Mule foot, also commonly called syndactyly, means toes fused together. Animals exhibiting this mutation have hooves without toe separation. They can occur on a single hoof or in more than one. Although the disorder does not lead to death, it reduces animal welfare and leads to lameness.
The disease affects many breeds of cattle. Most common in the Holstein-Friesian breed but also appears in breeds such as Angus and Simmental. The genetic basis of the disorder is cited as a mutation within the LRP4 gene, which is crucial in neuromuscular connections. Syndactyly is a recessive mutation. It occurs in individuals who are homozygous with two disease-determining alleles. Carriers, on the other hand, show no phenotypic symptoms of the defect.
| Result | Interpretation |
| MFS | SICK |
| MFC | CARRIER |
| MFF | FREE |
REFERENCES #
- Duchesne A., Gautier M., Chadi S., Grohs C., Floriot S., Gallard Y., Caste G., Ducos A. & Eggen A. (2006). Identification of a doublet missense substitution in the bovine LRP4 gene as a candidate causal mutation for syndactyly in Holstein cattle. Genomics 88(5), 610-621.
- Eager K., Cauchi M., Willet C., Häfliger I, Drögemüller C., O’Rourke B. & Tammen I. (2021). The previously reported LRP4 c.4940C>T variant is not associated with syndactyly in cattle. Anim Genet 52(3):380-381.