What are the negative effects of inbreeding?

[100yan]

Such info probably exists in different threads, but i just did not find a thread that summarize all these effects. So, could someone explain what are the most frequently observed negative effects on the offspring from the inbreeding crosses?

I know about the decreased immune system, eyes and tail deformities.
Something else?

I breed leos from 3 years and this year for first time I applied inbreeding in my projects. All hatchlings were nice and healthy. Some of them were even bigger and faster growing than the offspring of non-related parents. However some of the herpers in my country argued that this is as a "mine" and sooner or later it will explode... I am not intending to do inbreeding constantly and I intend to do out crossing quite often, however, I would like to know the potential risks.

Thanks in advance!

 

[kizzer182]

Cryptosporidiosis is caused by inbreeding iv been told.

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

Cryptosporidiosis is caused by inbreeding iv been told.

This is completely inaccurate. Crypto is a contagious parasitic infection, and has nothing to do with genetic issues.

Many breeders inbreed by breeding siblings back to parents, and in some cases siblings to each other in order to 'improve' a physical trait such as color or pattern. While this may enhance some of the qualities they are looking for, it also can perpetuate the negative ones as well. While inbreeding for a generation or two may not be an issue, keeping the gene pool too shallow can cause a plethora of issues:

- egg and neonatal death
- failure to thrive syndrome
- metabolic weakness, such as parathyroid function
- tail kinks and other skeletal deformities
- reproductive issues and sterility
- neurological problems
- ill-tempered demeanor

 

[kizzer182]

Ah sorry, cryptosporidiosis is the technical term for AIDS? Am i wrong here?

 

[sunshinegeckos]

uh what are you talking about?

 

[geckogirl3]

I know this one isn't a result of line breeding, but would the first one on this page happen in line breeding

 

[Russ S]

Ah sorry, cryptosporidiosis is the technical term for AIDS? Am i wrong here?

Yes, you are wrong.
This is just another example of someone posting useless information on a subject they know nothing about.

 

[kizzer182]

Cryptosporidium (cryptosporidiosis) a protozoan parasite of man and animals, is an important etiological agent of diarrhea throughout the world, particularly in children and immunocompromised individuals such as AIDS patients I also know they inbred mice with crypto to look for a cure. This was on a web site I was looking at, shouldn't rele entice every thing the web says though. Was just putting in a input.

 

[Russ S]

Cryptosporidiosis, also known as crypto,[1] is a parasitic disease caused by Cryptosporidium, a protozoan parasite in the phylum Apicomplexa. It affects the intestines of mammals and is typically an acute short-term infection. It is spread through the fecal-oral route, often through contaminated water.

 

[kizzer182]

I know this one isn't a result of line breeding, but would the first one on this page happen in line breeding

That's discusting lol

mabi I'm reading to much into this crypto thing sorry guys

 

[Dimidiata]

wait were you trying to say inbred leos can get aids? can they?

 

[sunshinegeckos]

no they cant and linebreeding (or inbreeding) does not cause Crypto. If not outcrossed in a couple generations it can cause the problems Marcia mentioned.

 

[JordanAng420]

LOL...okay, everyone forget crypto and aids. I believe the topic was pros vs. cons of linebreeding.

Marcia, thank you for your post.

 

[M_surinamensis]

While inbreeding for a generation or two may not be an issue, keeping the gene pool too shallow can cause a plethora of issues

I have a small semantic objection to that. The use of the word "cause" is, I feel, potentially misleading.

It's more like... alters the statistical probability for expression of all traits present in the parent genomes, including those which are unexpressed in the source animals, some of which may be deleterious.

Inbreeding doesn't actually cause anything that wasn't present as a possibility based on the genetics involved in the project. It just intensifies everything that is present through recombination of common allele pairings, which can potentially result in the faster or more extreme manifestation of negative qualities as well as positive ones. In theory, if the source animals were genetically perfect, inbreeding could be done indefinitely with no negative consequences.

The real problem lies in obtaining these hypothetically perfect geckos. The more intensely line bred a project is, the faster everything present will manifest and the more likely that exponential reinforcement is to throw up the unwanted nasty trait that was lurking, obfuscated, in the gene pool.

Oddly, one of the better ways of getting closer to the ideal is to pick up stock produced by breeders who have been line breeding with good results, since the offspring of a line bred project should be more predictable with each generation. Although stock selection is potentially enormously complex and sometimes seems to be something only practiced by the more elite breeders, to my eternal disappointment.

Edit: Obvious troll is obvious. Really.

 

[Dimidiata]

..... Duh?

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

Seamus, I was trying to explain something on the obvious intellectual level of the OP. I should have said, "Inbreeding may cause genetic problems that may cause a plethora of issues" (emphasis on the 'may' instead of 'can').

I think where some people equate crypto with AIDS is due to the most recent book by Ron Tremper, "The Herpetoculture of Leopard Geckos" where he spends w-a-a-ay too much time on the topic of crypto, comparing it to AIDS in humans. He also claims that ALL leopard geckos have crypto, which is completely inaccurate. I didn't see anything that suggests crypto is genetic, but it wouldn't surprise me if that wasn't insinuated as well.

 

[100yan]

Marcia, Alex, Russell & Seamus,

You are precious!
Thanks a lot for the info you kindly provided!

 

[Desdemona]

As mentioned before, inbreeding "could" cause lower immunity, which of course could make a animal more sensitive to crypto or other illneses. Rats sometimes have problems with a different bug that is common and supposingly found in them all, but some have had a lot of inbreeding and can develop myco. Lung problems due to something they are suppose to have, but the myco grows more than they are suppose to. Same thing can happen to humans and their belly bugs, yeast being the most common (which can show up on skin and a host of locations).

Seamus did give a great discription though!

Which leaves me with the question, do gecko breeders often follow their animals? ie request that those who purchase from them update them of any health problems or other things that could indicate genetic weakness?

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

first, we must remember that there is a HUGE difference in reptiles vs. mammals. There is really only ONE strain of Cryptosporidium that affects reptiles, and it is a contagious parasite that is transmissible via oral/fecal contact. While it may be true that genetic immune weakness may be a result of inbreeding, it has absolutely nothing to do with whether any living creature becomes contaminated with the parasite.

 

[Wowoklol]

I have a small semantic objection to that. The use of the word "cause" is, I feel, potentially misleading.

It's more like... alters the statistical probability for expression of all traits present in the parent genomes, including those which are unexpressed in the source animals, some of which may be deleterious.

Inbreeding doesn't actually cause anything that wasn't present as a possibility based on the genetics involved in the project. It just intensifies everything that is present through recombination of common allele pairings, which can potentially result in the faster or more extreme manifestation of negative qualities as well as positive ones. In theory, if the source animals were genetically perfect, inbreeding could be done indefinitely with no negative consequences.

The real problem lies in obtaining these hypothetically perfect geckos. The more intensely line bred a project is, the faster everything present will manifest and the more likely that exponential reinforcement is to throw up the unwanted nasty trait that was lurking, obfuscated, in the gene pool.

Oddly, one of the better ways of getting closer to the ideal is to pick up stock produced by breeders who have been line breeding with good results, since the offspring of a line bred project should be more predictable with each generation. Although stock selection is potentially enormously complex and sometimes seems to be something only practiced by the more elite breeders, to my eternal disappointment.

Edit: Obvious troll is obvious. Really.

Also see: LAB RATS. They inbreed the same lines because they are proven and they know what they are made of.