New Test Available: Congenital Myotonia in Goats

Congenital myotonia (CM) is a heritable neuromuscular disorder that is characterized by a slow relaxation of skeletal muscles following voluntary contraction. Affected animals exhibit sudden muscle stiffness when excited or startled and this stiffness often causes the animal to fall over briefly. 

The phenotype is characteristic of the Myotonic goat breed, also known as Fainting Goats, and is associated with well developed musculature. A missense single nucleotide change in the CLCN1 gene (c.2656G>C) causes congenital myotonia in these goats. The CM variant has also been detected in Nigerian Dwarf Goats, although the frequency remains unknown.

This CM allele is inherited in an autosomal recessive manner, meaning that an animal must inherit two copies of the CM allele to be affected by this neuromuscular disorder. Goats with one copy of the CM allele are carriers and, while they will be normal, they may pass on the CM allele to their offspring.

Testing for CM assists owners and breeders in identifying affected and carrier goats. Breeders can use results from the test as a tool for selection of mating pairs that fit their breeding preferences. 
 

To read more about the test, visit https://vgl.ucdavis.edu/test/cm-goats