Hereditary meningoencephalocele in Burmese cats

A syndrome of meningoencephalocele and related craniofacial abnormalities occurred in 19 (6 male, 3 female, 10 of unknown sex) of 88 kittens in 22 litters born to matings between Burmese cats that were known to produce this defect. This is consistent with the action of an autosomal recessive gene. The exceptional breeding record of one cat indicates that perhaps the phenotype is impenetrant in at least some homozygotes. The gene symbol mc is proposed for this defect.