Gaucher Disease

Sheep carrying the fatal gene for Gaucher have been found in many Babydoll flocks in Australia. BSBA encourages all Babydoll breeders to DNA test for the Gaucher gene and eradicate Gaucher from their flock (Gaucher Free).

We also encourage all buyers to ask about the Gaucher status of sheep before buying.

Life for a lamb born with two copies of the Gaucher gene is pretty grim and short. They are unable to stand to feed and die in a few days.

As well as being devastating for lambs, anecdotally, it seems that ewes carrying a copy of the Gaucher gene are less fertile, more likely to have stillborn lambs and more likely to die unexpectedly (especially soon after lambing). None of us need this in our Babydoll flocks.

Fortunately there is a simple, inexpensive DNA test that can be done by breeders collecting a few drops of blood from the sheep on a special test paper and sending it to the Gene-Marker Laboratory at Lincoln University in New Zealand to find out whether a sheep is carrying the recessive Gaucher gene.

If a breeder has not DNA tested their flock they are unlikely to know the Gaucher status of sheep that they are breeding and could be selling you Gaucher carrier sheep. The only way to know for sure is DNA testing and tracking Gaucher pedigrees.

In theory, a ram carrying the Gaucher gene will pass on the gene to approximately half of his lambs so will spread Gaucher through your flock quickly. Ewes carrying the gene will also pass it on to half of their lambs but have less impact because they are not a parent to as many lambs. In cases where Gaucher has been detected in Babydoll flocks, it has often turned out that there are super spreaders who pass the Gaucher gene on to a much higher proportion of lambs than the theory predicts.

Where both parents have been shown to be Gaucher Free, their lambs will also be Gaucher Free by pedigree.

Please ask about the Gaucher status of any Babydoll rams and ewes you are considering before buying. A reputable Babydoll breeder will show you test results and Gaucher pedigrees as evidence that the sheep you are buying are Gaucher free. It is much easier to check before buying and avoid introducing Gaucher into your flock than to try to fix the problem later.

Excuses we have heard for not testing for Gaucher (none of these are true):

• We don't have Gaucher in our area
  The Gaucher defective gene is specific to Babydolls and Southdowns, many vets have not heard of it.
• We don't test because we haven't had any problems with Gaucher lambs
  If a flock has not been tested for Gaucher, it is impossible to know whether lambs that have died had Gaucher unless the deceased lambs have been DNA tested (which generally doesn't happen).
• We only use Gaucher Free rams
  Use of Gaucher Free rams will slow the spread of Gaucher through the flock but the gene will still be spread by carrier ewes. Their ewe lambs and ram lambs can be Gaucher carriers.
• Our flock has been closed for decades
  It is not known when the Gaucher mutation occurred. Owners of Babydoll and Southdown flocks that have been closed for decades have found Gaucher carriers in their flocks.
• Our Babydolls all look fine
  It is only possible to know if a Babydoll is Gaucher Free by DNA testing or where their pedigree can be accurately traced to ancestors that have all tested as Gaucher Free.
• Gaucher is not a problem
  This is somewhat true until you start having Gaucher lambs born, or sell Gaucher carrier sheep to other people, or finally get around to testing and realise how many of your best Babydolls are carriers and that the quickest strategy for eradicating Gaucher from your flock is culling the Gaucher carriers.
• The test is slow and relies on the honesty and accuracy of the breeder
  Gaucher is a genetic defect present from birth, not an infectious disease. Test results typically come back within a month. It would be a stupid breeder who lied about test results when it is so easy to retest and catch them out. Once a flock as been fully tested, and is Gaucher Free, there is no need for further testing except for new sheep introduced to the flock so delays due to testing are unlikely.
  

Gaucher DNA test info