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A DNA test for Multidrug Resistance (MDR1) in Collies.



What is MDR1?

A DNA test for MDR1

mealey Dr. Katrina Mealey and her co-workers at the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences of Washington State University discovered that the cause of Ivermectin sensitivity in Collies is a deletion mutation in the MDR1 gene. The disorder is inherited as an autosomal recessive and the mutant allele is called "mdr1-1Δ". The dominance of MDR1 is incomplete; there are examples of heterozygotes ("carriers") that are susceptible to high dosages of the drugs that cause problems for the animals that are homozygous for the defective allele ("affecteds").

The mutation mdr1-1Δ causes defects in the coding for P-glycoprotein resulting in nearly complete loss of its function. At this moment more than 20 therapeutic drugs are known substrates of P-glycoprotein. Several of these are now known to cause toxic reactions in Collies with at least one mdr1-1Δ allele.

The MDR1 DNA test yields three possible outcomes:
  • Your dog is "clear" (and has two "healthy" alleles: MDR1/MDR1), it will not develop oversensitivity for the drugs mentioned and, just as important, it will not pass on the defect (the defective allele) to the next generation. Your dog would not be expected to experience adverse drug reactions to normal doses of Ivermectin, loperamide (Imodium ®), some anticancer drugs and several other drugs.

  • Your dog is a "carrier" (and has one "healthy" allele and one defective one: MDR1/mdr1-1Δ), it will pass on the defective allele to half of its offspring. Your dog may experience toxicity after normal doses of loperamide (Imodium ®), and some anticancer drugs, and after high doses of Ivermectin (greater than 50 micrograms per kilogram).

  • Your dog is "affected" (and has two defective alleles: mdr1-1Δ/mdr1-1Δ), it will pass on the defective allele to all of its offspring in the next generation and it will be expected to experience toxicity after normal doses of the drugs mentioned above. So it is one of the animals that will suffer from oversensitivity reactions.

  • "Dangerous drugs" for oversensitive dogs

    Breeds at risk

    Breeding policy

    Testing for MDR1