Burmese health checklist

Hypokalaemia (Burmese hypokalaemia / periodic paralysis)

An autosomal recessive mutation in WNK4 causes episodic muscle weakness and periodic paralysis from low blood potassium, typically appearing in kittens or young adults.

Ask to see: WNK4 DNA test, UC Davis VGL, explicitly validated for Burmese among other breeds. Affected cats are usually managed successfully with oral potassium supplementation once identified.

Hypokalemia (WNK4) DNA test -- breed list includes Burmese, UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory (https://vgl.ucdavis.edu/test/burmese-hypokalemia)

Burmese head defect (craniofacial / central nervous system malformation)can shorten life or cause chronic pain

A 12-bp deletion in ALX1 causes a severe, typically lethal craniofacial and CNS malformation when inherited in double dose. The same gene region is associated with the rounded head shape favoured in the breed standard, so heterozygous carriers can show typical or typier head type while carrying a single copy of the mutation.

Ask to see: ALX1 DNA test, UC Davis VGL, explicitly validated for Burmese. Testing lets breeders avoid ever pairing two carriers, which removes the risk of the defect without needing to remove carriers -- or the associated head type -- from the breeding population.

Burmese Head Defect (ALX1) DNA test -- breed list includes Burmese, UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory (https://vgl.ucdavis.edu/test/burmese-head-defect)

GM2 gangliosidosiscan shorten life or cause chronic pain

A 15-bp deletion in HEXB causes a fatal, early-onset neurodegenerative lysosomal storage disease when inherited from both parents. Affected kittens develop progressive neurological signs and do not survive to adulthood.

Ask to see: HEXB DNA test, UC Davis VGL, validated for Burmese and European Burmese.

GM2 Gangliosidosis (HEXB) DNA test -- breed list includes Burmese, UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory (https://vgl.ucdavis.edu/test/gm2-burmese)