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Kirsty Tan
University of Kiel, Germany
ScientificTracks Abstracts: Curr Res Integr Med
Statement of the Problem: Myopathy in livestock and horses is a degenerative disease of the skeletal muscle that is characterized by muscle weakness and hyaline degeneration of muscle fibres. They are of important economic significance because this disease affects the animal�s productivity and the farm�s profitability. The etiologies of this disease are dependent on the type of myopathy and can be nutritional, exertional, genetic or even neurogenic in nature. The purpose of this study is to determine the most common types of myopathies that affect livestock and horses, their pathogeneses that will enable higher efficiency of prevention, different treatment methods used and how these specific types of myopathies can be models for muscular dystrophy in humans. Methodology & Theoretical Orientation: Several separate studies were run with cattle, horses and pigs. The most commonly occurring myopathies, their clinical signs and development of the disease, methods for diagnosis, as well as the different treatment protocols that were implemented were researched in these animals. Genetically engineered pigs were also studied as a model for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy in humans. Findings: The commonly occurring type of myopathy in most farm animals, enzootic nutritional muscular dystrophy was a result of nutritional deficiencies, particularly of selenium and vitamin E. Exertional rhabdomyolysis and equine polysaccharide storage myopathy were found mostly in horses. Early detection, especially of animals most prone to a specific type of myopathy, and ongoing treatment & control of the disease enables effective recovery of the animal. Conclusion & Significance: Most types of myopathies, with the exclusion of genetic or congenital can be prevented through highly efficient management systems. Additionally, myopathies in animals can serve as an effective model for human muscular dystrophy, especially pigs as they share many similarities with humans in terms of anatomical features, physiology and pathophysiology.
Kirsty Tan is pursuing her Masters of Agrigenomics from University of Kiel in Germany. She is specializing in animal breeding, genetics and nutrition of farm animals. She is currently studying the effects of genetics on important economic traits in farm animals and how these traits can be improved through the application of the latest genetic techniques.
E-mail: kirsty.tan89@gmail.com
+44-7723-59-8358
