reduced cases of dilated cardiomyopathy.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 11, 2007
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
Janet Wolf, Executive Director
Phone: 856-447-9787
winnfeline@aol.com
Susan Little DVM, President
Phone: 613-741-2460
SusanLittleDVM@gmail.com
A Piece of the Feline Heart Disease Puzzle Identified
The Winn Feline Foundation is pleased to announce the identification of a new mutation within the myosin binding protein C gene associated with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) in Ragdoll cats. With funding from Winn Feline Foundation, researchers led by Dr. Kathryn M. Meurs of Washington State University, and others at the University of California, Davis, reported that the mutation in the myosin binding protein C gene changes a conserved amino acid and therefore appears to alter the structure of the protein produced by the gene. An earlier study by these same researchers, also funded by Winn Feline Foundation, identified a mutation in this same gene in the Maine Coon cat. However, the mutation found in Ragdoll cats, an unrelated breed, is in a different area of the affected gene, suggesting that
these mutations occurred independently rather than being inherited
from a common ancestor.
Familial HCM is a primary myocardial disease also found in human beings, with a prevalence of 1 in 500 people. It is the most common heart disease found in cats, affecting non-pedigreed cats as well as some pedigreed breeds. Now, thanks to Winn-funded researchers, the first causative mutations have been identified in cats, opening the door to improved testing and perhaps targets for new drug therapies.
Winn is the only international charity devoted solely to the advancement of feline health.
Winn Feline Foundation website: www.winnfelinehealth.org
Winn Feline Foundation Health News blog:
www.winnfelinehealth.blogspot.com
