What's new in muscle and peripheral nerve diseases?

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Vet Comp Orthop Traumatol. 2007;20(4):249-55.

What's new in muscle and peripheral nerve diseases?

Shelton GD.

Department of Pathology, University of California, San Diego, La

Jolla, CA 92093-0709, USA.

It is likely that most neuromuscular diseases that are described in

humans will have a counterpart in our companion animals. With the

advent of molecular genetics and the completion of the canine and

feline genomes, an ever expanding number of DNA-based tests should

become available for the diagnosis of muscle and peripheral nerve

diseases. Molecular testing procedures should enable us to continue

to unravel the molecular basis of neuromuscular diseases for which

the cause is still unknown. It is important that accurate clinical

evaluations and diagnostic testing, including muscle and peripheral

nerve biopsies, are performed in order to reach these goals. This

review focuses on recently identified inherited neuromuscular

diseases in companion animals.