A Leaky Noisy-OR Bayesian Network Applied to Genetic Counseling in Dogs

摘要

Genetic disorders represent a serious health problem for companion animals and combating such disorders is a real challenge. Bayes networks facilitate the objective assessment of the risk of such disorders. We apply the methodology to answer two typical questions in genetic counselling, i.e., the risk for an animal of showing clinical signs of a genetic disease when the result at the genetic test is known and the risk of testing positive for the mutant allele when the genetic test is not made. Results showed the network is appropriate to answer objectively and transparently both questions under a variety of alternative scenarios. It can be updated automatically and can be represented visually so interactive discussion are easy between the veterinarian and his/her interlocutor.