Disorder - Hypotrichosis with thymic aplasia, congenital

Hypotrichosis is a term used to describe a decrease in, or absence of hair. Affected kittens are either born bald or have a thin downy coat that falls out within a week of birth. Some kittens are dead at birth. Affected kittens may grow a thin coat within the first two months while others remain bald. Post-mortem of affected kittens reveals that the thymus gland is absent. The thymus has an important function in the immune system. It is responsible for maturation of a line of white blood cells called T-lymphocytes. Because the immune system doesn’t function as well, most kittens succumb to infections and usually die within 13 weeks of birth.

Other clinical signs include greasy skin and crusting of the skin around the face from where the mother has tried to groom them. Often more than one animal is affected per litter. Other abnormalities described in affected Birman cats include absence of whiskers and claws and abnormalities on the surface of the tongue.

None. There are no specific treatments to get the hair to grow. Some treatments are available to help improve the skin condition.