A calf with amelia
Keywords: amelia, bovine, forelimb, chromosome
Image size: 2000 x 1028px
A Holstein calf with amelia. The calf was donated and euthanized.
In humans, thalidomide is well known to cause amelia and meromelia (absence of part of a limb) but it has also been associated with genetic abnormalities. Conditions such as Roberts syndrome exist where amelia and cranio-facial anomalies are linked. Little is known about the etiology of amelia in cattle but in at least two cases it has been linked to chromosomal instability and polyploidy. See case and citation Szczerbal, I. 2006. Chromosome Instability in a Calf with Amelia of Thoracic Limbs. Vet. Path. 43: 789-792
