Page 7 - revista1 portada

Albinism

Albinism is occasionally seen in cattle. It eliminates pigmentation from the hair,
skin, hooves, nose leather. It causes the eye to look pink but such animals often try
to keep their eyes closed. This animal was found and photographed by Dr. Merete
Fredholm in a Holstein dairy herd.

The tyrosinase sequence of it was normal. Both tyrosinase positive and tyrosinase
negative forms of albinism have been described in many species of animals. The
gene causing the tyrosinase-positive form of albinsim affecting this Holstein calf
is not known. The paper by Foreman et al. (1994) mapped tyrosinase using somatic
cell hybrid data and so the type of albinism they mapped would be the tyrosinase-
negative form of albinism.

Albinism Treatment & Management

Individuals with oculocutaneous albinism should have annual skin examinations to
check for skin damage or skin cancer and annual eye examination to check
vision. Affected individuals should cover their skin from sun exposure by using
sunscreen and wearing protective clothing such as long-sleeve shirts, long
pants, and hats with wide brims. Glasses may be worn to reduce sensitivity to bright
light or to improve vision. Additional therapies or surgery may be used
to treat crossed eyes (strabismus) or rapid eye movements (nystagmus).

Clinical Consecuences

Since Oculocutaneous Albinism is a genetic condition, having a family history of the
condition is a major risk factor