拉布拉多寻回犬主人报告皮肤症状的年龄依赖性表达与遗传力：对育种策略的启示。

文献信息

中文摘要

目的： 在分散式育种计划中，一致的健康监测可能具有挑战性，但准确的表型分型对于知情选择至关重要。本研究评估了一项简明的基于主人的在线调查是否能够捕捉比利时辅助犬育种群体中具有临床相关性的皮肤科体征，以及由此产生的表型是否能够支持育种决策。
材料与方法： 调查数据于2024年6月至2025年10月期间从223只拉布拉多寻回犬收集（中位年龄2.1岁，范围11个月至8岁）。主人报告了外耳炎、全身瘙痒、啃咬爪子、皮肤发红和脱毛斑的频率，将其重新编码为有序症状评分，并汇总为总症状评分。分析针对全群体以及按年龄组（小于3岁与大于3岁）进行。
结果： 总体而言，38%的犬总症状评分非零。确诊的犬特应性皮炎与显著更高的评分相关（率比=9.3，95% CI=7.2至11.9）。父母合并评分每增加1分，对应后代预期评分约增加9%（率比=1.09，95% CI=1.06至1.12）。总体遗传力为0.52（95%最高后验密度区间0.24至0.75），并存在显著的年龄相关变异：小于3岁犬的h2=0.05，3岁及以上犬的h2=0.81。
临床意义： 一项简短的基于主人的调查可以生成与确诊疾病和家族风险相关的半定量皮肤科表型。年轻犬的症状表达显示出低遗传力，这可能反映该年龄阶段表型表达不完全，但也可能源于环境影响；而老年犬的表型似乎更强地反映遗传易感性，提示晚年记录可能更好地支持分散式育种计划中的选择决策。

英文摘要

OBJECTIVES: In decentralised breeding programmes, consistent health monitoring can be challenging, yet accurate phenotyping is essential for informed selection. This study evaluated whether a concise owner-based online survey could capture clinically relevant dermatologic signs in a Belgian assistance-dog breeding population, and whether the resulting phenotypes could support breeding decisions.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Survey data were collected between June 2024 and October 2025 from 223 Labrador retrievers (median age 2.1 years, range 11 months to 8 years). Owners reported the frequency of otitis externa, general itch, paw biting, skin redness and bald spots, recoded into ordinal symptom scores and summed into a total symptom score. Analyses were performed for the full population and by age group (younger vs. older than 3 years).
RESULTS: Overall, 38% of dogs had a non-zero total symptom score. Confirmed canine atopic dermatitis was associated with markedly higher scores (rate ratio = 9.3, 95% CI = 7.2 to 11.9). Each one-point increase in combined parental score corresponded to approximately 9% higher expected offspring score (rate ratio = 1.09, 95% CI = 1.06 to 1.12). Overall heritability was 0.52 (95% highest posterior density 0.24 to 0.75), with substantial age-related variation: h2 = 0.05 in dogs under 3 years and h2 = 0.81 in dogs aged 3 years or older.
CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: A brief owner-based survey can generate semi-quantitative dermatological phenotypes associated with confirmed disease and familial risk. Symptom expression in younger dogs showed low heritability, which may reflect incomplete phenotype expression at this age but could also result from environmental influences, whereas phenotypes in older dogs seem to more strongly reflect genetic predisposition, suggesting later-life records may better support selection decisions in decentralised breeding programmes.