Identification of Bangladeshi Domestic Cats with GM1 Gangliosidosis Caused by the c.1448G>C Mutation of the Feline GLB1 Gene: Case Study

GM1 gangliosidosis is a fatal, progressive neurodegenerative lysosomal storage disease caused by mutations in the (beta-galactosidase (GLB1) gene. In feline GM1 gangliosidosis, a pathogenic mutation (c.1448G>C) in the feline GLB1 gene was identified in Siamese cats in the United States and Japan and in Korat cats in Western countries. The present study found the homozygous c.1448G>C mutation in 2 apparent littermate native kittens in Bangladesh that were exhibiting neurological signs. This is the first identification of GM1 gangliosidosis in native domestic cats in Southeast Asia. This pathogenic mutation seems to have been present in the domestic cat population in the Siamese region and may have been transferred to pure breeds such as Siamese and Korat cats originating in this region.