Genetic testing white spotting (donkey)
The Professorship of Animal and Pathogenetics offers the genetic test chequering ("White Spotting") for donkeys as a service from now on at a price of 28.00 Euro per sample.
The white spotting phenotype in donkeys ranges from a few small white areas to an almost complete depigmentation of the fur. Since 2014 the underlying genetic variant (splice-site mutation) in the KIT gene has been known (Haase et al. 2014), so that genotyping of the animals can be carried out using a genetic test. The mutation results in a strongly reduced formation of the KIT protein, which leads to the emergence of the "white spotting" phenotype. A dominant inheritance has already been proven. This means that heterozygous animals express the trait. Homozygosity for "white spotting", however, is a lethal factor. The affected embryos are resorbed in the womb. In order to avoid such pregnancies, it is recommended to mate pied donkeys only with non-pied donkeys. The genetic test makes it possible to detect "white spotting" carriers in unclear cases.
If you wish to have an investigation carried out, please send us the sample material together with the completed investigation order. As we are not a routine laboratory, the processing may take a little longer. Please feel free to contact us if you need the results by a fixed date. If you send us larger quantities of samples (>30 pcs.) for analysis, please notify us by telephone or e-mail first. A quantity discount is possible for large orders, please do not hesitate to contact us!