New Spontaneous Model of Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva

Abstract

We report the first known example of spontaneous, naturally occurring fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP) in a mammal. The Southeast Asian mouse deer of the genus Tragulus (Artiodactyla: Tragulidae) have an osseous sheath covering the lower back and upper thigh region consistent with the clinical definition of FOP. This heterotophic bone deposition is sex related apparently with a genetic basis - it only occurs in males and is lacking in females; it is present in all adults males, including both wild obtained and zoo bred animals. Tragulus may offer the opportunity to examine many of the disease's most significant attributes experimentally.