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WUAC Sebaceous Adenitis Project

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Do you own an Akita with SA? 
Or do you know someone, who does?

Then please read this page carefully, and provide the necessary data and co-operation that is required to make the project a success.

NEW!!!   October, 2003   NEW!!!

The contract between JKC and the University of Göttingen has been signed, and the project can now be started!!!

Here is, what Ms. Angelika Kammerscheid-Lammers wrote about these exciting news:

Dear Akita friends,

the WUAC board and the WUAC health committee have a meeting last week in Tokyo. We are very glad to announce you that the President of the Japan Kennel Club – Mr. Mitsuteru Hoshi – and the JKC Honour President – Mr. Toyosaku Kariyabu- has signed at October 15., 2003 the contract for genetic research of Sebaceous adenitis with Göttingen University.

This means that Göttingen can start at once with the genetic research.

As we publish before the contract between the Japan Kennel Club and the University of Göttingen also contains a „privacy passage“ assuring that no information about the affected Akita and its owner/breeder will be passed on.

This privacy guarantee also prevents the flow of information to the Clubs.

Dr. Pfeiffer will join the WUAC general assembly in Gent in February 2004 to report us her first discovery/presumption. Even it is totally not realizable to get a sizable result in such a short time.

Everyone who wants to support the project with Biopsies, Blood and a copy of the pedigree please contact:

Dr. Ina Pfeiffer
University of Göttingen
Groner Landstrasse 2
37073 Göttingen

For appointments call:
0049-551-39-9695 or 0049-551-39-3395.

E-mail: ipfeiff@gwdg.de

As an alternative for owners of SA affected dogs living abroad or far away from Göttingen in Germany we suggest the following procedure:

Express shipment to Göttingen in a Styrofoam cooler with either reusable ice packs („blue ice“) or even better dry ice. T

he required receptacle for 2 tissue samples and 2 tubes for 2 ml EDTA-stabilize direct blood are available at every veterinarian.

Naturally it would be good if owners of affected Akita inform the Breed Clubs also, so the people who are responsible for the breed in the Club can use this information by advising the breeders.

At the moment we only can wish Dr. Pfeiffer and the team of Göttingen University success and the necessary needed luck by the genetic research, so we can hope that in some years no Akita has to suffer under this painful disease.

Angelika Kammerscheid-Lammers
Chairperson of the WUAC health-commission

****

June, 2003

Additional comment from Ms. Angelika Kammersheid Lammers after the WUAC meeting at the WW Show in Dortmund:

Sebaceous Adenitis (SA-research)

I have already provided internet information regarding sebaceous adenitis research of the Japanese Kennel Club and the World Union of Akita Clubs (WUAC). 
The overheads summarize this information 
(comment, Lene Moellgaard: If you are interested in these overheads in the form of a Power Point presentation, please send me an e-mail, and I will forward the presentation to you).

I am sorry to tell, that the signing of the contract between the Japan Kennel Club and the University of Göttingen was NOT conducted during the World Dog Show in Dortmund. From the side of JKC where some questions about the contract and it was not possible before Dortmund to clarify them.

The next JCK board meeting is at the end of June, so that the project starts slow down to the 1. August or the 1. September 2003.

The part of the Akita Club is finished and my part at this time nearly finished, so nevertheless I would like to give you the information I have. As soon as possible, I sent the information when the contract is conducted.

To have a distribution as big as possible, please sent the information to all Akita owner/breeder you know, so that we have not be faced with such pictures from SA Akita in some years.

After conclusion of the contract it is up to each Akita owner whose dog has either been diagnosed with SA or shows suspicious symptoms to participate in this study.

The contract between the Japanese Kennel Club and the University of Göttingen also contains a „privacy passage" assuring that no information about the affected Akita and its owner/breeder will be passed on.

This privacy guarantee also prevents the flow of information to the Akita Club.

Therefore, I hereby appeal to Akita breeders and owners affiliated with WUAC to participate in this project.

I am bit disappointed, because some of the owners or breeders of SA affected Akitas have recently decided to not participate – for reasons unknown.

This reaction can best be described with the saying „Wash my coat, but please don’t get me wet! Unfortunately, however – without dogs there will be no research and without research there will be no help for the breed.

All the more I want to say thanks a lot to the owner of affected Akita which where in the meantime in Göttingen! At the moment Göttingen has enough biopsies and blood, to start the project as soon as JKC sign the contract.

For me it is not understandable that the owners of affected Akita do not only prevent getting a handle on the disease, they also prevent their dogs from possibly receiving real help. To my knowledge to pump up a dog with cortisone has not resulted in long term healing successes in any affected Akita.

The symptoms are suppressed but other organs are damaged in the process. Surely, this treatment provides relief from the symptoms of SA or VKH but it is not a solution to the problem.

Therefore this urgent request: if possible go to Göttingen and participate in the biopsies and blood draws for your dogs free of charge.

The sample collection in Göttingen is so important because it is essential during the Start/Screening phase to exclude any influences of substances released during tissue degradation (as expected, for example, as a result of sample storage at refrigerator or, worse yet, room temperature)

In Göttingen the two collected biopsies are immediately shock-frozen and stored at –80C.

As an alternative for owners of SA affected dogs living abroad or far away from Göttingen in Germany we suggest the following procedure:

Express shipment to Göttingen in a Styrofoam cooler with either reusable ice packs („blue ice") or even better dry ice.

During the general assembly of the WUAC in Amsterdam in June of 2002, Mr Kariyabu and Mr. Hoshi have pointed out that the Japanese Kennel Club is willing to provide significant research funding but does expect additional financial contributions from individual WUAC members. All delegates concurred.

One could, for example, define help/financial contribution as a possible refund of the veterinary and shipping costs incurred by the owners by the individual WUAC-Member clubs.

Last but not least, I would like to thank the Japanese Kennel Club as without it and the particular engagement of Mr. Kariyabu, Hoshi, Kamisato and Awashima this project could not have been initiated.

With its high financial involvement in the field of Sebaceous Adenitis research the JKC demonstrates its commitment to the health of the Akita breed.

I can only hope that everybody involved in the breed will take advantage of this unique opportunity by sending samples of SA affected dogs to Göttingen.

Angelika Kammerscheid-Lammers
Chairperson of the WUAC health-commission

(Thanks to Kerstin Amthor for translation help)

****

March, 2003

First of all, I would like to thank everybody who sent me information about their Akitas diagnosed with SA. Unfortunately, not too many people contacted me but maybe we will receive some more information.

Regarding the meeting of the WUAC team "Sebadenitis" in Luxembourg:

I can only explain the problem amateurish, however, everybody will be able to understand it. Up to now, there are worldwide only descriptions about SA affected Akitas and tips/advice how to treat it. However, what actually happens inside the cells and what causes the destruction of the sebaceous gland it still unknown.

Sebadenitis is a disease which does not occur in humans. Therefore, it is very difficult to find a starting-point for research. As the DNA in humans and mammals is similar in many areas, it is an advantage if a disease occurs in humans, too. We do not have this advantage regarding SA, therefore we can not make any conclusions regarding the time period needed or the results of the research. Despite these facts, the Japanese are willing to invest a substantial amount of money in this research.

As we are talking about an amount which would be sufficient to buy a nice one-family house in Germany, some advice of lawyers is needed to draft a contract which is acceptable for both partners.

As soon as we have a contract, we, i.e. Dr. Pfeiffer and Prof. Dr. Dr. Brenig of the University of Goettingen need biopsies, blood samples and pedigrees of Akitas suffering substantially from SA.

Tests will be made with these samples in order to find out the promising method of research. Molecular genetics / molecular biologists will be needed.

The summary "message" from Luxembourg is that the JKC and WUAG are willing to start this project.

(Information: the research from the University of Texas is still going on. Dr. Sophia can give information to that project)

The University of Göttingen sees very great chances to reveal the cause of Sebadenitis and to find a method to determine, with a 100% certainty, the carrier. The team of Prof. Dr. Dr. Brenig just managed to determine the cause of BSE in the blood so that in future these carriers can be avoided.

As soon as the JKC and the University of Goettingen come to a conclusion when they can start with the project, I will contact all people with SA Akitas known to me and will ask for corresponding samples. I will let them know immediately how to treat the samples.

All samples have to be send to:

Dr. Ina Pfeiffer
Institute of Veterinary Medicine
University of Göttingen
Groner Landstraße 2
37073 Göttingen
Germany

It would be very helpful if all owners of SA diagnosed Akitas would contact me within the next 4 weeks by email or Fax: 0049-2381-983620

and would let me know if they are willing to submit biopsies, blood samples and pedigrees for the WUAG/JKC Project in Goettingen. I will inform these persons then immediately after I receive "green light" from Japan.

We think that all arrangements will be made by the end of March.

I would like to ask everybody for some patience until then, just in case if something else comes up. The dogs should not be bothered by taking unnecessarily biopsies and blood samples.

I am hoping very much that we are able to put aside human vanity and emotional desires for the benefits of our Akitas - we all together will be able to achieve something!

Therefore I am hoping to receiving more information and I would like to thank everybody who participated and who will participate :))!

My best regards to all Akita Lovers

Angelika Kammerscheid-Lammers
e-mail: Akita.Kammerscheid-Lammers@t-online.de or fax: 0049-2381-983620

*****

Or, you can contact me for further information. and I will help you get in contact with 
Mrs. Angelika Kammerscheid-Lammers.

*****

Dansk forklaring

NYT!!!   Oktober 2003   NYT!!!
Projektet er nu endeligt godkendt fra JKC's side, og arbejdet på Uni-klinik Göttingen vil blive sat i værk... Der modtages stadig data og prøver fra Akita'er med SA, så hvis du har eller kender en hund med SA, så skynd dig at få sendt de nødvendige data afsted, så forskningen kan blive så omfattende som muligt.

****

Har du eller kender du en, der har en Akita med sygdommen SA, så vil WUAC gerne have dig til at deltage i et internationalt projekt, der skal hjælpe med at kortlægge arvegangen for sygdommen og evt. finde en genmarkør, således at man kan undgå avl på syge individer i fremtiden - og også helst undgå at avle på raske bærere.

Hvis du ønsker at medvirke, skal du i første omgang sende oplysningerne om din hund til Angelika Kammerscheid-Lammers (den tyske Akita Club). Hun vil derefter informere nærmere om, hvilke oplysninger, der skal bruges til projektet, og hvordan indsendelsen helt nøjagtigt kommer til at foregå.

Hvis du ønsker yderligere oplysninger om projektet, er du også meget velkommen til at kontakte mig eller tlf. +45 5671 8871, så kan jeg hjælpe dig med at komme i kontakt med Angelika Kammerscheid-Lammers.

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